The Creature and the Creator-Melissa Mejico

In a sense I believe that Frankenstein and his creation are very much alike. Isolating himself from the world because of an obsession, Frankenstein shows his determination and drive to finishing a task he set his mind to. Despite the fact that the Creature did not ask to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere he gained a type of obsession and yearn for knowledge, love, and friendship. Their relationship, although distant, can be seen as a parent and child for Frankenstein did create him and their mindset was somewhat similar. Though their appearances were far from being alike they both struggled much. Frankenstein lost members of his family and the Creature longed to find a family he could call his own, love and affection. His obsession led Frankenstein to stop at nothing until his creation was complete just as the Creature did everything in his power to learn the ways of the normal human beings even coming to an understanding with himself and his position in the world. However, as also being the child of Frankenstein, the Creature can also be seen as an example of the dreadful decision many women make; abortion. Left and abandoned as if he were never "born".

Alice in Wonderland-Melissa Mejico

"Who in the world am I?", this is a question many of us are faced with every day. In the struggle to find our true identity, the place we belong, who we really are deep down inside. Alice realizes that she is not just trying to understand the meaning behind Wonderland, but also attempting to determine who she is and what constitutes her identity in a world that actively challenges her perspective and sense of self. Wonderland affects Alice in a way that she learns to understand that her self perception cannot remain fixed in such a world with such drastic differences from her own. Going through the many changes in Wonderland Alice loses a sense of who she thought she really was and gains a better understanding of the world around her once she realizes that she must solve the puzzles of life herself. In today's world many teens struggle to find themselves for fear of what others may think. It is as though they must mold themselves into what they believe others expect of them. Yet the ones who manage to stay true, not caring about anyone else's opinions are the ones who go on to have a successful future for their concern is their education and not their appearance.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Matt Lee

In the story of”Alice's Adventures of Wonderland," the adventure she goes through represents the journey people have in real life.  People always face problems and obstacles as they live. But, as Alice does, people also realize and learn things through those. Thus, the story of a little girl’s adventure actually symbolizes people's lives in reality.

In addition to that, physical changes Alice experiences throughout the journey indicate changes in real life. People always change because the world they live in changes rapidly. New technology, ideology and relationship with other people are all symbolized in the story through not only physical changes Alice experiences, but fantasies such as talking animal and different environments.

In our lives, we face dangers and obstacles. In the story, the author tells us to challenge them. We should not stay where we are, but keep moving forward. Even though there are some risks for it, we will achieve and accomplish more than ever.

Words- Dorothy Z.

It's the most stressful time of senior year- college application time! Many of our most important words at the moment might include: stress, applications, scholarships, private, public, fees, sleep. The words most important to us change like seasons; it all depends on the time of year and our mood. We use words to communicate to one another whether by phone, through Facebook, or by advertising on TV. As humans, we can use words to uplift or degrade others, to persuade or analyze. Although our words constantly change, I think there are a few essential words people actually keep the same because they describe their values and goals in life. Mine are: attitude, freedom, beautiful, and refreshing. I believe attitude is everything- it can completely change your outlook on any situation. Freedom is so important to human nature because we have that desire to be our own people and not to be oppressed by any person or institution. Have you ever heard the old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" I believe it is incredibly true. We all see beauty in a different way and it is so important to remember that there are still beautiful things in the corrupt world we live in. Finally, refreshing: since we are all human, we get tired and beaten down in life sometimes. People need that occasional vacation or cool glass of lemonade to refresh themselves.

A Human or Not

I believe that one of the rights humans have from the moment they are born is that they should be allowed to interact with other people. But in the novel "Frankenstein" the creature is not human, so should he also be given this priviledge? Is it now Victor's responsibility to provide him with a companion? In the monster's narrative the reader finds out that the creature has real human-like charecteristics. He is intalligent, he feels love and care. He feels alone. I definetly feel pity for him, although I understand the reason why Victor denys the creature a companion of his likeness ,because of the conflicts that have caused an uproar in society by the creation of a nonhuman already. I feel sad because as the reader I understand that what is occuring is not the creature's fault, although the creature is suffering from confusion, he still feels emotions of love, he has the desire to learn. By comparing my thoughts about both Victor and the creature I notice that I am more sensible towards the creature, he does not know any better than what he does, he wishes to fill the emptyness inside of him. As a human it is easy to connect to this situation because we often find our selves lost, aching to find our true identities, and for this I comprehend the creature's suffering.

