A theme I find running wild this winter is "growing up." Its not a common used term, but I can see it every day. In this chapter of my book Jack tells of his early sporting experiences. With a rediculous father figure such as Dwight (there must be a reason they use that name in the office), coming away with new cleats wasn't something that was going to happen. This is that one thing in Jacks life that happens to every boy. At least once, your parents make you do something or wear something against your will. Mostly this happens quite freaquently. In this case, Jack has joined the basketball team. Dwight is forcing Jack to wear the same shoes he wheres to school. "I outgrew two pairs of shoes in 7th grade alone" (140). The shoes don't fit and they aren't meant for polished wood floor. Jack ends up clomping around the court, sliding and falling when he tries to stop, essentially looking like a fool. I can remember family pictures and visiting relatives and being forced to wear rediculous outfits. All in the name of saving money and looking cute. Jack just deals with it. This shows he is maturing. I think we're all maturing. With the new year coming can we say it isn't all too soon? As Ms. Freohlich says, "What are you thinking!? You're young adults now!" (Froehlich often during class).
Jack suffers another life event that I also am finding quite prominant now. Secretly Jack crushes on a friend named Norma. She is frequent in Jacks daily life and often hangs around with Bobby. Bobby is in college, as is Norma. They're schooling together. Jack never makes the connection of the two. They hang out alone all the time, they plan over the future after college etc. Finally on the ride home from one of Jack's basketball games, he realizes exactly what has been in front of him all this time he'd been crushing on Norma. "She called him Bobo, her pet name for him" (150). The evidence shines on one clear conclusion. They're in love! They're together! Jack loses it. Showing his maturity by "punching her, slapping her, calling her names!" (150). Jacks fit lasts and he kicks her out of the house. "Then I let her back in. There was no choice. Whenever I heard Ray Charles sing I can't stop loving you, I just had to stop and get sad for a while. A lot of us now are experiencing similar circumstances. Many of us end up like Jack, we just need to feel bad for a while.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
That Boys Life
For our ethics unit this week I decided to go back to a chapter I read last weekend. We always talk about adults and how they go against ethics of society and such, but we never talk about children. Uncool is the name of the chapter in my book. Jack is 11 years old, but he acts like hes much older. Not in the good sense either. Jack is rebelious and terrible. At first he seems quite innocent. "I kept after him until he finally showed me the album," (50). This shows his child-like innocence due to the fact the he either doesn't understand the touchyness of the subject or he just doesn't care. Another example of Jacks childish ethics is expressed in his friendships. Taylor's mother was widowed and sometimes pulls him near and hugs him. Silver and Jack acted as very bad friends. "We saw the potential of this scene and we preplayed it often... we could bring taylor to tears just by saying 'Terrence, Terrence!'" (55). They tortured each other even as friends. This is probably creditted to their immaturity. With time boys learn and grow up.
Jack was also a very terrible child in an older ages' sense. As an 11 year old Jack was a theif and a vandel. "we palmed anything that wasn't under glass... standing on seats until the last second to send them crashing into cars... just to stare at guns in the windows of pawnshops," (56). These are acts often played out by older boys. Jack and his friends are obviously subject to very little parenting and have gone wild. On another occasion the boys throw eggs at a thunderbird down below the apartment (A thunderbird is a car). The man in the car circles the block. They keep throwing eggs until the man explodes in such fiery the boys jump back with the effect. "The silence made me uncomfortable and in my discomfort I grinned at Silver, but Silver did not grin back," (70). The boys have second thoughts. Though they are far above their time for vandelism they are also maturing as well. Learning their own ethics from themselves.
Jack was also a very terrible child in an older ages' sense. As an 11 year old Jack was a theif and a vandel. "we palmed anything that wasn't under glass... standing on seats until the last second to send them crashing into cars... just to stare at guns in the windows of pawnshops," (56). These are acts often played out by older boys. Jack and his friends are obviously subject to very little parenting and have gone wild. On another occasion the boys throw eggs at a thunderbird down below the apartment (A thunderbird is a car). The man in the car circles the block. They keep throwing eggs until the man explodes in such fiery the boys jump back with the effect. "The silence made me uncomfortable and in my discomfort I grinned at Silver, but Silver did not grin back," (70). The boys have second thoughts. Though they are far above their time for vandelism they are also maturing as well. Learning their own ethics from themselves.
Monday, December 8, 2008
These questions raised and answered
On the Water Front shows us corruption on the docks and how people cope and feel about it. The mobsters believe anything that isn't dire devotion to the mob is treason. Many of the workers at the dock are in with the mob but not a part of it. When the Priet asks if anyone knows who killed Joey, no one answers. They don't like it, but telling would be squealing, and no one squeals on the mob. Terry shows an opinion more biased to the contrare. He is down due to the fact that he baited poor Jonny to the roof. He shows signs of inner struggle with his opinions on right and wrong. Perhaps its not right to bait someone to death, not right to the point that one should risk his own life to stop it? We are still early in the film but I predict he does just that. The mob will be taken down.
Tattle tails vs flag throwers. When we think of tattle tails we think of boys, but when we think of honest flag throwers we think of men. The ones who tattle are easily named for they are often disliked. Those who stand up against something wrong are, to the contrary, often idolized. However, these labels are a complete point of view. Which labels one gets is decided by the majority. The situation decides the majority. If a boy knows theres a fight on the play ground and he goes to alert a teacher, then he will end up as a tattle tail. That is, unless other boys who felt the same way make up the majority of the onlookers. Martin luther King was hated for standing up for the negros. The majority of the people were against him for a long time. However, he gained followers, and became nationally loved because the majority had switched to liking him. No matter the situation, you will find that this is the case. The majority decides who becomes what.
