Blog #7

“Like Alice in Wonderland who falls through a rabbit hole into a strange realm, or Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who follows the yellow brick road…”

- This is a real puzzle solver in a sense. If you watch this, you’re sort of in confusion as to what’s going on. As I was watching this I just couldn’t put two and two together so that I could understand what was going on. And then I come across this quote and the idea used in class that this is sort of a Alice in Wonderland sort of film. Once I heard that it was sort of a mind cleanse. I know that may sound weird but after reading that it kind of answered all of my questions that I had prior to watching the film.

“Being true to the Shinto insight that all phenomena often become polluted and are in need of cleansing and purification in order to manifest their vitality, Miyazaki has this strange array of creatures come to the bathhouse to be restored to their original freshness.”

- You sort of notice this when that big mud monster thing comes into the bath house. Everyone saw him as this mean thing that destroyed everything in his path but in reality he just had a lot of gunk built up inside of him wanted to be “Cleansed”. All of those creatures that go to that bathhouse are just looking to be cleansed.

“At the climax of the film Chihiro remembers an incident when she lost a pink shoe in a river and almost drowned trying to retrieve it, but was carried by the water's current to the safety of the shore.”

- This has to be one of the best parts in the movie. All movie it kind of stuck in the back of my mind that Haku hadn’t known his real name. So when she talks about how she found it, it was sort of out of the blue. Plus her explanation at first didn’t make much sense because how could haku be a river. But when you realize the kind of money you are watching and who the director is you start to rethink her explanation and when you see that the Japanese culture is so known for their spirits and things of that sort, that her explanation makes complete sense.

Blog #6

Anonymous started out being this group of people who were able to share laughs and be who they wanted to be on this website called '4chan.org'. It was an uncensored free for all pretty much. It was pretty much a website that was built off the idea, that if you don't like what is being said or being posted then you don't belong on that website. It's a website filled with these people that call themselves 'Anonymous' that pretty much do whatever pleases them. This group of people known as 'Anonymous' is known for their rallies and and petitioning the ideas and beliefs of the ' Church of Scientology'. They used different ways to approach it though. They were the first to use internet as an attempt to rebel against this group. They were in a sense a virtual activist group. When they go on this rallies out front of building and in the public they where Guy Fawkes masks because it symbolizes rebellion and going against what is believed similar to what Guy Fawkes did when he tried to blow up parliament. But they also where these masks because it's their way of hiding their identities so when videos or pictures go out on the internet or on television the government or whoever is attempting to bring 'anonymous' down can't pinpoint one person and sort of attack them in a sense. The members of this group are just simply standing up for what they believe in. Similar to what V was doing. He was standing up for what he believed was the right thing to do.
Hacktivism is pretty much rebeling or going against something but instead of holding a rally or standing outside with signs, they are doing it on the internet. They are breaking into these websites and what not due to their beliefs. V kills as his belief, and Hacktivists Hack as their belief. I feel as though 'Anonymous' is sort of setting the building blocks for this fight that is yet to reach it's full potential. By hacking are these big companies and showing them how easy it is for us to steal their documents or how easy it is for us to see what they are doing that eventually they'll back off. But it hasn't reach that point yet because the government still believes that they are in control and that they have nothing to worry about. Yet in reality if theirs ever been a time to worry, it's now because this is beginning to become a problem all around the world. People are just starting to notice the different ways the government is trying to listen in on our conversations and it's not something they are too happy about. They aren't creating anarchy. I feel as though their plan isn't to overthrow the government in the attempt to start anarchy but their plan is to tell the government that they need to change their ways. So in a sense they are causing chaos. Chaos in the idea that chaos is good, because chaos will eventually cause change. Three things that fascinate me the most about 'Anonymous' have to be how even though they've never seen each other face to face, they were still able to gather enough people to protest outside the buildings of Church of Scientology all over the world. Another thing is how they can put an entire company or organization into complete disarray after simply shutting down a site or changing something on the site making the organizations message less effective. The final thing that fascinated me about this 'Anonymous' is how well they work together and the things they can. These are people that live in their parents homes who are virgins as well as people who are rich and have families. It's just crazy to see how many people of different background can come together for one cause and using unique tactics can bring down a whole organization. When I sit here and try to figure out what it is that I find disturbing about 'Anonymous', I have trouble even coming up with one thing. Their may be some disturbing things with what they're doing to me I don't see that as disturbing I see that as their way of what's fun or their way of getting their point across. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I find some of their stuff disturbing because I find it ethical. Yeah they put disturbing things on their message boards, but that's just how that group of people have fun or like I said earlier, get their message across. I see 'Anonymous' as the good guys. They may use tactics that put innocent civilians at jeopardy but they do it to prove something to send their message. In the eyes of the higher they are seen as bad guys, but to us down here on the same level as them we see them as heroes.
If I had to choose a scene from the book that best matches 'Anonymous' I would have to go with the scene when V causes a huge uproar from the government when he hacks into the building and shows his video. Similar to what these companies do after 'anonymous' breaks into their websites and emails and expose them for who they really are.

