Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Gulliver's travels

The world of the Liliputians in the beginning: Gulliver was viewed as stupid and ignorant just because of his size and what he looked like. They drew conclusions without knowing anything about him. They were royalty, and thought they were the best, even though they themselves were extremely clueless to the world around them. It was obvious that this was the point swift wanted to bring out because they kept making fun of Gulliver and talking down to him. Swift could have been comparing this to today's government system and kings and queens. I think the movie was a great way to show this point and to get it across to the audience. It made me think because it was so creative, and I had to really follow along well to keep track of the worlds and transitions and such. I liked it!

Friday, February 13, 2009

A Modest Proposal

1. He sounds critical and analytical and pretty negative, and logical.

2. His main argument is that we should raise children for eating purposes. He uses facts to make his arguments and repeats himself a lot.

3. He uses logic when he talks about all the facts such as, there are too many poor people, there is not enough food for everyone, and children are nuissances.

4. He says "all children are nuissances", when he talks of women being tired of their children in every case. This is a presumption fallacy.

5. My gut reaction was, This guy's Crazy! Although he uses logical material to credit his argument, my reaction was still the same after digesting it all.

6. I can't think that this is supposed to be taken literally. He may be trying to get people to value their children more. Perhaps he's trying to get across the point that we treat our livestock and property better than our children, and that shouldn't be.

7. Yes, people always justify their actions even if they have to make something up. "It feels so right!" Things like that.

8. Gut instincts definitely come into play.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Enlightment/Restoration

1. The Restoration in England began in 1660 when Charles II became king, ending the Protestant Interregnum. It restored the monarchy and Parliament started meeting again. Restoration brought an end to the political differences between Protestants and Catholics.

2. The political system changed, because it went from having Parliament dominated by Puritans to Parliament run by Protestants and Catholics.

3. There was an emphasis on the power of intellect over feeling during this time. Immanuel Kant and John Locke are two influential figures of this title.

4. Neoclassicism is the rediscovery of classic Greek and Roman works and emulation of them. Many writers took up this practice and are called Neoclassicists. This age was also called the Augustan Age.

5. The three ages are the Dryden Age, inspired by John Dryden which began with the restoration of the monarchy and ended with the death of this writer, who wrote many satirical plays, poems and essays. The Age of Pope was inspired by the famous and admired poet Alexander Pope, and his witty balance in his poetry. The final age was the Age of Johnson, inspred by Samuel Johnson, the most famous writer of his generation. He started his own periodical and is most renowned for his Dictionary.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Puritan, Cavalier Compare & Contrast

1. Puritans believe in God and have a rather dogmatic way of living, taking bible principles to the extreme. Cavaliers on the other hand believed they could do things themselves, relied upon themselves and were extremely independent people, with no set religion.

2. They are opposites. Puritans are fatalists, Cavaliers believe that they determine their own fate.

3. Puritans can be represented by "Paradise Lost" and "The Pilgrim's Progress", and the Cavaliers can be represented by the stories like "To Althea, from Prison" and "To His Coy Mistress"

4. I'm very much somewhere in between. I view myself puritan because i believe in God and the importance of following His commands, however my religion is more of a relationship and contrasts immensely with the Puritan religion. I'm a cavalier because I do think for myself and rely upon myself. I believe God has predetermined everyone's fate and has a perfect path for everyone to walk on, however everyone strays. I believe He knows all and He knows how things will happen in the end, but He gives us a will to do what we want and make our own choices.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Pastoral Blog/Rural Living

I really like living in a rural community, especially O'Neill. I like that it is small enough for everyone to know each other, watching out for each other and protecting their friends and even acquaintances. However our town doesn't provide a whole lot of fun things to do. I think this is a huge reason why most people move away from small towns and to bigger cities. I plan to return to a rural area after graduating college, preferably a small town in the area I am in now. Like Ethan, I enjoy small town life and I'm sure I will enjoy it as an adult too.