Zeitoun

Zeitoun is a hero because he stays behind to protect his life's work. Even though there was a warning for everyone to evacuate the area, he still insist on staying. He was brave and very hardworking. He didn't want to lose everything that he worked for. The flaw in Zeitoun is that he is very stubborn. He is very much like Creon, he didn't want to listen to others. He acted only on what he believed was the right thing to do.

Antigone

I think Creon fears Antigone because he thought Antigone challenged his authority as king. Antigone decided
to buried her brother even though she knew Creon had a law against it. Creon feared that others may follow Antigone's example and go against his rule. Creon didn't want to admit that he was at fault since he was a king. He wanted everyone to bend to his will and listen to whatever he said. Antigone refused to listen to him and stayed true to her own beliefs. This angered Creon and she would have Antigone put to death.

Electra Research - Atreus

Atreus was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. He took in Aegisthus as his own son without realizing that it was the son of his brother Thyestes and niece Pelopina. Atreus would later tell Aegisthus to kill Thyestes but that's when Aegisthus finds out that Thyestes was his true father. Pelopina was shocked that he had a son with her father took her own life. Aegisthus refused to kill his true father and instead killed Atreus. This relates to Electra because Atreus was her grand father and his actions led to the chains of revenge.

http://www.medeaslair.net/atreus.html

 

Debate

I felt that it was a tie between Obama and Romney during the final debate. Both didn't really gain an edge over one and another. The debate was basically a summary of the previous two. I felt Obama did a good job  

staying aggressive unlike his first debate. I liked the part when he ridiculed Romney by saying he didn't understand how our military works. He mention bayonets, horses, and how its not a game of battleships. One thing i feared was the fact that Romney seems ready for another war. It would cost the country a ton of money and unnecessary casualties. I do agree with Romney's view on China. They are cheating the system and costing us jobs. Obama hasn't made any real progress against China and i feel Romney's aggressive tactics might work.

Boys Don't Cry

Part 1: There are many contributing factors for the cause of Brandon's death. Brandon himself was responsible because he was hiding the fact that he was a female. He should have told everyone the truth instead of hiding it. John and Tom both seem to have psychological problems and were very narrow minded. They just wanted to cause havoc and decided to kill Brandon since they couldn't accept what he is. Candace was responsible because she told John and Tom about Brandon's situation. Candace knew that John and Tom were dangerous and she still decided to tell them. Lana shouldn't have told Brandon to lie about his sex and came clean. Lana's mom could have prevented John and Tom from killing Brandon and Candace if she would have reported the situation to the cops.

Part 2: John, Tom, and Lana's mom are stuck inside the cave. They refused to face the truth and accept anything new. Brandon and Lana are struggling to get out of the cave. They were open-minded and wanted of be free of the constricts of society. Plato states that its difficult to communicate with the ones stuck in the cave once you have seen the light because the ones in the cave are ignorant. They refuse to accept new reason and just want to continue in their old ways.

Research Paper

Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/matthewshepard.php

The murder of murder of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. made people realize the severity hate crimes. Even so, it took 11 years for this to become a law. The bill fail to make it through Congress several times and finally pass through under the Obama administration. Since we know a lot about the Matthew Shepard case, i look up a few articles on James Byrd Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd,_Jr.

Here's a series of articles about the impact and aftermath of James Byrd's murder
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/james_jr_byrd/index.html

Presidential Debate

I think Romney did a really good job during the debate. He was aggressive and attack Obama constantly. Although he didn't discuss in details his plans on various issues, he gave strong retorts. He was the clear winner in this debate. I disagree with his plan to take away Obama care which helps many who can't afford health care or with preexisting conditions. The ironic part is that he did a similar plan in Massachusetts and now he disagrees with Obama. I agree with Obama with what he said about Romney's tax cut plan. It is impossible to make that much tax cut without raising taxes on the middle class and upper class. I also agree with Obama keeping tuition cost low and hiring more teachers.