Blog #5

 In the chapters “Valerie”, “The Verdict”, and “Values”, Evey is locked up in a prison after spending the night with Gordon. She’s tortured and beat after repeatedly refusing to help the detectives. One night after coming back from what seemed to be like a torture session, she heard someone slide a piece of paper into the rat’s hole. And when she opens it up she notices that it’s a letter from her neighbor next door. It’s person by the name of Valerie that was imprisoned for being a homosexual. She tells Evey her life story and what caused her to be the way she is. She also tells her to never give up her last inch. Stating that the last inch is pretty much what you begin to live for. It’s not big and it’s not too strong but it’s that one thing that’s keeping her alive. After reading Valerie’s letter Evey begins to realize what her place in life actual is and starts to realize what is actually important and what is not. Then when the guard asks her again if she wants to sign the paper just as reassurance. But Evey denies and says she’d rather die. And that’s where this book takes a complete 180 because the guard then lets her know that she is now free. After walking out of the cell she then walks into V’s room and immediately seems him. Without any hesitation she begins questioning V’s theory on cutting her hair and placing her in a hellhole such as that. She then breaks down and V takes her to the roof where it’s pouring down rain and Evey is just standing there with her head back embracing it. 

V is pretty much teaching Evey to not feel or fear anything. When she says that she’d rather die than sign the paper it showed V that she no longer feared death as a whole. He explains to Evey that the way she felt there is how V feels now after being put through the similar situation.

I think V is somewhat of a hero in this situation. It was the only way to in a sense persuade Evey into understanding what V feels. She was uncertain what V was doing and the only way for V to know for shore that she wasn’t going to ruin V’s ultimate plan. It may have been an evil thing done but it was needed because What V was asking Evey to do required no emotion and remorse.

When Evey lifts V’s she sees herself. It symbolizes her pretty much taking over V. She is now the new V. As a reader it’s kind of like a flashback to when Evey was locked in the prison and tortured because it can be portrayed as him trying to continue V even when his time is up. At first when she starts walking over she sees her dad picturing who it might be and quickly denies that theory but then when she finally removes the mask, it was kind of like looking in a mirror for her. It was herself that she saw. She is V for Vendetta.

Blog #4

In this novel Craig faces similar challenges as the prisoners in Plato’s story. Craig is given this false idea that the entire world is justified off of how he is treated as a kid and all the way through high school. The prisoners are locked up with their backs to the opening from birth, so their idea of the world is based off them seeing shadows. Craig in this novel bases the world off of what happens to him. He’s getting bullied and how god is a major factor in his life. But when a prisoner escapes and is able to actually see what the world is like he’s baffled and fascinated. But when he tries to go back he can’t seem to persuade the others that the world isn’t just a bunch of shapes and figures through shadows. The world is much more, and Craig learns that when he goes and sees Raina. Raina allows him to see the world completely differently and it opens up his eyes.  

