Things Haven't Changed As Much As We Think They Have

As one of our assignments in english class, we were given the task to write an analytical paragraph comparing and contrasting Laertes, Hamlet, Ophelia, and Fortinbras. As I was writing this, I noticed that while all the males are tough and quick to act with muscles, the only girl, Ophelia, is the opposite of that. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all try to avenge their father's death, but Ophelia doesn't. Being in the feminist group for our group projects on Hamlet, has also given me perspective on the way women are treated in the play. They are protrayed as weak and as people who are easily controlled by the men in the play.

From my experience as being a women, I've realized that though some things about the treatment of women have changed, a lot haven't. Women do have a lot more rights now than they did back in the time Hamlet was writen, but there are still a lot of things that differ between men and women. For example, if there were to be a draft for the military, only men would be drafted, not women. Also, it's a known fact that as a man, you just don't hit a woman. Last night my guy friend and I were joking around and I was trying to get him to fight and though he said yes at first, about 12 seconds later he admitted that he could never hit a girl. Any time a guy hits a girl, he immediately puts a target on himself because it's just something you don't do. Also, in my family and other families I know, there are double standards. While the men can usually do whatever they want, the women always have to be a lot more careful than the men and are protected a lot more than the men for fear that something might happen to them.

Yes women have gotten the right to vote and yes there is a lot more equality between women and men, but no it isn't completely equal and I don't think it ever will be. There will always be double standards and there will always be differences between men and women, because let's face it there ARE differences between men and women, both physical and mental. Girls and boys are brought up differently and are conditioned differently. People won't describe a girl as big and muscular and a guy as weak and emotional because that is not what the universal belief is. In the future it may change, but I don't think it will.

You Can Only Control Your Own Life

As we read Hamlet in class, we are forced to examine our own lives in comparison to Hamlet because of the fact that we, as teenagers, are going through a lot of the same things that the characters face in the play. We are at a crossroad right now trying to choose between doing something for oursevles that we want to do, or pleasing our parents and doing something they want us to do. As we go through our journey of leaving home and as we choose a path on which to live, we may find ourselves a changed person, just as Hamlet and Ophelia have changed throughout the course of the play. Are these changes good, or will we be worse off from changing?

As it stands now, people in high school are changing, for better and worse. People are making new friends and older friends are being left out. Everyone has a right to change whether it's for the best or worst. If it's for the best, then they've chosen the right path, if it's for the worst, then it's their mistake to make. We cannot control everyone and it's inevitable that people will change and grow apart. At the end of the school year, though, we will all be on our way to college, forever changing our lives, hopefully in the best way. Some friends will grow apart and others will stay friends forever. Growing and changing is a part of life and no one and nothing can change that. You can only control your own life and as much as you may want to, you can't control the lives of others.

Though our changes and future may be vastly different from what Hamlet and Ophelia go through in Hamlet, the messages are similar. Because of certain experiences and reasons, people will change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. No matter what, though, you can't control them as much as you may want to sometimes. People must live their own lives and learn from their own mistakes if they make them. The only thing you can do is be yourself and live your life they way you want to.

Give everything you can because that’s all you have

Recently in Literature class we were given as assignment to ask two people in our lives to write us a letter about morals, values, anything that they wanted to say or felt that they should say to us about us leaving soon for college. This letter gave the loved ones in our lives a chance to say the things they've wanted to, but haven't been able to say or have forgotten to say to us.

I had my mom and my brother, who is a senior at University of Arizona, write me a letter. I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment because of the fact that while my parents have always given me advice and rules, this letter gave them the chance to say anything else they've wanted to but haven't gotten the chance to yet. Also, I've never really talked about college or the future of it with my brother all that much mostly because he's always had a hard time remembering I'm not a little kid anymore. He still thinks of me as young and innocent and not as an adult about to embark on a whole new adventure on my own. This letter, though, gave him a chance to accept that I'm about to leave home, go to college, and be independent for the first time. I really enjoyed his letter and valued the things he wrote. My favorite things that he said were, "The best advice I can offer for you in college is to make sure that you enjoy every moment of it...Good luck and always remember the people that helped get you to where you are. They are the most important people in your life and you should always realize how lucky you are." My favorite line of his whole letter, though, was "Give everything you can because that’s all you have." I know my brother is right when he says this because in college, no one knows who you are and all you have is yourself. You need to show people who you are and be yourself because there's nothing else you can do.

