"Even the names of the of the four Ministries by which we are governed
exhibit a sort of impudence on their deliberate reversal of facts."
The names of the four Ministries are an example of doublethink
that is forced by the government. The Ministry of Peace concerns
itself with war, the Ministry of Love with torture, the Ministry of
Truth with lies and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. By lying
to the people of Oceania the government, Big Brother, gains power
through fear and the idea of doublethink. Winston knows this is true
because he works in the Ministry of Truth were they constantly change
the truth into lies. They change articles and filed papers to make Big
Brother always right. By having this system, it keeps the lowest
class, the "Proles" always as the lowest because they are ignorant of
what is going on. It keeps the middle class, the "outer party" always
as the middle class, slightly informed but not enough to understand
what's happening and it keeps the highest class, the "inner party"
always as the highest class and informed and privileged.
Although doublethink isn't directly used against us as a weapon
from our government, it's still prevalent in our society. Doublethink
means to deceive, many people lie and deceive to get what they want.
For example, in propaganda they make you believe their advertisement,
that they're product is the best and you believe it and buy that
product even though you know that it may be false.
These harmful lies are just more examples of what makes Oceania
a dystopia.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
1984 Dialiectical Journal 2
"A new poster had suddenly appeared all over London. It had no caption, and represented simply the monstrous figure of a Eurasian soldier, three or four meters high, striding forwards with expressionless Mongolian face and enormous boots, a sub machine gun pointed from his hip. From what ever angle you looked at the poster, the muzzle of the gun, magnified by the foreshortening, seemed to be pointed straight at you. The thing had been plastered on every blank space on every wall, even outnumbering the portraits of Big Brother."
By having this type of fear interpreted propaganda, the Eurasian government is able to prosper. It is saying that not only Big Brother is watching you, but he is also willing to kill you if you do something "against the law." Not only is the sign a warning, but after this passage it talks about an increase of bombings and deaths occurring in Eurasia. With the new poster and the Big Brother Poster, Eurasians are reminded and in constant fear of the Party and what they will do to you from simply thinking a crime; thought police. It just adds on to the many examples of why Orwell's society is a dystopia.
Although propaganda effects our lives today, the propaganda that influences us is usually not a threat against our existence. I have seen the effect that our propaganda has on everyone, but more specifically youth. One example is my little sister is influenced greatly by the commercials she sees on TV. She's constantly asking for the toys she sees, and attempts to convince us that its the "best toy ever!" etc. I have also seen it with teenagers. TV and magazines portray being super skinny as being beautiful and rich and perfect. Some teens are so influenced by this negative propaganda that they go to extremes to be the same as the girls they see in magazines and such. I have also seen in older generations. During the election, famous people would go on TV and express who they were going to vote for. Solely because of this people would vote the same as that person. Although I do not believe that we live in a dystopia, propaganda plays a large and sometimes negative role on our community, like it did in Orwell's community.
By having this type of fear interpreted propaganda, the Eurasian government is able to prosper. It is saying that not only Big Brother is watching you, but he is also willing to kill you if you do something "against the law." Not only is the sign a warning, but after this passage it talks about an increase of bombings and deaths occurring in Eurasia. With the new poster and the Big Brother Poster, Eurasians are reminded and in constant fear of the Party and what they will do to you from simply thinking a crime; thought police. It just adds on to the many examples of why Orwell's society is a dystopia.
Although propaganda effects our lives today, the propaganda that influences us is usually not a threat against our existence. I have seen the effect that our propaganda has on everyone, but more specifically youth. One example is my little sister is influenced greatly by the commercials she sees on TV. She's constantly asking for the toys she sees, and attempts to convince us that its the "best toy ever!" etc. I have also seen it with teenagers. TV and magazines portray being super skinny as being beautiful and rich and perfect. Some teens are so influenced by this negative propaganda that they go to extremes to be the same as the girls they see in magazines and such. I have also seen in older generations. During the election, famous people would go on TV and express who they were going to vote for. Solely because of this people would vote the same as that person. Although I do not believe that we live in a dystopia, propaganda plays a large and sometimes negative role on our community, like it did in Orwell's community.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Jin Jingzhi Interview Reflection
Jin Jingzhi was a strong women who supported the communists and her country. Although she was considered to be wealthy, the cultural revolution still effected her greatly. She was asked what her life was like before 1948, she answered that she thought she was happy as just a housewife. But after Mao's ruling, and the rights he gave to women, Jin realized that being merely a housewife was not good enough for her and she enjoyed being a business women much more. Although Jin's work life changed, the revolution also tore her family apart; her husband was sent to prison and her two children to re-education. After reading this interview, I am more Knowledgeable about the effect the cultural revolution had on the wealthy, and more importantly on women.
