Good or Bad?

There are many valuable things in our life that we sometimes take for granted!

I believe that the internet and computers have a positive influence on our lives. It is a great form of communication and can help give a lot of important information. It is a good way for people and companies to sell products, or advertise something. The internet can help many people in many different ways.

          The internet offers great ways to communicate. We can send e-mail messages that can get to people across the world in just a matter of seconds. This helps with business, long distance relationships and families that want to stay in touch. By using sites like Hotmail, Gmail, and even Facebook, people can stay in touch with each other better. Important upcoming events or new stories can also be put on public sites like AOL and MSN so people know what is going on in the world. These sites also give out important information.

          The internet has many great sources to get information from. This information can be helpful if you are doing an essay for school, or trying to find facts like who the fourteenth president of the United States was. All this wonderful information is easily accessible to the public through sites like Google and Yahoo. You can even read up on certain problems going on in the world that you can help with. The internet is also good for advertising.

          Many companies have websites so that they can sell their products online. This is very convenient to those people who have difficulty getting places on their own. The products simply get delivered straight to your house. There are many sites like EBay and shopping      mall that can help you get anything you need from the convenience of your own home. Some people may argue that this just makes people lazy but I know that it is more beneficial.

          Some people have been in tragic accidents that have left them handicapped. Some can no longer walk or talk, or even drive. The internet lets them know what is going on in the world around them without them actually having to leave their home. They can buy the products they need without having to go through the pain of traveling. This does not make people lazier; it simply helps the people in need.

          Internet and computers are very helpful things and I don't know where we would be in this world without them. It is a very scary thought to be in a world where we don't have an easy way of communicating with each other, and ways to get all the important stories out into the world. They caution people about the dangers, not to mention how bad business would be if they had no internet advertising. The internet is a very helpful and important thing.

Literary Analysis for A Tale of Two Cities

I am sure that you have heard of the famous author, Charles Dickens. I am also sure that you have probably heard of the book he wrote called, A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens wrote this novel in London during the year 1859. The setting of this novel was in the outskirts of London and Paris. I think there are many themes that can be addressed in this book. Some of themes are resurrection, class struggle, fate, social injustice, and revenge. I could discuss all of them in detail, but for right now I want to talk about the classes and about how much injustice there was during the time of this book.  Very different classes that all need new world control can cause much social injustice and conflict in a world that is all about hatred and revenge. This book might be fiction but it sure is something that really could have happened. I chose this passage that you can see in the next paragraph because I really feel like it explains almost all of the themes very well. Although it doesn’t directly state one of the themes being addressed, if you look within you can find them.

 The passage I chose to talk about with my theme says, “The wine was red wine, and had stained the ground of the narrow street in the suburb of Saint Antoine, in Paris, where it was spilled. It had stained many hands, too, and many faces, and many naked feet, and many wooden shoes. The hands of the man who sawed the wood, left red marks on the billets; and the forehead of the woman who nursed her baby, was stained with the stain of the old rag she wound about her head again. Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth; and one tall joker so besmirched, his head more out of a long squalid bag of a night-cap than in it, scrawled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy wine-lees—blood” (A Tale of Two cities, 64).

            This passage was taken from a scene in front of an old wine shop in Paris where a wine bottle had been broken and wine spilled everywhere. I think one of the things that Dickens wanted us to know as a reader is that these were very hard times to live in. There was extreme poverty and sickness, social injustice, and many other cruel things that apply to the themes of the book.  In this passage, it shows that the people are not only physically starved but I also  think it may symbolize that they are hungry for something new. They need something to change within their world so that they can have more justice, and to get away from all of their misery. A Tale of Two Cities really shows just how bad things got during this time in London and Paris, and so many innocent people were getting killed. The lower classes wanted revenge on the higher classes called the aristocracy. Like I said earlier, even though this passage does not address all parts of the book specifically, if you look into it you can see how it is significant to Dickens’ novel as a whole.

            The imagery from this passage is very intense. When I first read it, I pictured people with  blood all over them like they had just came from some sort of war. Even though what was on them was not blood, but in fact wine, the wine still resembles blood in a way.  Part of the passage says, “Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth; and one tall joker so besmirched, his head more out of a long squalid bag of a night-cap than it in, scrawled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy wine-lees-blood.” The people were so poor and starving that they acted like wild animals. They were even compared to a tiger in this passage.  This imagery relates to the theme in many ways.

