Thursday, April 5, 2012

Ode to Dante.

Ode to Dante Hail to thee, fervent guardian! Ichthyoid thou never were. Thine scales rivaled the finest cardigan, And your life was clean and pure. You could never hop on the furniture. Although you were a Betta, Thou wert the Alpha in my heart. You waged a constant vendetta Against the other fish from PetsMart. Discretion was not your art. In the placid tap water, Of your cramped fishbowl, Over the fake plastic potter, Didst thou swim and loll. You and your lonely swimming hole. Stronger than all musicianship, Of the parakeet's sound, Stronger than all companionship, Of the faithful hound, It was your silence which made thee renowned. So teach me thy endurance, And teach me reverie. What could lend you that assurance Of escaping the algae? Why weren't you in misery? This poem is based off of "To a Skylark" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. In "To a Skylark," the author desires the freedom of the bird he describes. Shelley often takes a subject in his poetry and tries to find its underlying quality or essence. This poem is reflective of Romantic Poetry because it analyzes a facet of life in great detail and amazement. It also includes certain middle English words.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Macbeth Music.

http://open.spotify.com/user/1222194144/playlist/6cl4KY4NsPNqsONefEq29m 1.) "The End of the Innocence" by Bruce Hornsby This song refers to the decisions Macbeth makes to gradually murder people over time. 2.) "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash The allignment of Macbeth straddles the line between good and evil before finally becoming bad. The audience also still generally feels pathos towards Macbeth at the end of the play, even considering his misdeeds. 3.) "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins The tension surrounding Macbeth before the murder of Macbeth is somewhat illustrated in this song. 4.) "Peace of Mind" by Boston Macbeth really only desires peace and security after a certain point in the play, like this song. Sadly, it eludes him. 5.) "Flirtin' with Disaster" by Molly Hatchet The choices Macbeth makes lead him down a dangerous road of blood and treachery, like this song's title. 6.) "I won't Back Down" by Tom Petty Macbeth won't yield to Macduff in Act V of the play. This also resembles Tom's sentiments toward the standing upon one's own ground. 7.) "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake The bad choices Macbeth makes lead to his own downfall, akin to this familial karmic proverb edifaced in Justin Timberlake own perfect falsetto. 8.) "Minds Awake" by Rumspringa Lady Macbeth and Macbeth become haunted by their guilt and fear that their secrets will become known. This thought plagues and tears at their consciences constantly, eventually driving Macbeth to hallucinations and Lady Macbeth to suicide. 9.) "I Can't Stop" by Flux Pavillion Macbeth says after a point in the play that it would be foolish to turn back on his murderous ways after what he had already done, forcing him to continue down the path of sin. 10.) "Say it Ain't So" by Weezer Macbeth is reluctant to admit defeat and mourns the precarious situation that Macduff presents him with at the end of Act V.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Authority and Leadership

There is no ignoring the outdated tradition that men are inherently better leaders than women. Deep within the annals of almost every culture there have been one or more dominant male figureheads leading their community. This is most likely due to the primal yet apparent physical superiority of man, at least in prehistoric societies. However in modern times, this distinct guideline for gender-based roles is not as expected. There are no physical competitions for leadership anymore, forcing competition to only be based on the quality of one's character. However, there are distinct emotional and psychological differences unique to both genders still separating them from each other. Women are more characteristically gentle and nurturing, as they are natural mothers. Technically, the actual chemicals, such as estrogen, found in women make them the loving mothers whom we appreciate and love. But the real question is whether this detracts from the qualities of real leadership. A true leader has an incredible talent to persuade others. This ability includes connecting with people's true emotions on a very personal level, a quality that most women have in spades. Men have a more direct approach to relationships with people, and do not enjoy this advantage that women have. However, men have natural intimidation and powerful demeanor in their gait. Despite these gender-based benefits, there are also detrimental sides to being a woman. Becoming too emotional in an international summit would be a complete disaster. Some real signs of weakness within the nation could occur if someone displays too much emotion. The kind of emotion that is found in the feminine gender can be controlled to gather followers and help with personal popularity. In the article about Hillary Clinton's emotional outburst, a sarcastic reporter joked that she must have debated whether or not to cry for a long time. In a sense, this can be completely logical. She might have cried purely out of reason to try to get some compassion and pity from the nation. Connecting with the people is a very important yet difficult task that some politicians face. It can make or break the career of a leader. I believe that if any person possesses the true qualities of a leader, then they definitely deserve it. While gender can affect the type and quality of a person's character, it does not necessarily affect their leadership abilities. However, the public's perception of a female leader could diminish her authority, even though she wouldnt be able to do anything about it. Women have the same capacity for leadership that men exhibit, despite their physical inferiority.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

On the subject of Accountability

When forced to act unjustly, do any negative moral ramifications take place? This question is subject to the type of situation that the dilemma occurs in. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, three murderers are ordered to kill innocent lives by their corrupted king, Macbeth. The murderers carry out the order without remorse and give no second thought to the deeds they commit. This kind of order following is outright wrong. The three could have walked away from the king's order without any repercussions. This type of cruelty is just completely and unabashedly wrong. In the two stories of the nazis, this type of distinction was not so clear. One person, Victor Capesius, sends his former neighbors to their deaths just as he is ordered to. He mentally eradicates any human memory of his friends in order to carry on with his horrific malice. This type of following is also obviously unlawful and completely unjust. The other man mentioned in the article is Konrad Jarausch. He is another nazi charged with malicious orders just like Capesius. The only difference between the two is that Konrad truly feels regret about what he was doing. Konrad created documents where he expresses his direct regret for his actions. However, he does nothing to stop the wrongdoings. During his time serving as a nazi, he knew that he could have never affected the outcome of the third reich. This logic, he stated, was why he never chose to protest against the unlawful duties he was charged with. Despite his deep and profound regret for his actions, he is still accountable for what he did. Participating in the absolute horror of the Holocaust can never be justified. Just because Konrad felt intense peer pressure from his nazi friends doesn't mean that his innocence can be salvaged. He was, in a sense, more moral than the completely intrinsically evil Capesius. Capesius never admitted one tiny bit of regret, even at trials after the war. These situations beg the question of where the line of innocence while committing sin can be drawn. While most of the time judgment must be passed independently on each situation, it can be said in general that a person must do everything in his power to not commit mortal sins, even when threatened. None of the people in any of these cases tried at all to stop the tragic murders before they were committed, and they should be all held accountable for it.