Reflection: Civil Disobedience

After reading Henry David Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience," I thought about breaking rules more in depth. I expected to strongly dislike reading this, but I actually quite enjoy his take on government. In section one, Thoreau wrote about the phrase " "That government is best which governs least" and what it means to him. Thoreau wrote about how this statement needs to be "acted up to be more rapidly and systematically" (Thoreau). He was basically saying that one day we could possibly have no need for a government and everyone would get by just fine. Following this statement, Thoreau wrote about how the American government is only a tradition loosing integrity. He compares the government to a wooden gun that people point at themselves (Thoreau). I found this comparison very interestingly put. He then writes, " But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have. Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow. Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate" (Thoreau). In this passage, he is basically saying that people make the government up to be this huge, great thing, when really it is just pushing us toward what we want in life. The government tells you what to do and it tells you how to act, but it is you who actually does those things. I found this to be a very interesting spin.

This essay definitely belongs in the Romanticism and the Transcendentalism time period. Transcendentalism was a time of individual intuition as a means to understand reality (Quinn). God was still around, but he was found in nature. An individual's soul mirrors the world's soul and we can connect through nature (Quinn).

Thoreau, writing about his own view on the government, definitely went outside the box from the past time period. He jumped right into transcendentalism with his individuality.

Even though it sounds as if Thoreau does not want a government, he takes a turn and says he just wants a better government. Discussing a few problems that he has found, such as restrictions on trade, he proves himself to be a credible source. He also discusses the problem with laws. Making you think with points like "The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience. Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice" (Thoreau) he makes you think about the difference between being morally right and being right based on the law. He gets you thinking about the question: Should you be right based on morals, or should you stand by the law?

Thoreau then gets into how to act towards the American government. He suggests avoiding association all together. I personally think that this is not the best possible thing. If you want government to change you can just not sit around and wait for someone else to change it. You have to do things like vote or protest. Reading further, I realize that Thoreau does encourage the act of rebellion. He says that is is not only a right, but it is also a duty (Thoreau).

Quinn, Edward. "Transcendentalism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Thoreau, Henry David. "Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 1." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.

Journal 26

Sometimes I think it is okay to break the rules or the law. I think that a lot of rules and laws are very stupid. For example, I think that getting a "ticket" for speed walking in the hallway is absurd. If a kid wants to get to lunch, let him or her get there! Another rule I think is stupid involving school is making everyone stay in the lunch room until the bell rings. If a student wants to get to class sooner and not wait a couple extra minutes, even seconds, for the bell, then they should be able to. I also think it is stupid to not be able to be in the hallways in the morning.

Back to the point of the blog: when it is okay to break the law.

An eye for an eye is an old expression that does not exist in our government these days. Back in the olden days, if you killed someone you would be killed. Nowadays, if you kill someone you go to prison if there is enough evidence against you.

A law that should sometimes be broken is speeding. If you are having a baby, I think your husband should be able to speed to get to the hospital. Same with someone being injured.

A lot of teenagers feel the need to break the law or a rule to have fun. Sometimes it can be fun as long as you do not get caught. The risk is not worth it, though. For example, if you get caught drinking and driving you get your license taken away and may even go to jail. That is not a law that should be broken.

A rule that may be okay to break occasionally is a deadline rule. If you work and can't finish a reflection blog in time, I think you should get a day to catch up. Work is definitely a legitimately reason to not be able to finish homework.

Another rule involves my job. We have to get coded out each time we leave the building. We have to take off our coat and have them pat it down. When it is winter, I don't want to take my coat off. I think that rule should not exist for smaller jackets because it is a hassle for employees.

Reflection: "The Minister's Black Veil"

