The Laramie Project by Janet Nolan

 The Laramie Project which is now a play, is about the death of a young college student in the town of Laramie. Members of a theater project go there to the town to interview different people opinions about the brutally beating which later caused death of Matthew Shepard. Many people had quite a lot to say about this young man. But two that stood out the most to me was Murdock Cooper and Sherry Johnson.

  When Murdock Cooper was interview he stated that "I'm not excusing their actions, but it made me feel better that it was parttially Matthew Shepard's fault and partially the guy who did it .... you know maybe it's fifty - fifty"(Kaufman58). I feel that Mr. Cooper believes that this crime could have not been committed unless it was provoked. It's like he is in denial that it even happen, in a way its like he trying to make himself feel better for thinking the way he does. He also stated" If you step out of line your asking for it"(Kaufman58).I don't believe even if Matthew "step outline", you don't deserve that kind punishment know matter what you do. I believe people who try to blame the victim are cowards, and Mr.Cooper you are a coward. To me Mr. Cooper attitude was cold and noncom passionate.

     Another opinion that stood out to me was Sherry Johnson, she felt that the crime committed against Matthew was "horrible I just, I can't..... Nobody deserves that!I don't care who you are"(Kaufman64). I felt that Mrs. Johnson was very sorrowful about what to this young man. She wasn't afraid to say what she felt unlike Mr. Cooper who hide behind unproven facts. But she also stated that "my feeling that the media is portraying Matthew Shepard as a saint. And making him as a martyr. And I don't think he was. I don't think he that was pure" (Kaufman64). I personally agree with this statement because, Matthew Shepard live a lifestyle that  I really don't agree with because of my faith. But I don't agree that he should have been beaten for it. We live America, and people have the right to be who ever they want to be and so do people with religious faith.

  I think that when it comes to Mr. Copper its innate because he is listening to unproven facts that have been spread. but also trying to hide behind them as well it like he doesn't want to be label as anything so he trying to put it off by saying it was practically Matthew fault. But Mrs.Johnson I believe it's cultural because she her belief of i don't agree with Matthew actions but no one deserves that. No matter their sexual orientation.

 

Laramie Project Blog-Briana Regalado

Laramie Project Blog –Briana Regalado

  The Laramie Project is a play that reports the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard, an innocent homosexual living in Laramie, Wyoming. He was brutally murdered by two fellow classmates that were against homosexuality. The play is consisted of various interviews with the townspeople in Laramie and their views on the incident. Many of them have very diverse views on the subject based on cultural influences or being open minded. I shall discuss two people with completely different views on Shepard’s death.

  Matt Galloway was a bartender in Laramie. He received Shepard at the bar at ten. He completely disagrees with the incident. What happened was very wrong and dastardly. The two perpetrators say that Shepard was trying to hit on them. Galloway defends Shepard by saying “Why would he approach them? Why them? He wasn’t approaching anybody else in the bar…He came on to them? I don’t believe it” (Kaufman, 31). Galloway is a perfect example of an innate persona because he is a very open minded person. He respects people’s differences. He is not one to judge. These are the qualities of an honestly moral person.

  Unlike the Baptist Minister, who had very strict biblical views on homosexuality. He obviously disagrees with that lifestyle. The act committed was indeed wrong. The minister believes that Shepard should have thought about his way of life while he was slowly dying on the fence. He states, “I hope that Matthew Shepard as he was tied to that fence, that he had time to reflect on a moment…he had a chance to reflect on his lifestyle” (Kaufman, 69). The minister is strongly expressing his very strict biblical views on the matter. He did mention that he was not afraid to speak from the heart and state what he really feels about the subject. The minister is an example of someone who lives and bases their opinions on what they have been raised on, in this case its religion.

  Both the minister and Matt Galloway have completely different views on Matthew Shepard’s death. Galloway is on Shepard’s side. Matthew was an innocent, easygoing young man. He did not deserve to die. He was collective and the two perpetrators started the damage, not him. The minister strictly believes in his religion. His views are obvious.