Promises - Melanie N.

Promises Like Pie-Crust by Christina Rossetti, in my opinion, was very thought-provoking. It made me question who we are as human beings. Do we have a tendency to lie and be deceiving? Is that why we promise, because we do not believe, because we have had our trust betrayed? Or is it more positive than that? Do we promise because we love, because we want to force ourselves to be there for those we care for?  I personally think that we shouldn't have to promise if we care that deeply about someone. We should trust them and refuse to question their word. But that's not how society works; which is why, I guess, I am more inclined to believe my first theory.

Immanuel Kant, who is one of my favorite philosophers ever, has a theory that is commonly known as the "Categorical Imperative". There are three formulations that Kant bases this idea on. The second, which is my favorite, says that moral beings will treat others as a ends in themselves, not as a means to an end. Basically, this just means that we value the worth of an individual - be friends with someone because you value the friendship, not because they can drive you to a concert. However, I want to focus mainly on the first formulation for this blog post. "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." (Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals) This basically says that our actions should be controlled only by standards that would make good universal laws. So, if I were to cheat on a game with the four year old that I babysit so that she can win, Kant says that that is bad because if "cheating is good" were a universal law, the world would not be a better place. 


My issue with promises is that they stem from a violation of Kant's first formulation, and they encourage that violation. That's because promises are made because people lie, and promises are broken because people lie. Kant's categorical imperative says that lying is inherently bad because even if I were to lie to a murderer in order to save someone's life, lying as a universal law would still hurt more people - because if everyone lied, we would have no conception of what the truth is. My view on promises is that they are made because too many people lie - it has almost become a universal law. We no longer know what the truth is. Plus, promises are also broken by lies, and most of society has accepted that fact.We lie when we make promises that we can't keep. Is that fair to people? Is that fair to the world? Have we slipped into complacency so that we no longer care about whether or not lying is inherently bad?


People shouldn't have to make promises, because people shouldn't lie. No one would ask for a promise if we knew that no one lied, and no one would need to make a promise if they knew they wouldn't lie. It is a kind gesture to try to make sure that you will absolutely be there for someone, but it shouldn't be necessary.

The World is Too Much With Us - William Wordsworth

Reading this poem this past week was extremely applicable to me considering I am an officer for the new Grizzly Grreen Team on campus (no that is not a typo). Today's society is focused so much on the self that I believe people have begun to ignore their surroundings. Especially as teenagers we are so caught up in what is going on in our lives as students that sometimes we forget there is a world outside of high school. When we go up into the mountains for a vacation or watch a video on the environment in class we enjoy and learn for a little while but go right back to our lives again. Teens who try to talk about how exquisite nature is and how we should help preserve it are simply seen as environmental activists. The truth is that people like them have helped preserve what little of the natural environment we have left in national parks and preserves. We all live and thrive in areas that have nature around them. It may not be as obvious as 100 years ago, but it's still there. Our predecessors were much more intrigued with nature and appreciated it a lot more than we do now. In fact, one treatment for diseases in earlier eras was to be sent by the doctor to live in the countryside to get some fresh air for healing. If Wordsworth were alive today, he would be even more disgusted with us than people of his own time because of the irreverent way we treat the nature around us. One of the main goals of the Grizzle Grreen Team is to raise awareness of how we can help preserve our natural world. I think if Wordsworth were a teacher at Los Osos now, he would be the advisor.           - Dorothy Z.