Questions for jin Jingzhi-
1. When did you realize that being a housewife was not good enough for you?
2. How did you feel about your children getting sent to re-education?
3. How do you think the revolution would have effected you if you weren't wealthy?
Questions for jin Jingzhi-
1. When did you realize that being a housewife was not good enough for you?
2. How did you feel about your children getting sent to re-education?
3. How do you think the revolution would have effected you if you weren't wealthy?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
MUN Reflection
In the conference on friday, I was representing Pakistan in the UNICEF
committee. In our preparation weeks, I was stressing about finishing
my speeches and resolutions and sharing them correctly during
committee. It turns out that it was unnecessary stress because I felt
very prepared during the conference and received an outstanding
delegate award. I anticipated the conference to be intimidating and
very strict. Although there were rules that needed to be followed, I
was more relaxed then I could have imagined. One thing I enjoyed
during the conference was the caucuses, I liked these because I was
able to persuade my idea onto my fellow delegates instead of reading a
scripted solution which wasn't as forceful. Overall I liked the MUN
conference and feel as though it was a good learning experience about
the United Nations, Pakistan and UNICEF.
committee. In our preparation weeks, I was stressing about finishing
my speeches and resolutions and sharing them correctly during
committee. It turns out that it was unnecessary stress because I felt
very prepared during the conference and received an outstanding
delegate award. I anticipated the conference to be intimidating and
very strict. Although there were rules that needed to be followed, I
was more relaxed then I could have imagined. One thing I enjoyed
during the conference was the caucuses, I liked these because I was
able to persuade my idea onto my fellow delegates instead of reading a
scripted solution which wasn't as forceful. Overall I liked the MUN
conference and feel as though it was a good learning experience about
the United Nations, Pakistan and UNICEF.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Siddhartha Part 2
Quote: "He had died; a new Siddhartha had awakened from his sleep."
Response: This is a metaphor for Siddhartha, realizing, and wanting to
stop "sining." He realized that while working for Kamaswami, he became
needy of wealth, power, good food, possessions and property. These
things contradicted all of his goals and desires for Nirvana. When he
awoke, he was like a child again. He learned from his mistakes and
realized that through failure came success. He was like a child again
because he ha to relearn his ways and come to new conclusions about
himself and the world. I can apply this to my life by remembering to
learn by my mistakes, so not to repeat them again.
Quote: " Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to
impart always sounds like foolishness."
Response: When Siddhartha said "wisdom cannot be imparted" he means
that you cannot learn through words, or someone teaching you. He
believes that you learn through physical things. For example Vasudeva,
the ferryman learned only by the river and obtained great knowledge.
He believes that if you try to teach someone something you end up
sounding foolish. Although I don't believe this entirely, I do believe
you can learn from physical things and your environment. For example
by watching the stars and the planets, scientist learned all about
space and its cycle. I will apply this to my life by taking more time
to observe my surroundings and hopefully learn from what I see and
expiernece.
Quote: " And, if time is not real, the span that seems to exist
between world and eternity, between sorrow and bliss, between evil and
good, is also an illusion."
Response: I think that Siddhartha is referring to yin and yang. He is
saying that the difference between the two is an illusion, or it's not
real. He is also saying that time is not real, he realized that when
he woke up from his sleep that seemed to have lasted a very long time,
when in reality it wasn't. I think that what he is saying is that you
can't have true bliss without feeling true sorrow. And you can't be
good until you have been evil or experienced evil. I believe that in
the sense that until you have experienced evil for example, you don't
know how to be good, or vise versa.
Quote: "…what the goal of his long quest was. It was nothing but a
preparedness of the soul, a capability, a secret art of conceiving the
idea of oneness at every moment, in the midst of life's activities:
the ability to feel and absorb oneness. "
Response: Siddhartha realized the goal of his lifelong quest was to
find oneness. This means to be one with yourself and your thoughts. It
means that you don't desire anything more then your necessities. It
was the river who taught Siddhartha this, which ties into my fourth
quote of learning through physical things and experiences. I think
that oneness means you are aware of every part of your body and soul
at all times. It is hard for me to apply this to my life because I
have not acquired the idea of oneness. I can connect the idea of
deciding what path I want to take in life and following it by learning
through my mistakes and surroundings.