         

  The attitudes expressed by the individuals stated above are innate. Galloway is the innate and the Baptist Minister is the culturally produced. Galloway is an example of a good ethical human being. He is open and does not judge people on the way they choose to live their life. The minister is strictly based on his religion. Since youth, one is taught their family views on life including religion. Therefore, the Baptist Minister bases his opinions on the lifestyle he has lived.

Laramie Project

Laramie Project Blog:  Choose two members of the Laramie community who have different attitudes towards Matthew Shepard's death.  Compare and contrast their attitudes and explain as best you can the basis or reason(s) for their attitudes.  Please quote from each person to show what they are feeling. In the conclusion to the blog please explain whether you think the attitudes expressed by these individuals are "innate" or "culturally produced" and why.  (Think about what we discussed with Prof. Rizzieri last week.)  Please post by midnight Sunday September 30; remember that blogs count for 25% of your overall grade for English 101.  Please put your name in the "Labels" section! (On the right side of your post window). 

Mermaid in Greece

Christos Zagoras

Reason, Passion, Cluster

Diagnostic Essay

Date: 9/11/2012

Mermaid in Greece

                There was a man by the name of John Papadopoulos. He was a well-respected fisherman from a town in Greece. John was from Rhodes is a part of Greece. Fishing was a hobby of his that he loved so much. Everyone that knew him would always see him on his little boat fishing, looking for fish to eat and bring fish back to his friends and relatives.

                One day something very unusual happened to John when he was going fishing. It was getting close to dark and he was heading back home; John saw something shining out of the water. When looking closely, he saw what looked to be a human being but wasn’t.  This creature’s lower half was a shiny gill that John could not stop thinking about. John started to question whether he was really seeing a mermaid right beside him. In a blink of an eye when looking in the mermaid’s direction it was gone.

                He was in shock at how quickly the mermaid was gone from his sight. When John got back from fishing he told a few of his friends about what he saw out in the ocean. They thought John might be losing it a little after admitting he saw a mermaid. John swore that he wasn’t going crazy and that he did see what was a mermaid. The word spread around town and there were some who believed John and other who were skeptical of what he saw. For years fishermen were on the lookout for this one mermaid and could not find anything of which the fisherman told. There were hundreds of other fisherman who looked everywhere in Rhodes to find this mermaid. There was even a hundred thousand dollar reward and a plaque for anyone that caught this mermaid and brought it back to land. They even bought in scientists from around the world to go deep down into the sea to go find it. As the years went by, a lot of the citizens started to get sick and tired of looking and gave up. John grew older and said that the day he passes away is the next time the mermaid will appear again. As john got very old and eventually passed away everyone in the town was sad but at the same time very anxious about what John had said about the mermaid reappearing again.  Every fisherman in Rhodes got their best fishing equipment and went out from the early morning to hunt down the mermaid. There were no signs of a mermaid at all. It got to a point where most of the fisherman packed up and went home. Then right about the time where it was getting dark this one fisherman, Stavros, who was a believer in what John saw spotted something in the water that he never saw before. It looked to be exactly what John saw a mermaid! He did everything in his power to capture the mermaid but it ended up escaping and Stavros was devastated. When getting back to the town he ended up not saying anything because he did not want to be known as a liar the way John was. So Stavros kept the story to himself and the story is still known as an urban legend of the mermaid in Greece.

Detailed instructions for Animal Farm Essay

Hello Everyone-- So some students are asking question about the essay format so let me put everything in writing here to help you out. 1. Review page 43 of our course pack on the anatomy of an essay--do everything it says! 2. Address your essay to the citizens of Animal Farm. In introduction tell them who is responsible and what examples you are going to discuss. 3. In body of essay (at least two longish paragraphs) discuss in each paragraph one example (eg a character) who violates principles of revolution and YES YOU SHOULD QUOTE FROM THE TEXT AS WE PRACTICED IN CLASS 4. In conclusion tell them what they should have done to make the revolution succeed--give positive suggestions for the future of animalism! 5. Please document your quotations as we discussed in class by putting author's name and page number after quotes. 6. At end of essay put a works cited entry for Orwell as I posted on the board in class! DOUBLE SPACE 600-800 WORDS TITLE HEADING: NAME CLUSTER FALL 2012 ESSAY #2 PROFESSOR VAN SLYCK