I think these letters were important because it allowed the loved ones in people's lives to say the things to them that they haven't been able to say yet. I think it's easier for people to write down the things they want to say rather than to say them. Emotions can get in the way of things when people are trying to express themselves and they often forget things that they wanted to say or say things that they didn't want to say. Writing is an easy way for people to truly express themselves and their feelings.

I encourage you to read this blog while listening to the song "The New Year" by Death Cab for Cutie. I feel that this song reflects people's feelings about embarking on a new adventure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MwhxdGAnic

"The New Year"

So this is the new year.
And i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions

So everybody put your best suit or dress on
Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
As thirty dialogs bleed into one

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then i could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

There'd be no distance that could hold us back [x2]

So this is the new year [x4]

Names

Why or how do people give their kids names? Do they spend time researching common or uncommon names on the internet or do they name their kids after someone? Do they spend time thinking of names or do they just come up with it off of a whim? As an economist would say: "it depends" (thank you Mr. Nelson).

Names are people's identity. It's how we associate and know people. Without names, people wouldn't be able to differentiate between each other. But why are names so special? Why must they be different than the everyday names we use today, like telephone or chair or even garbage? Now I know some people, like celebrities, do like to do things like this and name their kid say.... Apple, but for the majority of the population, they pick names that are meant for people and not fruit or objects. Some people may name their kids as a honor to a loved one that has passed away. Parents do this so that the name of their beloved parent or grandparent lives on in the family. It doesn't necessarily mean that that person needs or is expected to be like that parent or grandparent, it just serves as a honor. Some parents name their kids after them because of a family tradition. It doesn't necessarily mean that the parent expects their kid to be like them, though sometimes it may be the case. Lots of times, though, it is just family tradition to keep a name going in the family. For example, my friend is named TJ Ryan IV and his dad is TJ Ryan III, but he isn't expected to be like nor is he anything like his father, it is just family tradition to name the first son TJ Ryan.

The reasons why and how people name their kids varies because of different family traditions and opinions. But one thing that is always constant is that a person's name reflects their identity and who they are. Many people keep the name that their parents gave them, and those who don't like it or don't believe it reflects who they are, can easily change their name to reflect who they believe they are. Names in our society have a deep importance to us because of how we believe people will perceive us. People put a name to a face and believe that they should go together nicely. So ask yourself, how did you get your name? Does it reflect who you are?

Don't judge a person by what or how they write

"Don't judge a book by its cover." This is the most classic of quotes that describes how people should not be prejudgmental to one another. If this statement is true, though, could we also argue that we "shouldn't judge a person by what or how they write"?

By now, I'm sure every senior at Burlingame High School is writing or has just about finished writing all of their personal statements and essays for the colleges that they are applying to. The problem with this, though, is that not only is doing college applications extremely annoying because all you do is type in the same information over and over again, but most of the time you don't get a choice about what you want to tell them. If you do get this choice, though, you can't even write it in a way that truly expresses who you are. Take me, for example, it's no secret that I dislike writing essays and that they are not my strongest ability in English class, but I can write informal things, like blogs, well. So the dilemma is, how can you truly know someone by reading something they wrote that doesn't truly express who they are? Sure what they wrote about themselves is true, but the way they wrote it is completely fake. Kids only write formally for colleges because if you don't then they probably won't accept you or take you seriously. I think colleges should take informal writing, like blogs, seriously. Not only are kids writing what the colleges asked for, but they're doing it in a way that expresses them the most.