Response: This is a metaphor for Siddhartha, realizing, and wanting to
stop "sining." He realized that while working for Kamaswami, he became
needy of wealth, power, good food, possessions and property. These
things contradicted all of his goals and desires for Nirvana. When he
awoke, he was like a child again. He learned from his mistakes and
realized that through failure came success. He was like a child again
because he ha to relearn his ways and come to new conclusions about
himself and the world. I can apply this to my life by remembering to
learn by my mistakes, so not to repeat them again.
Quote: " Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to
impart always sounds like foolishness."
Response: When Siddhartha said "wisdom cannot be imparted" he means
that you cannot learn through words, or someone teaching you. He
believes that you learn through physical things. For example Vasudeva,
the ferryman learned only by the river and obtained great knowledge.
He believes that if you try to teach someone something you end up
sounding foolish. Although I don't believe this entirely, I do believe
you can learn from physical things and your environment. For example
by watching the stars and the planets, scientist learned all about
space and its cycle. I will apply this to my life by taking more time
to observe my surroundings and hopefully learn from what I see and
expiernece.
Quote: " And, if time is not real, the span that seems to exist
between world and eternity, between sorrow and bliss, between evil and
good, is also an illusion."
Response: I think that Siddhartha is referring to yin and yang. He is
saying that the difference between the two is an illusion, or it's not
real. He is also saying that time is not real, he realized that when
he woke up from his sleep that seemed to have lasted a very long time,
when in reality it wasn't. I think that what he is saying is that you
can't have true bliss without feeling true sorrow. And you can't be
good until you have been evil or experienced evil. I believe that in
the sense that until you have experienced evil for example, you don't
know how to be good, or vise versa.
Quote: "…what the goal of his long quest was. It was nothing but a
preparedness of the soul, a capability, a secret art of conceiving the
idea of oneness at every moment, in the midst of life's activities:
the ability to feel and absorb oneness. "
Response: Siddhartha realized the goal of his lifelong quest was to
find oneness. This means to be one with yourself and your thoughts. It
means that you don't desire anything more then your necessities. It
was the river who taught Siddhartha this, which ties into my fourth
quote of learning through physical things and experiences. I think
that oneness means you are aware of every part of your body and soul
at all times. It is hard for me to apply this to my life because I
have not acquired the idea of oneness. I can connect the idea of
deciding what path I want to take in life and following it by learning
through my mistakes and surroundings.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sidartha Part 1
Quote
" I called the world of phenomena an illusion, I called my eyes and my tongue an accident, valueless phenomena. No, that is all over; I have awakened, I have really awakened and I have just been born today."
Response
Siddhartha is saying that he used to believe that all the wonders and extraordinary things in the world were merely illusions. He believed that vision, speech and eating, were extraordinary accidents that had no propose. Because if no one saw from the start, then no one would desire sight. And if no one spoke then no one would desire speech, like the samanas, who spoke to each other through silence. He also believed the eating was an extraordinary accident because if we had no mouths, we would not desire food. He practiced these beliefs through meditation while becoming and being a samana. But after meeting and hearing the Buddhas words and beliefs, he realized that this was not true. He reread the book of the world and of himself and realized that these were not still his thoughts and that he needed to find the path that would lead him to complete knowledge of the world and of himself. I can apply this to my life by thinking before I act or talk. This will allow me, like Siddhartha, to realize what I actually want to do or say.
Quote
" You speak thus, O friend, and yet you know that Siddhartha is not a drover, and a samana is not a drunkard. Yes, the drinker is numbed for a while; yes he finds a brief escape and rest, but he comes out of his delusion and finds that everything is still the same; he has not grown wiser, he has not gathered knowledge, he has not risen a few steps higher."
Response
In this passage, Govinda is telling Siddhartha that he is not dumb, and neither is concentration, fasting, the numbing of the mind and all the other ways of the samanas. He is telling him that samanas are becoming wiser and rising above when they meditate and escape. They are not like drunkards who drink and become numb for a while but when they come out of their delusion they are at the same place if not lower. This applies to the world today because there are so many alcoholics and drug addicts who numb their mind, not for knowledge but merely for the feeling itself.
" I called the world of phenomena an illusion, I called my eyes and my tongue an accident, valueless phenomena. No, that is all over; I have awakened, I have really awakened and I have just been born today."
