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Close Reading Post

Victor and the Monster

In the beginning of the novel, Victor goes to school in Ingolstadt where he learns about modern science and, within a few years, masters all that his professors have to teach him. He becomes fascinated with the “secret of life,”  and brings a hideous monster to life which he ultimately regrets.

Over the course of the novel, Victor changes from an innocent kid to a tormented and cynical being.

Whatever the reason be, whether it’s his avoidance of society or desire to attain transcendence, Victor is doomed by a lack of humanness. Eventually, his life becomes about getting revenge on the monster.

We see the same idea of lack of humanness and revenge from the monster as well. The monster is created and immediately abandoned. With no one to care for him, he is forced to live on his own. But his hideous appearance makes this extremely difficult. Realizing the abysmal reality, the monster seeks revenge on his creator and kills Victor’s brother. Having no companions in this world, no one to educate him and differentiate right from wrong, it is safe to say that the monster too is doomed by a lack of humanness.

 

Though Victor wasn’t the monsters biological parent, I appreciate the similar traits between the two, showing a little hereditary.

Free post

Harry’s Reality Is Barry’s Fantasy

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In the book Harry Potter, many individuals were unhappy claiming they were not able to connect with the reading due to the fact that it contained magic and things of that nature that are not real. People want to connect with readings as long as its not too fictitious.

I on the other hand happened to love this book and was able to connect with it on many levels:

 

Firstly, I was always interested in magic. I wondered how life would be if it was possible to be in control over everything. Besides for the thrill I believe that magic is so helpful to the world (and of course potentially destructive based on how its used).

In today’s day, many people are pressured and have to escape society for a quick breather whether its a literal vacation or taking drugs to just zone out. How cool would it be if it were possible to fly to a different world full of magic and mystery? A place where you can unwind and enjoy.

Many of us do this but on a much lesser level of course. Personally, I play fantasy sports ie, basketball, football etc.. This is a game where individuals get to choose players and create their own team. The teams with the most points advance and the winner of the league receives a prize whether its cash, a trophy or simply pride. But in reality, this is so dumb. We cant control how these players perform yet we are obsessed with our players while they don’t even know who we are. I believe this idea of  fantasy, although different, relates to Harry Potters majestic aspect. Its a fantasy for people who need a break from the real world and in that respect I think everyone can relate to this novel on their own personal level.

 

Also, with technology growing by the minute we may have this fantasy world become our reality!

Introduction Exercise #2

Intro

Throughout our lives, we are fed information from our parents, professors and friends. The abundant knowledge we attain helps us grow as individuals and ultimately able to pass this knowledge down to our predecessors. But this knowledge we receive isn’t just through man. Philosophers and scientists alike have debated for centuries whether a person’s character is the result of nature or nurture. Rousseau understands education to come from three sources: “from nature, from men, or from things” (Emile: 11). These three sources must “coincide and lead to a common goal” if the individual is to become well educated (Emile: 11). We visit this idea of nature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when the monster is left on its own. Even without mothering, the creature manages to gain an education. I will provide textual evidence and facts to prove that Mary Shelley’s novel alludes to Rousseau’s theory of education in this novel.

Through the lens post

Don’t Count Anyone Out ‘Til The End

In A Lesson Before Dying, Grant gets the opportunity to go to college unlike the others in his family. Grant was able to attend college because of the hard efforts of his aunt. When he goes to college he finally is able to understand the extent of racism going on in his community. He wants to make a change.

 

He hears a speech from the Reverend who said that black people aren’t ignorant. They know what’s going on but they must lie and cheat themselves and their loved ones in order to survive. We see an example of this when Grant’s aunt tells him that she was fine and everything was okay when in reality, she was working like an animal and things were extremely tough. She had to take the role of a leader in that situation in order to have her nephew happily go to college. This type of lying isn’t necessarily bad. The situation they are in forces them to lie and in fact is more constructive than harmful. If they were to admit to themselves that they were living a life of hardship and pain, they may have all given up.

 

Grant is now a professor trying to pass down his knowledge to his students although he sees it as useless. Slavery has been going on way too long and he feels like he’s getting nowhere in his efforts to make a difference.

 

“I wish I could just run away from this place.”
Vivian shook her head. “You know you can’t.”
”Why not?”
[. . .] 
”You know the answer yourself, Grant. You love them more than you hate this place (Chapter 12: 88-92).”

We see his frustration and pessimism throughout the novel but by the end of the novel he makes a lot of progress with his students and with Jefferson as we see he cries when Jefferson gets killed. This novel may be trying to teach us that no matter ones personality don’t count them out as they may have much to offer. Grant didn’t count Jefferson out and I’m sure he doesn’t regret that decision.

Education has a very broad meaning but the common variable is that education ALWAYS gives one the potential to come out successful and make a difference in whatever they do.

Peer Response Post

Motivation is the means to Success

This is in response to Belissa Velasquez,

The fact that Malcolm X was able to become educated in a prison really fascinated me. I really liked how you shifted the focus from Malcolm to Bimbi, telling us his role in the story. You also ended your post by saying “Everyone should share their own knowledge because you never know who will be inspired and motivated to take things to the next level”. This is completely true, any one person can teach another no matter what their social status or situation is. But I would like to take the reading in a different perspective.

