Killing Us Softly

The title is sort of true. The Media is slowly degrading the way women and men view themselves, though women are clearly targeted more visciously than men. I never knew how bad women had it until I viewed the film, which is a number of years old. I can only imagine it's getting worse and harder to tell what it negative and positive as time goes on. The most interesting point I saw was how different male nudity is to female nudity. It is considered appalling if men show off their junk, but it is just scandalous if women do. I don't mind not seeing male nudity, but its strange how this became to be. It probably has something to do with how women can be bisexual, but men can't as easily (that's a whole notha' topic). Overall I thought it put a good light on what to be aware of. I wouldn't mind seeing the rest of the series.

I'm white

I'm white. But what does that mean? To me it says that i'm rich, self-centered, egotistical, and ignorant. It's truely understated that just as many whites disrepect our race as blacks disrespect theirs. But what seperates us? Whites have done a lot to equalize the rights and privaleges for blacks, but we have done nothing to understand what it is to be black. Genetically we are over 98% the same, but i'm not like a black man. I'm white. My culture, heritage, beliefs, and upbringing were all characteristically white, and I know nothing of what is to be black. We will never be the same and to believe so is a crude version of racism. We all carry things on our shoulders, and if we ever want some sort of tranquility, all we need is acceptance. If we just accepted that we were different, things would be a lot easier. Instead we fight to be the same.

Caucasia

Is this a place, perhaps reality? Do I live in Caucasia? I think yes. I live in a world dominated by the white race. Though the white race doesn't technically exist, white skin is superior. Birdie is caught in between. She can pass as white, but isn't the same color on the inside. This is a huge dilema for her, and she struggles with who she is and who she has to act like throughout the novel. I can feel for her, though i could never be mistaken for another race. I'd be interesting to see how it would feel to be inbetween for a few days. I can't wait for the end of the book and hopefully she'll end up being able to be black on the outside.

War

Recently we've viewed and analyzed a lot of literature of war. We read SL-V and war poems, but I've also been reading The Things They Carried, which is a war story from vietnam. It talks about war in ways i've never heard or even thought of. War isn't a glam story, and most true stories aren't actually true. They all are exagerated, and most of the time we only see glimpses of things and our minds fill in the rest that happens. The author believes that war isn't glamerous and there isn't conflict thats worth the cost of human life. Overall war is simple, and dehumanizing. It changes good people to the worst, and proves nothing in the end.
I haven't yet finished the book, but so far it has been an enjoyable read. I bet you're all wondering what happens next so i'll be sure to keep you all imformed!

SL-V

At first I imagined this book to be more of a historical and personable account of the Dresden fire-bombing, but instead it's taking a turn I never expected. As the book carries on, Billy's journey to Tralfamadore becomes much more clear and even possible, though he obviously unstable at home. I can see the story going to where I am questioning whether Billy's abduction is real or its just a story Billy believes. I'm still very skeptical, but it's so descriptive and real, that's it hard to imagine that Pilgrim is making it up. This story is much like the movie K-pax, where the protaganist Prote believes he is from the planet K-pax, and he is found by police and taken to a psychiatric facility. Throughout the story you get hints of both arguments, but the question still remains at the end of the movie, whether he was an alien or not. This reminds me a lot of Billy Pilgrim and where the story is going.

Metamorphosis

Change is happening everywhere. Little or massive, our actions are change, and our thoughts are growth. After reading Metamorphosis, I had a hard time finding the symbols for what I thought Kafka was trying to explain, and it wasn't until I learned he had tuberculosis that I realized what he was conveying. His way of saying that he felt apart from everyone was that he was a beetle that everyone tried to be nice to. Even though he was still Kafka, his family and friends obviously took his illness as a sign of being tainted. Kafka was forced to live in a sanitarium and that was the symbol for being locked away in his room. Everything connects and somehow this bizarre story makes sense as a metaphor. Wow Kafka, you blow me away.

Room 210

Of the entirety of classrooms in the highschool, nothing compares to the feelings of room 210. I hate being here. It reminds me of writing assessments and how much I don't like writing assessments. I feel almost helpless in this room, like I'm working in an office cubicle for the rest of my life, alienated by the man if you will. I'm not sure if i'm the only one with hatred for this room, but i can imagine this bland room with bright lights triggers reactions in most people. Hopefully we'll use another lab next time.