Response
Siddhartha is saying that he used to believe that all the wonders and extraordinary things in the world were merely illusions. He believed that vision, speech and eating, were extraordinary accidents that had no propose. Because if no one saw from the start, then no one would desire sight. And if no one spoke then no one would desire speech, like the samanas, who spoke to each other through silence. He also believed the eating was an extraordinary accident because if we had no mouths, we would not desire food. He practiced these beliefs through meditation while becoming and being a samana. But after meeting and hearing the Buddhas words and beliefs, he realized that this was not true. He reread the book of the world and of himself and realized that these were not still his thoughts and that he needed to find the path that would lead him to complete knowledge of the world and of himself. I can apply this to my life by thinking before I act or talk. This will allow me, like Siddhartha, to realize what I actually want to do or say.
Quote
" You speak thus, O friend, and yet you know that Siddhartha is not a drover, and a samana is not a drunkard. Yes, the drinker is numbed for a while; yes he finds a brief escape and rest, but he comes out of his delusion and finds that everything is still the same; he has not grown wiser, he has not gathered knowledge, he has not risen a few steps higher."
Response
In this passage, Govinda is telling Siddhartha that he is not dumb, and neither is concentration, fasting, the numbing of the mind and all the other ways of the samanas. He is telling him that samanas are becoming wiser and rising above when they meditate and escape. They are not like drunkards who drink and become numb for a while but when they come out of their delusion they are at the same place if not lower. This applies to the world today because there are so many alcoholics and drug addicts who numb their mind, not for knowledge but merely for the feeling itself.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Feng Shui room makeover
Feng shui has been practiced in Asian cultures for millions of years. It is believed to direct and balance the Chi of your home and life and lead to harmony, prosperity and happiness. There are five elements to Feng Shui; water, wood, earth, metal and fire. These elements represent every aspect of daily life. I did a Feng Shui make over to my dining room. I added Living plants to represent wood, I also added a crystal which represents earth and helps disperse Chi into smaller portions. I added a vase of water to represent water and attract chi wealth and prosperity. I also added a wind chime to represent metal and connect the wind and bring the chi into the
room. I also added a mirror to move the chi around the room. By adding Feng Shui to your home, you will lead a more relaxed and rejuvenated lifestyle.
Before Feng Shui
After Feng Shui
room. I also added a mirror to move the chi around the room. By adding Feng Shui to your home, you will lead a more relaxed and rejuvenated lifestyle.
Before Feng Shui
After Feng Shui
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Socratic Seminar 1 Reflection
Today was the first time that I have participated in a socratic
seminar and I think it went well. Although my group made some
mistakes, overall we had a good conversation and different ideas
flowing. I feel as though I contributed to the conversation and made
it grow. I was in the first group and we dicussed page 48:
In the pursuit of learning, every day, something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.
My thoughts on this are connected to present day. I believe that Lao
Tse is saying that if Humans never interfered with the way of the
earth, with our technology and constant building of new skyscrapers
and freeways, the world would be a more pure and truthful place. One
idea that was brought up a lot in our seminar was natural disasters
and if we dropped our gained knowledge of how to react to them, we
wouldn't know how to react, and our communities would be wrecked. I
feel that Lao Tse isn't saying that we need to drop that knowledge,
but not even obtain the knowledge of fancy houses and technologies.
Because if you didn't have a house to start with, there would be
nothing to wreck. Along with if there were no cars, there would be no
reason for streets or gas, therefor there wouldn't be global warming
and the earth would continue on how it was supposed to with out the
interruption of humans.
seminar and I think it went well. Although my group made some
mistakes, overall we had a good conversation and different ideas
flowing. I feel as though I contributed to the conversation and made
it grow. I was in the first group and we dicussed page 48:
In the pursuit of learning, every day, something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.
My thoughts on this are connected to present day. I believe that Lao
Tse is saying that if Humans never interfered with the way of the
earth, with our technology and constant building of new skyscrapers
and freeways, the world would be a more pure and truthful place. One
idea that was brought up a lot in our seminar was natural disasters
and if we dropped our gained knowledge of how to react to them, we
wouldn't know how to react, and our communities would be wrecked. I
feel that Lao Tse isn't saying that we need to drop that knowledge,
but not even obtain the knowledge of fancy houses and technologies.
