Movie Outline

Question: Are our governments just as corrupted/damaged as the one in Gladiator?
Thesis: I believe that our government in America is just as corrupted and damaged as the one in the movie “Gladiator,” through war, greed, and civil disputes.

Example 1: War. Both the movie and our country are in a state of War with another nation. This can strengthen a country, but over time it tends to damage it more. Many people right now wonder why we are fighting and want to take our men/women out of the fighting. In the movie, Rome was taking over a lot of the surrounding nations. With one president he will wage war, the other that may be elected wants to take it away.

Example 2: Greed. America consumes more natural resources than any other, has a low recycling rate, has the highest obesity rate, along with other over consumption of “wants” and not “needs”. Money has become the top of what most Americans want. The government is split between different parties with different agendas that they want to have rule, wanting the power. In the movie the king is killed by a greedy son, and wants to be loved by the people because of his absolute power.

Example 3: Civil disputes. People in America fight amongst ourselves to promote their own agenda. Gay marriage, death penalty, and going to trial for simple and unjust things like spilled coffee. The people don’t agree on a solid equal belief. There is a Democratic and Republican party that people vote for. Democrats hated Bush, Republicans hate Obama. In the movie the people hated the Caesar, they wanted a voice. They also were trying to be settled and entertained by the many coliseum games.

Conclusion: Restate Thesis. Through war, greed, and civil disputes, the government in the movie and the current government in America do not differ a lot. I believe that our government in America is just as corrupted and damaged as the one in the movie “Gladiator.”

Gladiator

Today in class we watched Halloween. It is not my favorite movie but it is a classic that you must see at least once. Now I am watching Gladiator. I chose to watch this movie because previously last week I saw that it was playing on T.V. so I recorded it. This project gives me a good reason to sit back, relax, and watch the movie.
Today has been a very good day and it has gone by much too fast. This semester is already halfway done and I cant wait for next semester as well. I am taking two English classes, a Religion, and a Philosophy.
Well I must go and continue to watch the movie! See you all in class on Wednesday!

Calvin and Hobbes Outline

Question: Is Calvin psychologically disturbed or does he have an amazing imagination.

Thesis: I believe that Calvin is not psychologically disturbed, but instead has an amazing, sometimes over active, imagination because of the innocence of snowmen, the innocence of a child, and the bright happy colors and overtones used by the author.

Body 1: Most children love to make snow men, and snow men in themselves are calming and friendly.
-Connect to the ideas of personal experience of making snow men.
-This brings the point that he is a kid! That his imagination is able to tie with reality to an extent.
-What he does with these snow men could be the works of a future genius! He is thinking outside of the box.

Body 2: Most children, especially boys, love to play pranks on siblings and parents.
-Explain personal experiences of pranks on parents and friends.
-Not every kid is perfect at respecting his elders.
-In this piece he doesn’t seem to make a note of wanting harm to be done, but instead walks away with a big smile.

Body 3: If the author wanted Calvin to be psychologically disturbed then he would have drawn the pictures much different.
-The attitude of the character is much happier than they may if something was wrong.
-The bright colors pop and bring happiness.
-More dark stories like Sin City would have more of the disturbed undertone.

Conclusion: Restate thesis, and close the piece with a personal thought of the cartoon.

Calvin and Hobbes!

I really enjoy reading the Comic Strip/Book Calvin and Hobbes. Though they are comic strips they can still have whole pages dedicated to a single story. One of my favorite strips is the one below. It makes me think of my own childhood of making snowmen in my front yard, but I was never THAT clever! Though my dog is afraid of snowmen so I would build some in the backyard just so he could see them when he went out to the bathroom.

Swan Song

So right now I am taking a break from writing an outline for a new piece. This weekend one of my friends and I took some pictures, trying to make a cover page for it. I have never thought about a title or even a cover picture for any piece until I am completely done. This time though I thought I would try doing it first for fun, plus I had the name picked out and everything. For anyone interested it is called "Swan Song." A 'swan song' is a belief that the Mute Swan, is mute throughout its life time until the moments before it dies, and at that moment it sings a beautiful song. It also means that something is coming to an end and this is their last statement or action. This piece kind of reflects that idea. I am hopefully writing a little bit of the prologue tonight as well and I will try to get it up as soon as I can!

Poem + Outline

God's Grandeur, by Gerard Manley Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Opening paragraph
-Opening statement
-Thesis: I believe that the author, Gerard Manley Hopkins, of “God’s Grandeur,” is trying to prove that the human kind is flawed and that God still loves us.
-Three main points to be expanded.

Bodies
1st-Flaw
-“The World is charged with the grandeur of God…why do men then now not reck his rod?”
-compare this to real world experiences of today.

2nd-Flaw
- “…Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; and all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; and wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell…”
-compare to real world again to prove human flaws.

3rd-Forgiveness
- “…the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.”
-Explain real world beliefs about God’s forgiveness.

Conclusion
-Restate the thesis
-Closing sentence to finish paper

I hate Macs...

Right now I am sitting in class trying to do some of my homework, but the Adobe does not seem to work. Instead it works for a moment and then shuts down, it may just be this computer but I am going to blame it on the Mac.
Anyways, off the subject of Macs, I went to the reading last Thursday to listen to the author that was speaking. I really enjoyed her piece and the way it was written, but I had a difficult time getting connected to the piece. It was about lesbian cancer patients who start out at a wedding and end up at a bar. The only connection that I had with this piece was that my best friends mother has cancer and I have friends that are gay/lesbian.
Over all though I really enjoyed being at the reading and I want to go to future readings.