As I read this part from the book over and over again, I can’t help but get such a clear mental image of what was actually going on at the time of the book, and what was going on with all of the injustice in the world. These people were probably the very lowest class. I am sure that many of the aristocracy in London and in Paris didn’t even know that this was going on. I don’t think they cared either. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens gives us many examples and imagery of the world these important characters lived in. The tone of this passage can also tell us a lot about the theme of the book.

As the narrator is telling us the story of what happened to a broken wine bottle in the late 1700’s, he says it in kind of a sad and heartbroken tone. But he also acted like it was a very normal thing. Things like this probably happened all the time in these parts of the world at this time. Sad things like innocent people getting sent to the guillotine happened all the time. This was one of the main parts of this Dickens’ novel. Charles Darnay, just after marrying Lucie Manette, is sent through multiple trials for crimes he did not commit. Luckily, Sydney Carton looked enough like Charles that in the end he could take his place at the guillotine. Enough about the characters though, this example just shows even more about the theme of injustice. Sydney should have never had to take Charles’ place for death. No crime was committed by any of them, yet they were still punished.

            Madame Defarge is another important character who also shows one of the themes of this book. Madame Defarge is a very revenge-stricken character. She knits names of people in the aristocracy who she has as victims. This woman is not a happy lady in any way shape or form. I think that Dickens is trying to show us a very important lesson with Madame Defarge. I think he wants us to realize that nothing good will ever come with wanting so much revenge.  I think that even within this passage, if we look close enough we can see how it relates to the themes of this book. It shows how nothing good ever comes from acting like a savage. The people described in the above passage really are comparable to savages.

            The passage I mentioned earlier really covers the themes of the book A Tale of Two Cities. The main themes in A Tale of Two Cities are just how much injustice there was at the time of this book and how all the different classes were treated. How the different classes were treated even goes right alongside with all of the social injustice. Very different classes that all need new world control can cause much social injustice and conflict in a world that is all about hatred and revenge. Nothing good ever comes from a world filled with angry and vengeful people. This book was a very interesting book that may seem scary at first, but once you get into it you can really learn a lot of important life lessons from it. I encourage you all to go read it so you can learn more about the characters and the real story of the book.

               

High School!

 I started this post as a falcon forum post but I decided I had a lot to say about it so wanted to make it into a whole blog post! I didn’t want to put this on the discussion board because I was afraid It would take up too much room!

I have been just talking with my friends and we all decided that we were done with Jr. High. Lots of them said that they were done with Jr. High before 9^th grade even started! For me, by the end of 8^th grade, I wasn’t ready for high school. I am glad I got another year before I was forced to go to another bigger school. Since we are almost done with ninth grade, I am staring to feel the readiness. Even though the high school seams kind of big and scary, I am really looking forward to go into high school. Lately in my school work I have just really noticed that I am ready to go to Layton high. My brother goes there and every single night of school this year I have had more homework than he does. I think that juniors in high school should have more homework than me! I am only in ninth grade! This is one of the things I am excited about for high school, having less work to do, which I heard is the case if you go to Layton high! I do think that coming here to Fairfield has prepared me well for high school.

 I am extremely sad that some of my friends are going to Davis. I will probably ball my eyes out on the last day of school. There are pros and cons to going to high school and losing friends will be the hardest one to overcome I think.

 I have been trying to convince some of my friends to switch to Layton and they are trying to convince me to go to Davis and it is really quite sad that I am going to have to leave some of my very best friends that I have had sense preschool! When I talk to my other friends from different schools they don’t seem to understand because there school does not split up. They should make the boundaries for the high school around the different schools so that people don’t lose friends when they go into high school. Variances sometimes make it possible to switch but most of the time the parents just really want the students to go to one specific school for various reasons. High school is already scary as it is and now they are making us go into it without some of our very best friends. What is this?! Every time I talk about this I kind of get worked up and mad so sorry! I just don’t understand why schools have to split up and go to different high schools. It is always good to look at the positive side of this though. At first I was really mad and could not think of any positive things but I have realized as time has gone by that this could end up turning out to be a learning experience.

 It is really important to have the skill of making new friends which sometimes I have a hard time with because being around new people sometimes makes me shy. This is something that I want to work on and I really think it is a valuable skill for everyone to have and work on. In my opinion, it is important to be outgoing and to know a lot of people. In a world this big you want to be noticed or else sometimes you just get left behind. Being outgoing will help you get to know people you would have never known and even get your name out there for new opportunities!

                High school I think will be scary to go into but if we going there with a positive attitude I think that it will become one of the most life changes experiences ever. It gives you a good fresh start to make new friends and become of better you! I am nervous for high school but really excited and ready too!