I feel that informal writing shows you who someone is more than formal writing does. Informal writing allows a person to ramble on about subjects without having to worry too much about silly grammatical errors. I also feel that people are able to dive deeper into a subject because they don't have to worry about making it all sound good and smart for whoever is going to read it. By writing informally, kids are able to express themselves in a true way. Through informal writing, a reader can see who a person is, what they like, what their values are, how they feel about subjects, and more because people are more free in their writing. No thesis or quotes are needed. Just your opinions and thoughts about life or whatever you want to talk about. This is what I feel true writing is.

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching."

Since this week in class we talked more about law and leadership, I decided that for this weeks blog, I'd just sort of pick my own topic.

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching." This quote has really stuck with me this week because of the fact that my best friend's dad (pictured to the left) passed away a week ago. It really made me think about how short life is and how we need to do things that please us because if we don't, then what was the point of it all? It's okay for people to be selfish once in awhile, because if we are not, then we'll spend our whole lives pleasing other people and never ourselves. On the opposite end of that, though, there are those people who are completely selfish and never want to do anything to please or help other people. My point is, everyone needs a balance of being selfish and selfless. Humans are only on this planet for a short amount of time when you compare it to how old the planet actually is. Our time needs to be enjoyed, not spent worrying about things.

There are people who may fear the fact that death comes so soon, when really it is something that should be embraced. Death will catch up to all of us at some point and since we know that, then we should do something about it. Instead of fearing it, people must do the things they want to in life. Go skydiving, shoot a gun, climb Mt. Everest, travel the world, do whatever pleases you because your life will seem so much better and fuller when you do. Those who live the lives they've always wanted to won't be afraid to die because they've done everything in their life that they've wanted to. In the book White Noise, by Don DeLillo, the main character is a father who has an extreme fear of death. The fear of death constantly stays with him and interrupts his life. He's desperate to try and rid himself of this fear and ends up killing someone for drugs that may or may not cure his fear. People like him shouldn't let fear control their lives because it's a factor in everyone's life that can't be controlled. It's not like addiction where you have a chance to get rid of it for forever, death is inevitable.

Since death comes for everyone at some point, people should do their best to leave a positive legacy behind. When you think about it, are the little dramatic fights, the lying, the cheating, the stealing that people do in their lives really worth it? People only have a certain amount of time before they're gone. Would you rather be remembered for fighting someone, or for being a nice person that everyone loved?

Hitler a Great Leader?

This week was very focused on law and leadership... perfect considering we have the lovely task of writing essays on either law or leadership. Since my last blog was focused on law, I guess this time I can focus on leadership.

Today in class we had a good discussion on leadership, and on Goodwin's "Ten Traits of a Great President". One of the most disturbing things that I thought about was the fact that Hitler was a good leader. Yes, I know that Hitler was a horrible man and that what he did was wrong, but he was effective in what he did. I don't agree with anything Hitler did, but the way he did it was profound. His ability to stay confident and in control was probably one of the most important things he did as a leader. He was also able to inspire others and make them believe that what he was doing was the right thing. If he hadn't been able to convince everyone that Jews or gypsies or homosexuals were bad, then he would have failed as a leader. Even his morality helped him be a successful leader. I'm not saying that I agree with Hitler's morals, but what he was doing, he believed was right, therefore he believed he was doing what he though was morally right. Hitler was also willing to take a risk, and he was rewarded in his own way.

Connecting this with Oedipus and Antigone... I think Oedipus started out as a good leader because he was always in control and the people respected him. His downfall, though, was that he never accepted beliefs that were opposite of his own. If people contradicted him, he didn't want to hear it; he always thought he was right. I believe Creon had his downfall because he defied the laws of the gods and offended them. Leaders are there to enforce laws, not to break them.

Leadership takes a lot of strength and courage, and only certain people have the ability to lead. No matter what happens, leaders must stay strong and confident. They must be able to listen to other viewpoints and understand where that's coming from. They must be able to make mistakes and learn from them. Leaders must do all of this and a lot more to be successful. But if the respect of everyone you lead is won, then the rest will be easier.