Tattle tails vs flag throwers. When we think of tattle tails we think of boys, but when we think of honest flag throwers we think of men. The ones who tattle are easily named for they are often disliked. Those who stand up against something wrong are, to the contrary, often idolized. However, these labels are a complete point of view. Which labels one gets is decided by the majority. The situation decides the majority. If a boy knows theres a fight on the play ground and he goes to alert a teacher, then he will end up as a tattle tail. That is, unless other boys who felt the same way make up the majority of the onlookers. Martin luther King was hated for standing up for the negros. The majority of the people were against him for a long time. However, he gained followers, and became nationally loved because the majority had switched to liking him. No matter the situation, you will find that this is the case. The majority decides who becomes what.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Question Numbero Two
As we read/discuss All My Sons, consider how many of the characters make choices on how to act depending on whether it benefits their family or society. In your blog post this week, discuss how characters in the play decide what is more important (needs of family or needs of society). Please cite examples from the play to support your answer (1 paragraph). In your second paragraph, discuss your personal opinions on the matter. When is it appropriate to put the needs of your family before society (and vice versa)?
The first few pages gave me the impression that this play was utterly pointless. However, it proved to be quite twisted by the pistol shot that ended it. Joe Keller is protrayed as "A man of stolid mind and build" (1). He seems like a guy whose got everything figured out, but when I thought about his habits, he seemed like that was just an image. His distaste for the news section seems sensible to me because I too don't like reading the news. Its all bad news... But I read the want/for sale ads on cars every day over a bowl of Lucky Charms so I can relate. But as the story moves we find Kelly to be the other side of this normal person. He runs a production plants that sold cylinder heads to the army (Go V12 monsters! Anyone but me know what heads are?). A batch came out crack (if you're curious I can tell you why this is bad), and he decided to send them to the military anyway. Why? "You wanted money," (76). "I'm in business; you got a process, the process don't work you're out of business; you don't know how to operate, your stuff is no good; they close you up, they tear up your contracts, what the hell's it to them? ... I never thought they'd install them. I swear to God. I thought they'd stop 'em before anybody took off," (69). Keller was pinned completely. He tries to blame it on money. Which is a good arguement. Money is everything in material world we live in. But for lives? "Chris I did it for you, it was a chance and I took if for you. I'm sixty one years old, when would I have another chance to make something for you? Sixty one years old and you don't get another chance do ya?" (70). Now he brings Chris in. The guts start to hurt at this part. Keller was cuaght between what he wanted and what was right. This is where I Wouldn't have done what he did.
When Keller put them on shipment I wouldn't have. He boxed those heads and sent them out because of what he wanted. What one wants is not more important then another man's entire life. One has no right to take another's life for any reason of his own unless the other cooperates, like a fight to the death (Yes, patronize me for my rediculousness). There are times when you can stand out against society. When others are benefitted from the standout then it is appropriate. If there are others who would follow you in a stand out the you should start one. But in the case of personal gain, there is no right to buck the trend. In the case of the 35W bridge. The gusset plates used were too small, endangering many people, but no one came out in fear of the money it would cost and the reputation that would be destroyed. Well it collapsed so it didn't really matter in the end, and thats what it amounts to. Keller didn't win in the end, the bridge builders didn't, the Challenger builders didn't. Those who have aren't known.
The first few pages gave me the impression that this play was utterly pointless. However, it proved to be quite twisted by the pistol shot that ended it. Joe Keller is protrayed as "A man of stolid mind and build" (1). He seems like a guy whose got everything figured out, but when I thought about his habits, he seemed like that was just an image. His distaste for the news section seems sensible to me because I too don't like reading the news. Its all bad news... But I read the want/for sale ads on cars every day over a bowl of Lucky Charms so I can relate. But as the story moves we find Kelly to be the other side of this normal person. He runs a production plants that sold cylinder heads to the army (Go V12 monsters! Anyone but me know what heads are?). A batch came out crack (if you're curious I can tell you why this is bad), and he decided to send them to the military anyway. Why? "You wanted money," (76). "I'm in business; you got a process, the process don't work you're out of business; you don't know how to operate, your stuff is no good; they close you up, they tear up your contracts, what the hell's it to them? ... I never thought they'd install them. I swear to God. I thought they'd stop 'em before anybody took off," (69). Keller was pinned completely. He tries to blame it on money. Which is a good arguement. Money is everything in material world we live in. But for lives? "Chris I did it for you, it was a chance and I took if for you. I'm sixty one years old, when would I have another chance to make something for you? Sixty one years old and you don't get another chance do ya?" (70). Now he brings Chris in. The guts start to hurt at this part. Keller was cuaght between what he wanted and what was right. This is where I Wouldn't have done what he did.
When Keller put them on shipment I wouldn't have. He boxed those heads and sent them out because of what he wanted. What one wants is not more important then another man's entire life. One has no right to take another's life for any reason of his own unless the other cooperates, like a fight to the death (Yes, patronize me for my rediculousness). There are times when you can stand out against society. When others are benefitted from the standout then it is appropriate. If there are others who would follow you in a stand out the you should start one. But in the case of personal gain, there is no right to buck the trend. In the case of the 35W bridge. The gusset plates used were too small, endangering many people, but no one came out in fear of the money it would cost and the reputation that would be destroyed. Well it collapsed so it didn't really matter in the end, and thats what it amounts to. Keller didn't win in the end, the bridge builders didn't, the Challenger builders didn't. Those who have aren't known.
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