English Cluster FALL 2012 ESSAY #2

 

Briana Regalado  Letter

 Dear residents of Animal Farm, Thou shalt rejoice over the revolution thou have fought to uphold! Although it gives me great joy to hear about this marvelous plan, unfortunately it was ruined by a few of our “fellow compadres”. First and foremost, the origins of the revolution began with Old Major’s wise tellings of the old days and how man has slowly destroyed our land. With his guidance and solemn strength, we animals were able to rise against our master, Farmer Jones, and bring him down below our level. The aftermath of the revolution was dimwittedly ruined by many of our comrades. I shall discuss the two leaders who majorly ruined the revolution, commencing with Napoleon. 

 Napoleon is a powerful character. He is very demeaning, manipulative, and disturbingly corrupted. Napoleon’s part in the downfall of the revolution was never shedding a single drop of sweat to cooperate in any contribution to the revolution. Instead, he accomplished deeds for his own sake. He was also very cruel, such as when he confiscated Jessie and Bluebell’s pups. “He took them up into a loft which could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room, and kept them in such seclusion than the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence” (Orwell, 35). This selfish act was done for his benefit to destroy the farm and the animals. He was lazy, bullied the other animals and educated himself rather than aid the others in understanding the commandments of the new farm. His manipulation and constant lying to the animals made him a corrupt leader. Unfortunately, many animals believed in his word, for example, when Boxer states, “Napoleon is always right” (Orwell, 61). These poor animals confided in you, and you let them down miserably. It is shameful that Napoleon tricked all of you. Nonetheless, Napoleon’s lack of belief in the revolution all the while was more than enough to wreck a marvelous opportunity to reach the goals of the revolution. Of course he is not the only character who destroyed the revolution. 

Squealer is the other sort that aided the fall of the revolution. He is of the manipulative type. Squealer definitely lived up to his name. He used his smarts to get the other uneducated animals confused, really confused. Squealer always turned the words of the other pigs around for his better judgment, as well as using his knowledge and vocabulary to manipulate the lesser educated animals. For instance when Napoleon sent him to explain odd circumstances that occurred in the farm, when really Napoleon and Squealer were making misfits. “You do not imagine I hope that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege” (Orwell, 35). Squealer made up ridiculous excuses to cover up any crude acts being done by Napoleon or himself in order to save themselves. This was very cruel and it is one of the reasons why the animals were misled by the pigs. In turn, they confused you all and were not available to help any comrade understand the revolution and its benefits. Squealer did not aid anyone. His role was diminishing and confusing the other animals by falsifying certain facts about the revolution such as changing the words of the commandments or changing Napoleon’s words so the animals will be on his side. Speech holds a vast amount of power. Squealer always took advantage of his manipulative words, which made him not trustworthy. 

 In other words, both Napoleon and Squealer were two of the major downfalls of the revolution. What do I think they should change to produce a more positive outcome? I suggest that the pigs work with each other and with the other animals on the farm to bring about a better revolution. Trust is lacking among the animals. The recipe for a successful revolution requires trust. Instead of only educating yourselves, switching the other’s words, and confusing the less intelligent animals, you all should work together. Teamwork is the key to any successful project whether it be building a corporate building or starting a revolution. Take this into consideration and your revolution would come out very successful! 

 Luck be with you, Briana Regalado

    George Orwell, 1945, Animal Farm

animal farm letter/ Geo

Dear Animal farm/review

I would like to start by congratulating you all for your great effort in leading the rebellion and for your hard work after it. It’s a great pity that the revolution ended being a failure. Factors like selfishness and desire for power lead you all to fail; therefore, all of you are responsible for the collapse of the revolution; however, two of our comrades deeply ensured the failure with their actions, actions that result in the confusion of the main goals of the revolution since the beginning; as in the end, by giving hopes to the exploited animals.