Edgar Allan Poe is (Present) a famous poet and short story teller in his time period. Poe's stories and poems are still being (Present) read today. They make (present) an impact on people's lives many years from when he was actually alive. A lot of his writings are (present) creative with a dark twist, which is why he fits (present) in to the dark romanticism time period.
In his short story The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allan Poe uses (present) many characteristics of dark romanticism. The story itself is about a soldier who is punished (present) with a death sentence. This obviously is going (present) to start the flow of a dark romanticism story. Romanticism involves (present) a lot of detail, which Poe definitely uses in this short story. He does (present) not fall short of adding the dark part, either. He exceeds (present) in using a dark and dreary setting.
Even in the first paragraph, Poe seems (present) to start with a dreary scene.
Poe wrote (present), "I was (past) sick, sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound (present) me, and I was permitted (past) to sit, I felt (past) that my senses were leaving (past progressive) me" (Poe 263). This was (past) in the very first paragraph. This description of a painful and dreadful scene definitely makes (present) the reader interested in what doom the narrator is going (past) through.
The next couple of paragraphs remind (present) me of a scene from Harry Potter. Poe writes (present) about "black robed judges" (Poe 263). He talks (present) about how they are frightening (present progressive) him and he does not know what to do. He writes, "They appeared (past) to me white-whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words- and then even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness- of immovable resolution- of stern contempt of human torture" (Poe 263). This description that Poe gave (past) seems very real, especially the last line. You can feel (present) the pain and fright that the narrator feels (present)just from this short passage. You could tell (present), even without Poe saying it, that these figures are(present) enemies of Poe and that they are thinking of(Present) hurting him. Just by his description you can see (present) how Poe feels about these figures.
Another depressing passage that really stuck (present) out to me was when Poe wrote "I proceeded (past)for many paces, but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed (past) more freely. It seemed (past) evident that mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates" (Poe 266). In this passage, Poe was talking (past progressive) about how he was trying to escape the rushing feelings that he previously had when he was (past) in pain and just step forward. He could barely bring (present progressive) himself to perform this small action. That passage adds (present) a lot of suspense to the story. Poe's short story is (present) already full of suspense due to passages like that. It is (present) part of what makes Poe so famous- his ability to add suspense.
After a lot of suffering Present progressive), the narrator says "By long suffering my nerves had been (Past perfect progressive) unstrung, until I trembled (past) at the sound of my own voice, and had become in every respect a fitting subject for the species of torture which awaited me" (Poe 267). In this passage, the soldier has (past) already been suffering. He has (past) nothing pleasant to look forward to and the torture is just getting worse. At this point is seems (present) impossible for the French Army to get to him in time.
Finally, after much more suffering, he is falling (past progressive) into the abyss when the general grabs his arm (Poe 273). I am actually surprised (present) that he did not die. I assume (present) that he would die (present) because of death being a common theme in Edgar Allan Poe's other work.
This short story is (present) very good and I enjoy (present) reading it.

Journal 25

Fear has pretty much been the topic for the last couple of journals, so I am all feared out. Fear is an interesting feeling. It keeps life interesting.

Some say that you can't have fun unless you do something that you're a little scared of. I think that this could be used for teenagers a lot. Teenagers get bored with life and need to feel something new. I think that teenagers like a risk. That is why they drive faster, do drugs, break rules, etc. The fear of the unknown is something that keeps life going.

Fear keeps things interesting. If I was not scared of the future and my parents, I would probably not try as hard in school. If I did not try as hard in school, I would probably waste more of my time on the internet and sleeping. If I was not scared of losing my job, I would show up to work whenever I wanted and take off the days where I just wanted to sleep. Being scared really just keeps life going. Without fearing things, life would be a boring scene of nothing.

All fear really is is a feeling in your mind. If you did not have fear, life may be easier. Fear keeps some people from doing things that they fear. For example, if a girl did not have a fear of being turned down she might ask out her crush. If a singer did not have the fear of singing in public, she may get a shot to be famous.

I have a lot of fears myself. I am scared of talking to people I do not know. I hate awkward situations a lot. I can also be scared of talking to boys. Other actual physical things I am scared of are spiders, the dark, getting hurt, forgetting my name tag for work, forgetting my homework, and a lot more. Some other mental things I am scared of are getting shut down, being ignored, feeling annoying, being a bad employee, and forgetting special dates.

Reflection Blog: The Pit and the Pendulum

Edgar Allan Poe was a famous poet and short story teller in his time period. Poe's stories and poems are still being read today. They have made an impact on people's lives many years from when he was actually alive. A lot of his writings are creative with a dark twist, which is why he fits in to the dark romanticism time period.

In his short story The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allan Poe uses many characteristics of dark romanticism. The story itself is about a soldier who is punished with a death sentence. This obviously is going to start the flow of a dark romanticism story. Romanticism involves a lot of detail, which Poe definitely uses in this short story. He does not fall short of adding the dark part, either. He exceeds in using a dark and dreary setting.

Even in the first paragraph, Poe seems to start with a dreary scene.

Poe wrote, "I was sick, sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me" (Poe 263). This was in the very first paragraph. This description of a painful and dreadful scene definitely makes the reader interested in what doom the narrator is going through.