Greek Mythology

So I had to write this essay for Thompson’s class like I’m sure most everybody should have done. I missed some class so by the end when we were supposed to have this whole thing finished. This was a little hard considering I was a little confused but I think it turned out okay!

The Quest of the Golden Fleece: Jason and the Argonauts

Many of these hero stories teach us something important in our lives. Sometimes it is hard to find what it teaches through all of the war and fighting but in the end, something good always comes from what they have done. In this story of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece, it illustrates many common themes. Heroes always seem to accomplish the impossible even when the circumstances they were born into are very difficult. Jason, a hero in Greek mythology, is sent on a very difficult quest. Jason was born with an uncle who wants him dead so he cannot claim the throne of Lolcus. In the end, heroes always reclaim their rightful place in life. This very interesting story of Jason and the Golden Fleece illustrates all of those themes.

            To make the story of Jason and the Argonauts more clear, I will start by saying that Jason goes on a journey to find the Golden Fleece so that he can reclaim his rightful throne. When I went to the library; I found a book on this story that said, “Pelias said that Jason could be his heir if he fetched the golden fleece from colchins” In the story, he had to do many things that would seem impossible. Some of the things he faced would seem absolutely ridiculous to us.  He was not going to receive the Golden Fleece easily, so he was faced with some difficult tasks. He had to yoke a team of fire-breathing bulls and then plow the field with them; had to plant dragon teeth which turn into “warlike armored men” and fight them; and worst of all he had to pass by a sleeping dragon to get the fleece. Jason accomplished all these tasks with the help of Medea, Aeetes' daughter, who had fallen in love with him. In the end, he finally got the Golden Fleece and all was well. He did not get it without a fight though. The three themes that I mentioned earlier are found within the story of Jason and the Argonauts. The first one being that Jason conquered all these things after what you could call a rough child hood.(Pontikis, Nick)

            Aeson was Jason’s father. His father’s step brother Palias stole the kingdom of Lolcus from him and imprisoned him. Jason’s mother , Plymele, knew that when Jason was born his evil uncle would try to kill him so that he would never be a ruler of Lolcus.  She made Palias believe that the baby died at birth. Pymele was smart enough to get Jason smuggled out of the city and delivered to Mount Pelion where he was cared for by Cheiron. (Greek Myths and Legends 32,33) Jason had a hard life growing up. He had his father in prison and his own uncle wanting to kill him. This example is the first theme  this story demonstrates. Heroes sometimes rise from lowly beginnings or unhappy circumstances.  Even though Jason was raised in unhappy circumstances, he was still able to complete nearly impossible tasks.

            In the story of Jason and the Argonauts, as I told you before, Jason is faced with many tasks that seem impossible. His uncle found out that he was still alive and told him he could have the throne if he retrieved the Golden Fleece. His uncle thought that Jason would just be killed on the quest and never retrieve the throne but his uncle Palias was badly mistaken.  One of the first things that Jason is faced with is rock walls that slam shut when you get into them. No ship has ever been able to pass through safely. They were clever enough to find guidance to know if the they threw a bird through first, the walls would shut and while they were reopening, it would be the perfect chance to go through. Magic rock walls that close to kill was just one of the challenges the Argonauts were faced with. ( Jason, quest for the golden fleece, 26) Once they got to the place where the Golden Fleece was, they were faced with the challenges that I mentioned earlier. This just shows the second theme I am showing, which is that Heroes can accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.

            The third theme that best fits this book is the one about heroes always reclaiming their rightful place in life. After a long and hard journey to find the Golden Fleece, Jason, with the help of Medea, retrieved it. Medea, who was a great sorceress cast a spell on the dragon that was protecting the Fleece so they could go in and snatch it. They brought it back to Lolcus to show the king. The king then got what he deserved. The truth was revealed about the king so his own daughters cut him up and boiled him! Jason, with his wife Medea, lived very happily for some time afterwards.

            As you can see, this story about this amazing hero shows three major themes in Greek mythology. The first being that heroes sometimes rise from lowly beginnings or unhappy circumstances, which in this case is very true. The second theme represented is that heroes can overcome nearly impossible tasks. Last but not least the third theme covers how heroes always reclaim their rightful place in life. In this epic Greek story about Jason and the Argonauts (the Quest of the Golden Fleece), all three of the daily themes are represented. I encourage you to go and read these fabulous Greek myths because you can really learn a lot of important things from them!