The first and biggest animal responsible was Old Major who, even being an old sage pig, was not able to realize that the animals didn’t have his experience and knowledge to be able to deal with the revolution’s complications. He pursued the animals by talking about all the negative parts of their lives. In his speech he talked about how badly they lived and with what cruelty their lives were taken away from them. He also shared his thoughts about humans: “man is the only creature that consumes without producing” (Orwell 7-8) concluding that “All evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings” (Orwell 9) meaning that without humans there would be pure happiness, but he forgot about preventing you from unjust acts and corruption as a result of your ignorance. The result was that the pigs, being the less ignorant animals, took control of the farm and used it for their own benefits, satisfing their desires, making the working hours longer for the rest of you and reducing your food rations as well, producing even worse conditions that in Mr. Jones’ times.

The second animal responsible was our comrade, Moses, the raven, because he didn’t put any effort into the revolution; he was careless about helping animals get their rights and he even had a mysterious amnesty with the pig leaders allowing him to hangout around without working but getting more benefits than the working animals. Beside breaking the law of all animas are equal by his behavior he also played an important role in undermining the revolution by given vain hopes to the animals about a better place: “up there, just on the other side of the dark cloud that you can see-there it lies Sugar Candy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!” (Orwell 117). This argument kept our comrades from getting angry at the conditions the pigs made them live in. You submitted, allowing the pigs to get more corrupted until the point that animal equality disappeared. Your revolution failed for not being well organized and not being able to depend on you own labor but to ask for human help.

Comrades your revolution started without a strong organization that made it collapse later on because you educated only a part of the animals and kept the rest, which was majority, in ignorance. I think that the revolution would have reached its greatest aim if Old Major had educated the animals himself before telling them his thoughts that way the animals would had understood, and they would be able to be organized at creating a just society, as for Moses, he should not interfere at letting you get conscious about your real conditions instead of imposing an idea that gave you hopes holding you from fighting for animal rights.

                                                                                                                         Sincerely a loyal follow

Letter To Animal Farm

Dear Animal Farm,

            I think we can safely say that the revolution was a failure and it was not any one person in particular who is to blame but rather every animal involved. The concept was just however the execution was flawed. Now, the pigs are seen as the evil ones being that they did completely betray the rest of the animals and develop a hierarchy amongst the animals and placed themselves at the top. However, the other animals are just as guilty for not standing their ground and voicing their opinions. The pigs were wrong for taking advantage of the less intelligent animals but the other animals let themselves be ruled which was just as wrong. All animals should have learned and should have stayed true to the commandments. For why are laws made if no one will learn, understand, obey, and enforce them.

            I want to say that the revolution would have worked out and peace could be had however, this is not the case. In all groups there will be one that outshines the rest and assumes leadership. However, the rest as a group, in order to insure an efficient and equal establishment must be unified not only with each other but also with the leader. Napoleon made it seem as though he spoke for the animals when in reality he owned you. He did not hear to your opinions and needs, he dictated them. You allowed yourself to be ruled by another instead of being the master of your own fate. Never allow that.    

                                                                        Happily from the other side of the fence,

                                                                                                Brian Rodriguez

Letter to the Animal Farm by Janet Nolan

 Dear Citizens of Animal Farm,                                                                                                     9/23/12

        I would like to first like to start off by saying that I applaud you for taking the stand against Farmer Jones. For the horrible treatment you have received from him. But the revolution that was established has become corrupted.

     I feel that two animals have played a huge role, that caused the revolution too crumble. The first animal is Napoleon. Napoleon used your fears and violence to control you completely. He destroyed and form of rules or benefits you once had, because he felt it was not for his need. Such as changing the commandments until there was only one left. Which was "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others". You were also no longer aloud to sing the anthem that was given to you by old Major which was "Beast of England" and that song was a vital part of the revolution itself. Also he drank alcohol which was forbidden and slept in the farm house. Napoleon day by day was becoming more and more human like. And no one stop him or his successors. The main reason the revolution came about was to be better then humans and to be treated with respect but that didn't happen. Napoleon was nothing more but, a manipulator, and hid behind his guard dogs. And you all stood by and watch and your freedom and rights were taking away from you all.