When Craig burns his art in the beginning of the novel it’s in the attempt to earn forgiveness from god for sinning in his art. He believes that it’ll be some sort of sacrifice to god that’ll earn him forgiveness. And when he burns everything that reminds him of Raina he’s attempting to earn forgiveness from god for sinning due to his pre-marital actions done with Raina. In Christian families it is emphasized that it is sinning to have pre-marital sex or relations.

The only real reason this metaphor is used in this story is because Craig was forced to attend Sunday school and forced to learn these beliefs. So in that way it is deliberately put into his brain. I could see the reasoning for putting this story into the novel being because it how he feels and how he feels his li

Coming of Age Film

I chose Drumline (kind of blurry but it gets the point across) as the film that I believe exemplifies coming of age. Devon Miles played by Nick Cannon in this film starts out by being this immature college kids who has extraordinary talent playing the drums. He goes in doing his own thing during shows, showing up the composer, his teachers, and even his peers. It isn't though until Devon starts a fight with another school that turns his life around. He loses his spot on the field and is kicked off of the tea. It's not until this moment that Devon begins to understand what he needs to do to turn things around. Like many of us today, it takes an actual event to occur to see what you're doing wrong.

Peer Comments on American Born Chinese

"To make a difference in society today, there needs to be no judgment to anyone, treat everyone how you would want to be treated.An old saying that goes a long way "don't judge a book by its cover"" - Steven Cain


Steve's comment as you read it brings back memories to when your mom or dad were telling you how to treat other's because you didn't ask nicely to borrow a pencil that day at class so you got a phone call home or you told someone they couldn't play with you at the playground. It's like some of us weren't given the proper tools to growing up. We were told the "rules" of life. People go out everyday and say what's on their mind simply because that's what they think is "ok". The last part of the quote is what gets me the most. I see that and think man every teacher ever children's author every public speaker back in elementary school and middle school, even high school told us either that exact quote or something along the lines of it. And yet we still judge people by their appearance and not by the way their personality.

Blog #3

This entire book gives off metaphors to the reader that describes our society. For instance bullying has a big purpose in this novel. It’s the main reason why Jin wants to change his appearance and be the average American kid. But the real message Yang is portraying in this novel is that we need to be who we want to be. Not who people want us to be, as well as changing ourselves so that we won’t be made fun of. We were all placed on this earth for a reason and bullying makes people feel like they have no reason and that’s kind of what Yang is trying to say in this Novel. Everyday we are given different challenges to overcome and that’s what makes us who we are as humans. It’s how we handle those situations that make us unique.

            Every person is born with a certain race or races, gender, with certain abilities. These kinds of things are what give us certain privileges. Due to what society has labeled these different groups and sub groups is how our lives are managed. But it doesn’t always need to be that way. One of my very good female friends who is actually originally from South Korea came to my middle school in 6^th grade. We were told that a new girl from South Korea was coming to class the next day. Automatically we assumed that it was going to be this nerdy looking girl who barely could speak English and looked funny. Why did we assume this? Because that’s what society or our parents have taught us. Surprisingly our assumptions were somewhat correct. The only difference is she was actually cool. She was very into everything me and my friends did. She also was able to draw. Which of course as a middle school student had us in awe because she could draw just as well as some of the kids in high school. She didn’t come to school and start acting different than she did back in South Korea. She acted the way she normally acted and fortunately for her was accepted by her peers. This is the kind of message Yang wants people to get. He wants us to not change and not treat people differently just because they are a different gender or are from a different country.

            You see this everywhere though not just in schools. People around the world are defined by the actions of race years ago. For example we assume that every black person is a criminal. Why? Because that’s the title they were given back in the old days when they were fighting segregation. We automatically assume that every Chinese person is smart or that all people of the Hispanic descent are border-hopping Mexicans. So how do we change this life that allows some of us to do things without being questioned. Well it for sure isn’t going to be a process that happens overnight. 

            I know as much as I want to deny it, I look at people and in my head I think just how the people in this novel think. But I don’t say it out loud. We as Americans over use the first amendment: Freedom of Speech. Some things are better left unsaid.