Animal Farm Letter Revised

Dear Animal Farm,

                I would like to first congratulate you on your valiant attempt at revolution.  I’m sure some of you tried your hardest to make it work while others stood idly by. In the end, your revolution was a complete failure. You are all to be blamed for this tragic event, none more than Napoleon.  All you animals blindly followed his every command and never spoke out your suspicions. You let his follower Squealer easily manipulate your minds and twist the truth for Napoleon’s convenience. A fine example of this is Boxer and the sheep. Boxer never questioned the true motive behind Napoleon’s actions and always thought he was right. The naïve sheep just continuously blurted out whatever the pigs told them to and further confused the other animals.                                                                                                                                                                                            
             Napoleon was main reason for your failure. He was calculating and ruthless. He already planned out how to gain control over the farm from the very beginning. Your biggest mistake was when you let Napoleon chase out Snowball. None of you decided to defend Snowball or help him in the slightest. You just watched as your last hope ran out of the farm. You have forgotten how bravely Snowball fought with you in battle and how sincere he was in trying to make life better for you. Napoleon knew from the start that he wasn’t going to triumph over Snowball. He had to resort to other means, which is why he took the nine puppies and trained them to be his personal guards. This was the beginning of your downfall. He continuously used the dogs to threaten and keep you under his control. His guard dogs eventually became his personal army and carried out executions. Such an example was when Napoleon forced the animals to confess their crimes. “When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out” (Orwell 84). Napoleon got rid of the rebellious animals and broke a commandment with this action. Yet none of you stood up and said a word. You watched as your fellow brethren got slaughtered one after another. Once you let someone rule over you with force and fear, you are at the mercy of his will.                                                                                                       

                Squealer was also a major part of the downfall.  He was a manipulator and spoke with a silver tongue. Squealer acted as Napoleon’s propaganda agency. He basically twisted and fabricated the truth in order to show that Napoleon’s action was just and for the good of the farm. You let Squealer deceive you into believing that Snowball was a traitor and he was to be blamed for all the mishaps at the farm including the destruction of the windmill. Every time a pig broke a commandment, you let Squealer use his trickery with words to cloud your memory; when in reality Squealer just added extra words to the commandment to justify the wrong doings of the pigs. When Muriel read the changed Fourth Commandment, it said ‘No animal shall sleep in bed with sheets’. Squealer said “The rule was against sheets, which are human invention” (Orwell 67). How can you forget the most important principles to your revolution? The most frustrating part is when Squealer mentions Mr. Jones coming back. You all just cowered in fear and forgot to stand up for what is right. This was due to your naive and uneducated minds.                        

In order for your revolution to be successful, you must first educate yourselves. You need to have a clear understanding of what’s happening around you. The more knowledge you have, the less likely you’ll be deceived by the likes of Squealer. There should be a system of checks and balances. Don’t allow one person like Napoleon to have too much power. And lastly you need a judiciary system; there must be a trial with sufficient evidence before a sentence is passed. Don’t let the mindless slaughter of your brethren ever happen again.  If all this is done, then Animal Farm will have true equality and justice.

Sincerely, J Lin  

Orwell, George. Animal Farm.New York: Signet,1956.

The Warring States

                                                            The Warring States

                A long, long time ago, there were two neighboring countries at war. The king in the north was named Brandon and the king in the south was named Joseph. They had been battling constantly for five years with neither side gaining an upper hand. However, all that changed when a brutal winter destroyed a majority of Joseph’s crops. With a low food supply, Joseph’s troops were slowly being pushed back. Brandon knew this was the time to strike and finally conquer the south. He assembled his full army for one final battle. Joseph was in a dire situation but he refused to surrender. He knew surrender meant death. At this time, Joseph’s advisor William came up with a plan to save his lord. William suggested that Joseph should not only surrender but also offer to serve Brandon. Joseph was infuriated by this idea, but he knew this was also the only way for him and his people to survive. Under William’s instructions, Joseph surrendered to Brandon. Brandon was amused at the idea of having Joseph serve him. He wanted to humiliate and torture Joseph.  Brandon’s advisor thought it would be wise to simply execute him. They felt that Joseph had other intentions. Brandon didn’t think much of what his advisors said. He thought a coward like Joseph would be no threat to him.

                After conquering the south, Brandon returned home, the true king, and celebrated with his people. He had Joseph become his personal attendant. He made Joseph do every dirty job he could think of. Not only did Joseph have to endure harsh labor, but he barely had any food to eat. Brandon would only feed him his leftovers and that was equivalent to dog scraps. At night, Brandon would also torture Joseph. He would whip him repeatedly or beat him with a stick. Joseph had enough of this humiliation and decided to end his life. William knew of this and told his lord that he must endure. You have to survive in order to reclaim what was lost. Joseph was thinking there was no way that he could defeat Brandon’s army. It was at this time that William told his lord that he was secretly recruiting troops and saving up supplies. He urged his lord to endure the hardships and wait for the proper timing to strike back.

                Six years passed by and Joseph continued to endure Brandon’s punishments. Meanwhile, William kept recruiting more and more troops and kept them well trained. At the same time, Brandon’s army was dwindling and barely trained at all. Brandon has been enjoying himself and never took anytime to discipline his army. William finally sensed it was time for his lord to claim back his throne. Joseph decided his army would strike at night when Brandon and his army were too drunk to defend themselves. Joseph’s army wiped out Brandon’s army and Brandon was shocked that he was defeated so easily. Joseph finally reclaimed his throne and had Brandon executed.

Moral: Perseverance leads to ultimate victory.