     Another animal that caused the revolution to crumble was Boxer. Boxer was the hardest worker one he farm. But one of the most uneducated ones as well. He did not question any of the rule changes such working with humans. And ration control or even the rightful age of retirement. He just kept his head down and worked and followed orders. Boxer let Napoleon and the other pigs control him by his own stupidity. He was one of the biggest animals on the farm. Many of the animals look up to him and did as he did. But Boxer just went along with everything. Only saying "I will work harder" or "Comrade Napoleon always right". But when your in a position where other look up to you they don't need another follower they need a leader.You have take a stand and question authority when needed, because that what a role model dose. And Boxer was a role model to these animals and his didn't step up to bat.

   Something that you could do to make the revolution better. Is to create a democracy, and elected animals to to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves. And punish those who kill or committee crimes. But do it fairly and not automatically put to death. Teach those who cant read or write. Don't just teach a certain species of animals. There's always something you can do but most importantly band together as one and fight for the freedom you deserve and may the "Beast of England, for that day we all must labour, though we die before it break;cows and horses,geese, and turkeys, all must toil for freedom's sake" live within your hearts forever.

                                                                                                                               yours truly,
                                                                                                                                 Janet Nolan

Animal Farm Letter First Draft- Briana Regalado

 

Briana Regalado                                                                  Letter Draft

 

Dear recipients of Animal Farm,

 

 Thou shalt rejoice over the revolution thou art fought to uphold! Although it gives me great joy to hear about this marvelous plan, unfortunately it was ruined by a few of our “fellow compadres”.  First and foremost, the origins of the revolution began with Old Major’s wise telling’s of the old days and how man has slowly destroyed our land. With his guidance and solemn strength, we animals were able to rise against our master, Farmer Jones, and bring him down below our level. The aftermath of the revolution was dimwittedly ruined by many of our comrades and I shall state only two of the matter commencing with Napoleon.

 

Napoleon is a powerful character. He is very demeaning, manipulative, and disturbingly corrupted. Napoleon’s part in the downfall of the revolution was never shedding a single sweat to cooperate in any contribution to the revolution. Instead, he accomplished factors for his own sake. For example, in the training of the puppies. Napoleon used these poor pups to create some sort of a “mini” military service. He was lazy, bullied the others and educated himself rather than aid the others in understanding the commandments of the new farm. Napoleon’s lack of belief in the revolution all the while was more than enough to wreck a marvelous opportunity to reach the goals of the revolution. Of course he is not the only character to help destroy the revolution.

 

Squealer is another sort that aided the fall of the revolution. He is of the confusing type. Squealer definitely lived up to his name. He used his smarts to get the other uneducated animals confused, really confused. Squealer always turned the words of the other pigs around for his better judgment as well as to dumb the other animals more. Squealer did not aid anyone in the revolution. His role was diminishing and confusing the other animals by falsifying certain facts about the revolution. Such as changing the words of the commandments or changing Napoleon’s words so the animals will be on his side. Speech holds a vast amount of power. Squealer just so happened to expand his vocal power a little too much.

 

In other words, both Napoleon and Squealer were two of the major downfalls of the revolution. What do I think they should change to produce a more positive outcome? I suggest you pigs work with each other and the other animals on the farm to bring about a better revolution. There is a lot of trust lacking and the recipe for a successful revolution requires trust. Instead of only educating yourselves, switching the other’s words, and dumbing the less intelligent animals, work together. Teamwork is the key to any successful project whether it be building a corporate building or starting a revolution. Take this into consideration and trust me, your revolution will come out very successful!

 