I see this excerpt not only as an act of perseverance and heroism by Malcolm, but rather as a way to convey his motivation and how far it took him. He says, “ Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This impression is due entirely to my prison studies.” That’s how far he got from- “I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional.” Malcolm dropped out of school in eighth grade. That’s eight years less schooling than all of us and he still became great. This comes to teach us that school isn’t what makes you educated its about the individuals drive and passion to learn. Malcolm couldn’t live with the fact that he could barely read and write so he did something about it with his motivation coming from a stranger he met in prison.

The details of how he became educated aren’t important, what’s important is his accomplishment. We all are in school and have the choice to work hard and educate ourselves, or we can sit back and let that opportunity pass. The thing that distinguishes those two is motivation. Who has the motivation? Do you?

 

Peer Response Post

BEATINGS OF ENLIGHTENMENT OR PUNISHMENT

This is in response to J Chou.

I love your use of textual evidence and analysis here to convey your point. I realized the same thing while i was reading as well that this is how Rousseau’s idea of education is different. I would just like to add one point.
Jose says in the novel how he watched the teacher “beating him with a bamboo cane on his legs, or a ruler in the palm of his hand (Zobel, 65).” We might’ve assumed that this beating only occurs if one misbehaves or if one does not excel in school but we see this isn’t the case. In this novel a good teacher is a “teacher who ‘explained’ well and beat severely (Zobel, 103).” Here, no one has the freedom to enjoy childhood. He would do chores for “a couple of cents (Zobel, 75)”, which differs from Rousseau’s standpoint of childhood. Unlike in the novel, Rousseau believes that one should “treat [their] scholar according to his age (Rousseau, 8).” A child should be guided and rebuked but not beaten since as a kid they cannot endure that. This applies especially to infants where Rousseau states that they do not remember most things so rebuking them is a waste of time.
Also, at the very end you said “ Not only does it not work, but it works against the teachers and discourages the students to learn. Overall, it is a lose-lose situation and no one benefits.” Although I agree that beating may discourage students from learning, I don’t think its a lose-lose where no one benefits. Many parents beat their kids as a form of discipline and although it may sound harsh, the child refrains from making that mistake again in fear of getting hit. Therefore the students intentions may be off but he/she will be sure to pay attention.
Close Reading Post

Descartes ≠ Franklin

Rene Descartes proposed a statement using mathematical reasoning that we must accept only what we know for sure to be true. We need to abandon all of the uncertain beliefs we have accepted. He provided a method through four steps:

 

  1. Accept as true only what is indubitable
  2. Divide every question into manageable parts.
  3. Begin with the simplest issues and ascend to the more complex.
  4. Review frequently enough to retain the whole argument at once.

 

According to Descartes, this method had worked for him and should work for others, although not guaranteed. It may not work for some people. This differs from Franklin’s approach, which tried to focus on moral perfection through upright virtues. Franklin’s method was one that could be used by others. Through order, temperance and self-examination, Franklin strived for perfection though at the end of his life he admits that he failed. “But, on the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it (Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 74)”.

 

Franklin says “I judg’d it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time (Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 70)”. Here we see Franklin being patient. Instead of trying to conquer everything at once, he does it one at a time. Unlike Descartes who tries to denounce whatever isn’t a fact or a “perfect” truth, Franklin applies his time to improving anything and everything that isn’t perfect.

 

 

Another way Franklin differs from Descartes is the purpose of the method. Descartes created the method to discover truth in the world and therefore discredited all previously held notions and beliefs. Franklin was aiming for perfection. Perfection has to do with the inner being and qualities of a man. This made Franklin observe himself through every angle making him perfect each trait of his own being.

 

Close Reading Post, Weekly Post-Check-In #3

One Must Learn to Live On His/Her Own Before Becoming “Free”

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In Kant’s What is Enlightenment, he starts off by saying “Enlightenment is the human being’s emergence from his self-incurred minority (Kant 1784).” What I believe he means here is that enlightenment is a form of slavery. Not like regular slavery but rather slavery of the mind. One isn’t free to think; one is told what to think. He says, “Have courage to make use of your own understanding! Is thus the motto of enlightenment (Kant 1784).”

He then states that “It is so comfortable to be a minor!(Kant 1784)” which he alludes to slavery as well. As a minor there are no worries since you have others to rely on and don’t need to do anything on your own.

 

He then speaks about enlightenment itself saying that it can be achieved slowly but most people cant make the transition to all the sudden have to think and do on their own, and thus will ultimately find another authority to govern over their thoughts and actions. We see this when Kant says, “Now this danger is not in fact so great, for by a few falls they would eventually learn to walk; but an example of this kind makes them timid and usually frightens the, away from further attempt (Kant 1784).” Kant’s belief that people need knowledge to overcome slavery is an agreement with Frederick Douglass. In “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass” it says, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. Now,” said he, “if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.” This was said by Mr. Auld, whom Frederick was living with, telling his wife not to teach a slave how to read. From this Frederick finally “understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.” Frederick thought that if he just knew how to read, he would be free. This idea does NOT concur with what Kant said in What is Enlightenment, since he says that people need to first get over the hump of relying on others or else they will just go serve someone else. It is a process that ends with knowledge according to Kant but that is not the sole basis for freedom.