Because if you didn't have a house to start with, there would be
nothing to wreck. Along with if there were no cars, there would be no
reason for streets or gas, therefor there wouldn't be global warming
and the earth would continue on how it was supposed to with out the
interruption of humans.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The five element theory reflection
Fire, water, wood, earth and metal are the five elements in the
Five Element theory. They all signify different views in our world,
personalities, self image, colors and organs. My element is Fire. Fire
signifies angular designs like fireplaces and barbecues, these
buildings generate ideas and are commonly found in libraries and
churches. Fire people, like me, are usually willowy, have bright eyes
and big smiles. There charming, fun, mischievous, easily excitable and
love change and bright colors. Red, orange pastel pink, purple and
peach are the fire colors. Fires organs are the heart, eyes and hands.
On both the tests I took, fire was my highest percent. Following
close behind was wood. Wood symbolizes the connection between earth
and heaven. People who are wood are ether tall and angular like a
tree, or short and energetic like bushes, they are direct, aggressive
and assertive. The color of wood is green and the organs are the
liver, tendons and upper back. I think that Fire describes me,
although I can be wood at some points. Looking at the other elements,
I feel that these two describe who I am and what my feelings are the
best.
Five Element theory. They all signify different views in our world,
personalities, self image, colors and organs. My element is Fire. Fire
signifies angular designs like fireplaces and barbecues, these
buildings generate ideas and are commonly found in libraries and
churches. Fire people, like me, are usually willowy, have bright eyes
and big smiles. There charming, fun, mischievous, easily excitable and
love change and bright colors. Red, orange pastel pink, purple and
peach are the fire colors. Fires organs are the heart, eyes and hands.
On both the tests I took, fire was my highest percent. Following
close behind was wood. Wood symbolizes the connection between earth
and heaven. People who are wood are ether tall and angular like a
tree, or short and energetic like bushes, they are direct, aggressive
and assertive. The color of wood is green and the organs are the
liver, tendons and upper back. I think that Fire describes me,
although I can be wood at some points. Looking at the other elements,
I feel that these two describe who I am and what my feelings are the
best.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Qigong Relection
(fix lead and end)
Todays Qigong workshop was my first time doing any sort of martial arts. I found Qigong very relaxing. While we did the tree stance, I felt as though I was part of the floor, and couldn't move. All of the sounds and movements around me, didn't seem present; I was strictly focused on myself, my body and my breathing. I also enjoyed the energy ball. At first I couldn't feel it, but when we did the movements that went along with it, I could feel energy flowing through my hands and fingers. My hands felt very heavy and warm. Besides just being relaxing, Qigong has other meanings. Unlike our methods of medicine, pills and doctors, Asia and other places around the world practice Qigong as a form of medicine. They believe that the more Qi you have the more energy and youth you will have in your body. Qi will prevent future illnesses
Todays Qigong workshop was my first time doing any sort of martial arts. I found Qigong very relaxing. While we did the tree stance, I felt as though I was part of the floor, and couldn't move. All of the sounds and movements around me, didn't seem present; I was strictly focused on myself, my body and my breathing. I also enjoyed the energy ball. At first I couldn't feel it, but when we did the movements that went along with it, I could feel energy flowing through my hands and fingers. My hands felt very heavy and warm. Besides just being relaxing, Qigong has other meanings. Unlike our methods of medicine, pills and doctors, Asia and other places around the world practice Qigong as a form of medicine. They believe that the more Qi you have the more energy and youth you will have in your body. Qi will prevent future illnesses
Friday, September 12, 2008
Vocabulary Quiz week 1
Having enough fuel and energy is a world wide crisis. Scientist believe that a solution to this problem is vertical farming. Vertical farming is domesticating plants on the side of a building in a busy city. They came to this conclusion because of the lack of farm space and the abundance of skyscrapers. They also believe that it will be a great vision for the nomadic people of the city. So whats holding them back from cultivating the buildings? There are many problems holding back the creation of vertical farming. How would they get fertile soil on the side of the building and will they be able to have enough water to irrigate a 30 story farm. Money is also a determinant to whether or not vertical farming will be created. It will cost 40 thousand dollars to create, but will vertical farming make or lose profit?
I don't think vertical farming will work in our society, there are to many sedentary people to make this grand idea become a reality. We have allowed technology to take over the primitive world it was before. This is just another idea that will take money away from things that can be helped by it instantly. I don't think that people today will change the ways that there accustomed to for this drastic change. Al tough it may help the energy crisis, I dont think it will be enough to solve it.
I don't think vertical farming will work in our society, there are to many sedentary people to make this grand idea become a reality. We have allowed technology to take over the primitive world it was before. This is just another idea that will take money away from things that can be helped by it instantly. I don't think that people today will change the ways that there accustomed to for this drastic change. Al tough it may help the energy crisis, I dont think it will be enough to solve it.
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