  Luck be with you,

                      Briana Regalado

Animal Farm Letter

Dear, Animal Farm
      
         First and for most I commend you on you road to revolution against the cruel tyrant farmer Mr.Jones. You've took it upon rebellion's most valuable leader Snowball to turn Old Major's vision into a reality, but the outcome was a total destruction of the farm. Your downfall was when Napoleon took complicated drawing plans for the construction of a windmill from Snowball, and ordered the guard dogs Jessie, Bluebell, and Pincher to chase him off of the farm forever.Napoleon soon used Snowball as a scapegoat for the animals' troubles, claiming that he was traitor to justify his actions.This compromised the 'freedom' Animal Farm stood for.
        In my perspective everyone was at fault for this outcome. All of the passive behavior from the civilians such as Boxer and Squealer of Animal Farm lead Napoleon to lead and conquer . On Boxer's behalf, he devoted himself to everything revolution rebellion. As a selfless individual when he collapsed during the rebuilding the windmill, his first thoughts are not of himself but of the work. Stronger then all the animals on the farm combined he was completely naive and innocent. Boxer blindly supported Napoleon claiming that "Napoleon is always right". Not the brightest of the animals, he heavily depended on Napoleon to make decisions for him. All though Boxer was devoted to Napoleon's plan, ironically Napoleon had no intention of providing for an old injured horse and  led Boxer to his death at the knacker's. His death is another example of Napoleon's tyranny.
      One the other hand Squealer was a clever pig that could make something that was all wrong right. He was walking propaganda for Napoleon to justify his wrong doings. Squealer is able to convince the animals that Napoleon is only acting in their best interests and that Napoleon himself has made great sacrifices for Animal Farm. Squealer never direct and always skirt the obvious truth of the matter at hand.The most ludicrous showing of his devotion to Napoleon is when he convinces the animals that Boxer was taken to a veterinary hospital instead of the knacker's. In the end, the retired home that was promised slim chance of happening. The revolution had landed the civilians of Animal Farm under a tyrant leader they once had tried to escape.
      In order to improve Animal Farm you civilians must overthrow Napoleon's government. Letting one leader have complete control must change. A democratic government must be put in!. The voice of the civilians must be heared. Along with that they must be permanent laws that the civilians must make and live by. And lastly crime must be proven in front of peers before extortion.  With these simple but key components Animal Farm will be truly equal and just.

Sincerely, S.A.Bazile

Animal Farm Letter [Cat]

Dear Animal Farm,

        

I am addressing this letter to the whole farm, because you all took part in the downfall of your very own revolution. For obvious reasons, Napolean can be seen as the main subject to have destroyed and altered the Revolution from the inside out. Although he is the mastermind, it was all of you who allowed yourselves to be chained upon his fingers. His greed and intellect were perfect partners as he sought out his goals. As I observed Napoleans character, I became more intrigued by his strategic and stoic way of thought. He was certainly intelligent, and if it weren’t for you animals snooping at the end, his Farm would have continued to work solely for him.

By the mere description first given to Napolean, it was apparent he was ambitious, a quick thinker and quite stubborn. Though at first it was helpful for the organization of the Farm after the Revolution had taken place, the first act of selfishness began to cast a small shadow over the future of the animals. At the beginning of the harvest, Napolean assured his comrades to “not worry about the milk” which the cows had produced, and sent the animals into labor; yet as their hard day was done, they noticed the milk had disappeared. It was the first sign of a pedestal being constructed under the feet of the pigs. The mysterious events that took place after, such as the taking of the 9 puppies, and his nonchalant attitude toward Snowballs beneficial idea of the windmill was somewhat suspicious. He then confirmed his intentions after running Snowball out of the farm. That was the beginning of the downfall.

Napolean was the start of the downfall of the glorious revolution you all started. But the whole Farm carried him along right to the bottom. I would say ignorance and fear became his greatest weapons. What were you all thinking when 9 angry dogs ran off- not only a leader but a friend-right out of YOUR home? Or as they trotted back to their master, he directed their snarls towards you all as well? Ignorance and Cowardice, no one had the courage to speak what was in every single persons mind. The dumb brainwashed sheep became a hypnotic stereo bellowing propaganda that cracked right through the farm citizen’s personal opinions. The lack of help for the voices who were attempting to articulate for the rest of the community had no type of backup from anyone else.

Your Revolution could have continued peacefully if intuition and courage could have been mustered and put to use. If there were communication and emotional discussions amongst those animals who were confused and suspicious, perhaps you all would have realized the leader you mindlessly chose was not a good choice. The use of the mind; instead of blindly satisfying your emotions with elegant words, the farm would probably be in a more equal state. Input from ALL animals, opinions, as well as suggestions would have molded a greater community without leaving one group in complete charge. There are many things that could have gone right, but unfortunately they went wrong. And now you all have a bunch of walking pigs ruling you. Time for a new, more organized Revolution!

                           Yours Truly,

                  Catherine Valencia