Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Burning

a. The Burning Monk video and the self-burning of Mohamed Bouazizi are the same because both of them involve a man using gasoline to set himself on fire to get a point across, the monk wanted to practice Buddhism, but it wasn't allowed in Vietnam so he set himself on fire, and Bouazizi just wanted to get his scale back so in protest he set himself on fire. The difference between the two are one happened because he couldn't practice the religion he wanted to, and the other involves protesting against the government of his country.

b. I feel what they did was right, but also a bit too implusive.

c. "Anything that gives us new knowledge gives us an opportunity to be more rational."
Herbert Simon

d. Discussion Questions:
Do you feel that what they did was smart?
Do you think Bouazizi could have handled the situation better.

Friday, February 18, 2011

OPTION 1/Literary Analysis of WWI.

1. My person is Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt also known as Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. Taken from a speech Roosevelt gave in Paris in 1910, this poetic inspiring verse, "In the Arena" is a favorite among many. This is a link I used to find my info: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=theodore+roosevelt&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

2.

In the Arena

It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs,
comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end
the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails,
at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls
who neither know victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt

This is the link I used to find the poem: http://www.poetrygift.com/arena1.html

3. Theodore Roosevelt is related to the poem "In the Arena" because for one thing he wrote the poem. Also, this poem is based on a speech that he gave in 1910. Another reason why this poem is related to Roosevelt is because he is known for his energetic personality which is just like the line "Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause"(Stanza 2 Line 4 & 5). Lastly, like the line "Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement"(Stanza 2 Line 6 & 7) Teddy is also known for his range of interests and achievements.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The White Man's Burden & Imperialism

1) I think what Kipling means by "the White Man's burden" is that no matter what your skin color, whether your black or white, there's always some kind of burden that everyone has to take with them.

2) I think Kipling does justify imperialism because in this poem he talks about how people should have patience to do whatever they please which is a big part of imperialism.

3) It would be appealing because if anyone ever felt upset with themselves they could read this poem to make them feel better.