The next couple of paragraphs remind me of a scene from Harry Potter. Poe writes about "black robed judges" (Poe 263). He talks about how they are frightening him and he does not know what to do. He writes, "They appeared to me white-whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words- and then even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness- of immovable resolution- of stern contempt of human torture" (Poe 263). This description that Poe gave seems very real, especially the last line. You can feel the pain and fright that the narrator feels just from this short passage. You could tell, even without Poe saying it, that these figures were enemies of Poe and that they were going to hurt him. Just by his description you can see how Poe feels about these figures.

Another depressing passage that really stuck out to me was when Poe wrote "I proceeded for many paces, but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely. It seemed evident that mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates" (Poe 266). In this passage, Poe was talking about how he was trying to escape the rushing feelings that he previously had when he was in pain and just step forward. He could barely bring himself to perform this small action. That passage adds a lot of suspense to the story. Poe's short story is already full of suspense due to passages like that. It is part of what makes Poe so famous- his ability to add suspense.

After a lot of suffering, the narrator says "By long suffering my nerves had been unstrung, until I trembled at the sound of my own voice, and had become in every respect a fitting subject for the species of torture which awaited me" (Poe 267). In this passage, the soldier has already been suffering. He has nothing pleasant to look forward too and the torture is just getting worse. At this point is seems impossible for the French Army to get to him in time.

Finally, after much more suffering, he is falling into the abyss when the general grabs his arm (Poe 273). I was actually surprised that he did not die. I assumed that he would die because of death being a common theme in Edgar Allan Poe's other work.

This short story was very good and I enjoyed reading it.

Poe, Edger Allan. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Glencoe Literature. By Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Douglas Fisher. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. 263-273. Print.

Journal 24

I get spooked pretty easily. After a scary movie I get extremely scared. I even get a little scared going downstairs when I do not watch a scary movie. Just not being able to see is a scary thing.

I think the time that I have been most scared that I can remember was at a haunted house in Auburn. I was not feeling very well and I really did not even want to go in, but my friends told me it would only be a minute and I had to go. I was just going to wait outside, but they made me go in.

As I entered, we had to watch a video on the background of the site where we were going to enter. It was not even scary and it was probably fake. I figured since it was lame the haunted house would be too and I relaxed a little.

Entering the haunted house, I soon learned that we were not going to have a tour guide like other haunted houses I have been to. I was a little worried because I figured my friends and I would get lost. It was finally my groups turn! We walked down the stairs where we assumed the scary things would start happening. I had a headache and was not looking forward to continuing. The air was thick with what I assume was smoke for special effects. My friends and I quickly escaped to the elevator and passed all of the scary things. We did not want to go in the elevator because we assumed more fright would await us. We knew that it was the only way out, so we entered and screamed all the way to the next floor. I could not even tell if we were going up or down. When we exited the elevator, my asthma was bugging me. My friends and I wanted to get out so we quickly sprinted through the next few rooms. We eventually caught up to the group in front of us who went five minutes before us. After passing them, we finally made it out.

Looking back, I realize that if I walked through my asthma wouldn't have bugged me as much. I do not like haunted houses, and I will probably not be attending any next year.

Reflection: Dreamland by Edgar Allan Poe

After skimming through a few of Edgar Allan Poe's poems, I finally found one that I would consider one of my favorites. It is called Dreamland. Always being intrigued by the unconscious state of mind, all of his poems about dreaming stuck out to me.

Edgar Allan Poe seemed like he was happier when he was asleep and dreaming than when he was awake in the real world. Everything in the dream world seemed to be more exciting and better. For example, when he wrote the following lines, you can tell that he was more interested in "dreamland" (Lines 12-14).

"With forms that no man can discover

            For the tears that drip all over;
            Mountains toppling evermore"

Poe seems to think that you can achieve things in dreamland that you could not achieve in the real world. I think that Poe really enjoys these dreams and hates to wake up to the boring, unpleasant life that he is alone in. When he falls into a dream, he is thrown in an unreal world where anything can happen. When he wakes back up, he realizes that he is stuck in a dark reality. It seems that Poe has been through a lot of hard times in his life and that he is only looking for an escape.

Poe also seems to write about how he wants to keep this world available and hidden from others. If others found it, it would not be as special. For example, in the following passage Poe writes about how it should be kept a secret (Lines 45- 48).