Robert Walton and his Introduction

   Until today, when as a class we learned about Frankenstein and the history behind it, I was ignorant of the story and what it has to offer. I thought that Frankenstein was the name given to the monster, not its creator. I never held any interest in reading the novel or watching the film and always deemed it childish and not my cup of tea. After today's discussion the novel strongly appeals to me and I am eager to read it. The letters written by the explorer Robert Walton addressed to his beloved sister were wonderfully written and filled with vivid details. Before I read them, I was confused why these seemingly unrelated letters were used as the introduction to this book but now my confusion has vanished and I think they are a perfect way for the reader to prepare for what will come along within Frankenstein. 
  It was also discussed in class how the idea that along with creation comes death and the fears one possesses in relation to intellectual ability. Walton is captivated by his explorations and writes of his eagerness to learn the secrets of the Earth and to be knowledgeable in areas foreign to the rest of civilization. He meets an emaciated stranger stuck on an ice sledge and later befriends him. In letter four, Walton includes a statement that the stranger had spoken to him “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.”. This quote intelligently states the theme of the danger of knowledge, which evidently applies not only to Walton but to Frankenstein and his monster as well. 
  The letters introduce a number of themes that I expect to appear throughout the text of Frankenstein. The ambitions and character of Walton are most likely a strong parallel to those of Frankenstein as he struggles with loneliness and has a passion for intellectual advancement. His letters provide the reader with a frame narrative for what is to come in the novel, and acts as a constant reminder to the reader the presence of other authors and audiences such as Walton, his sister, and Victor. 


Bailey

Response to "The End of Solitude"

this article talks about the concept of solitude and having time to oneself. It develops the loss and inability of society nowadays to be alone and have time to onself. It goes on to talk of how kids these days are unable to spend 10 minutes alone by themselves without texting or social networking.
This lost social concept has evolved from boredom of the TV generation to aloneless of the web generation. kids are afraid that they will miss out on social activities if they keep to themselves. they spend hours talking to friends over the phone through texting or over the web on social networking sites. the article displays the importance of solitude for people and lack of it in reality.

Archetypes in "The Grave"

Isabel Kitchen

The Grave (Possible Archetypes)

            In this short story one of the main characters, Miranda, describes herself as a tom-boy. She is wearing her summer outfit, which consists of overalls and a man’s hat. Miranda goes on to explain that the people on the countryside think of this as bad behavior for girls should always be feminine. Earlier in the story we learn that Miranda was raised by her father, being that her mother was absent. This made me recall the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird”. In this book Scout is a little girl who is also a tom-boy and whose mother was no present in her life. Could families that are missing a “mother-figure” be an archetype for daughters that are not able to be feminine? In our society we tend to be more comfortable with a mother raising her children instead of a father; we may also believe that when girls only have a “male-figure” to look up to they grow up having male-like qualities. Both in “The Grave” and in “To Kill a Mockingbird” the girls are looked down on by society because of their masculinity. Personally, I would always assume that a girl who has only had the example of a male growing up would be a tougher person. , One reason being that she was forced to accommodate her life without a mother, an experience that is painful and would make anyone stronger.

Communication - by Melanie N

In English class we've been working on this teamwork issues pyramid (I'm sure it's got a name, but I definitely haven't got it written in my composition book for whatever reason). The bottom level begins with Absence of Trust and moves up to Fear of Conflict then on to Lack of Commitment. Each of the levels branches out into different issues that arise due to the central problems. One of the things I personally am noticing, though, is that the biggest central issue of all - the one that would cause all of the above problems - is lack of communication. It may be just personal opinion, but this a conclusion I have reached.
I am starting to realize more and more that people don't communicate. It's not that they can't, it's that they choose not to. Assumptions are made, arguments begin, fights occur, trust is lost, and things ultimately end badly. That's not how it should be. There's no discussion involved, and unfortunately, that's how most of society goes. The problem? No resolution comes from that. THE FIGHT never ends. This is the extremely disturbing part: we never FIX anything at all, because we refuse to communicate.

It happens all the time: between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, brother and sister. Between classmates and teammates. Between "gangstaz" and "thugz" and all the "tough" guys and girls. People rarely talk about the real issue. That's why the fight in my first period class happened, and it resulted in in a suspended boy and bloodied arms. That's why some families have feuds and stop talking to each other. It's why things are so dramatic when relationships don't work out. I hate the fact that our fear of conflict, fear of talking things through, creates more problems than it avoids. I think that's why I like speech & debate, because it rarely escalates to stupidity in that sense; it's discussion and communication and LOGIC (usually...). You'd think that we who spend so much time arguing for competition would have the biggest problems, but I personally think that my ability to communicate and resolve conflicts has been significantly increased. I am grateful for that.

I think that the first thing to be dealt with is communication. As long as we can handle that, my team will be successful. As long as we talk and act rationally and calmly, I firmly believe we will never have to even worry about the pyramid of team-related issues. I believe the next step would be to get the rest of society to understand the simplicity of communication. Plus, it makes life so much easier.