 "But the traveller, travelling through it,             May not- dare not openly view it!             Never its mysteries are exposed             To the weak human eye unclosed"

It is as if these unreal dreams and this brief escape of reality is what keeps him going. In a lot of Poe's poems, he seems to be a depressed. Writing seems to be an escape, just like dreaming, for Poe. A lot of people can relate to this. A lot of times reality can be a dark place for people. Younger people never want to stay where they are from because they get bored and feel trapped. Some turn to drugs to feel something else and to not have to face a boring, dark reality. Others run away and try to get a new perspective by changing scenery. A lot of people have dreams of going somewhere else instead of having to live their same old boring life, but sometimes that is not enough. Sometimes people have to do something about it. Poe's poem, Dreamland, seems to make the reader realize that he or she is not the only one who wants to escape from reality. Dreaming is a way where everyone can get a little taste of something new.

Dreamland seems to flow in a way that you do not even notice unless you look closely. After reading a lot of poetry in school you get used to reading amazing poetry with a great flow and take it for granted. Getting that flow that Poe reaches in his poem is actually difficult and something that an uneducated person may not understand. Poetry is very hard to write, but Poe makes it look easy. His poems give you an escape from your own dark reality and into his. This was a beautiful poem.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar A. "Edgar Allan Poe: Dreamland." Poetry Lovers' Page. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. .

Journal 23- Scary Stories

I dislike scary things because they're scary. I usually only watch scary movies when I am with friends and I know that I will be up all night. If I had to go to sleep soon I probably would not watch the movie because I would never be able to fall asleep. I get scared pretty easily and living in the basement does not help.

Scary story tellers use a lot of different techniques in making their listeners freak out a little. A lot of these story tellers use suspense. Suspense makes the audience ponder what is going to happen next. During a scary story suspense helps the audience feel the feeling from the story.

Another technique that scary story tellers use is their own voice level. When someone is creeping up the stairs the speaker may lower their voice to show that the creeper is trying to be quite. The speaker may raise his or her voice when something important is happening like a person being killed.

Scary movies use similar techniques. They use suspense and voices just like story tellers do. Directors have more options, though. A director can use music. Music plays a big part in scaring people. The music may be slow while the murderer is making his way into the house, and then when he breaks in and the action happens, the music may speed up. It really adds a great effect.

I enjoy scary movies when I'm with other people, but I hate watching them by myself. After I finish a movie by myself, I think about it and if it can happen to me. Even if I watch a crime show I will be scared and run down the stairs instead of walking when I go to my room. When I watch a scary movie with my friends, I will get distracted with whatever we are doing. I would not really think about the movie like I would if I were alone.

journal 22

This is my poem about sledding.

On my little red sled,

I went down the hill.

I almost hit my head

from my friend Will.

I sped down into the snow,

Coming to a safe stop.

It was quite a show!

I then went into the shop.

The snow shop was cold

It had some nice shoes

But low and behold,

They didn't come in two's.

I went back outside

And got back on the slopes.

I took a big stride

And grabbed onto the ropes!

My hands gripped on the ropes

As I went up the hill.

I had dashing hopes

and I was ready for a thrill!

The hill quickly took me to the bottom

And as I stood up with pride,

Off went off the atomic bomb

And everyone died.

journal 21

When I woke up on an early day in January, I realized that the light coming through my window was brighter than usual. Being used to a dull light, I quickly got out of bed to look out the window and to see what was causing the brightness. What I found was the first snow fall of Winter.

I was very excited because feeling the cold air was worthless without the beautiful, white cover over the ground. I put on a favorite pair of jeans and a nice, warm sweater to prepare for the cold I expected to feel as soon as I opened the front door. I walked downstairs, tripping on a few stray toys that my little sister must have left out. At the bottom of the stairs I found my warmest boots and I put them on over my wool socks.

It was finally time to face the cold, white snow. I was so excited! I opened the door and braced myself for a cold shock. I felt the cold breeze against my face and ran back in to grab a scarf and gloves. Bracing my self for my second attempt, I took a big breath and ran out the door.

The snow was absolutely beautiful. There was a pure white blanket covering the drive way, the fields across the street, and the trees. Instead of just going to my car, I stood outside for a couple of more seconds enjoying the first snow fall. Finally entering my car, I was sort of at peace with the cold because it brought the beautiful snow fall. Instead of cursing at the world as I ran to my cold car, I was happy to be blessed with a beautiful snow fall.

Driving to school, I was content with the world. The snow seemed to make everyone a little happier, at least until it turned gray and nasty. It added a touch of pureness to everyone's heart.