Oedipus and Antigone Test

1.)

if I believed in fate, I would believe that it is possible for people to alter their fates and change their fates through freewill. An analogous example that comes to mind when I think about this is the modern day US class system. In the modern day US class system people are born into classes, either upper, middle, or lower class, and it is very hard to escape this class that they are born into, especially the lower class. It is almost a matter of fate that they are born into these classes. It is possible through hard work and determination that you can escape the class that you are born into, because in America you have freewill. It is almost like the government attempts to hinder and prevent your ability from escaping your fate, but it is possible to escape it.
If freewill governed my life then there would be no such thing as fate. Everything that happens to me happens because I allowed it to happen or someone else allowed it to happen. I would essentially chart my own course and I would create my own path that I have complete control over, and I believe that every person has the ability to change any feature of their life that they wish to.
If I lived in a world decided by fate, I would believe that fate governed whether or not I was a boy or girl. I would have a preset life that is already chosen for me and I would just be simply fulfilling it. Even though I believe in freewill, I still believe that there is some fate involved with me being born a boy or girl, and with me being born into the life that I have. Looking at the big picture it is easy to believe that it was your fate that you were born either a boy or a girl. In reality it is not fate, rather it is science, genetics, and some degree of luck. When something occurs in my life that I can’t explain, I do not believe that it is fate, instead I believe that it is a coincidence. I believe that I have complete control over my life and the events that occur in it.
2.)

I believe that lying is only OK under certain circumstances. I believe that you can only lie to protect something. There are definitely instances where it is better to lie than it is to tell the truth. An example that comes off the top of my head would be if a family pet gets hit by a car, and the parent does not want to tell the 5 year old daughter that the pet was hit by the car, because it would really make her sad. This is an example where the parent is lying to protect their own child’s emotions and sanity, if the parent were to tell the truth then the child would become very emotionally distressed.
A real life example of a person lying because they believed it was in peoples best interest was when President Bush issued the Patriot Act. He and the government lied about the extent of which they tapped American citizen’s phones. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his actions, ultimately he believed that it was in the best interest of National Security to tap phones.
A time when someone lied to me was when my mom would always tell me faulty excuses of why my uncle would never show up to family holiday gatherings, in reality he had drug problems but I'm sure that my mom didn’t want to tell me that. In reality though, I would have preferred to have heard the truth rather than a lie. All in all I believe that it is very important to tell the truth as much as you possibly can, because it says a lot about your character. There are those special occasions when lies have to be told to protect a certain interest, because the truth is just sometimes too much. I believe that the truth does set us free, because when we have lies on our consciences I feels terrible. When you tell the truth it makes the people around you feel good and it makes yourself feel good.
3.)

The Sigmund Freud Oedipus Complex is a psychoanalytical process that describes the behaviors of human beings throughout their life cycles. Ultimately what it boils down to is that every child born (male) has a desire to sleep with his mother and to kill his father. This idea originated in Sophocles's play Oedipus. It was foretold by a prophet that Oedipus would eventually sleep with his mother and kill his father. His parents did everything in their power to try to prevent it but it happened anyways.
I personally do not think that there is any truth to Freud’s complex. I understand how he can come up with these thoughts though. At a young age babies are breast fed by their mothers, and the Freud it make seem like there is a sense of desire for the mother. If the mother is desired by the baby, then dad is essentially the enemy, because mom gives him all the attention. Therefore the baby would hate his dad and would want him out of the picture. I do not agree that this Complex is an accurate description of life, but I do understand how he believes it. The only thing I have to debunk this theory is actual evidence. If it were true that every child wanted to sleep with his mother and kill his father, wouldn’t it be happening everywhere? I don’t see any evidence of this occurring around the world so until I do see it, I won’t believe it.
4.)

Creon himself would argue that this is Oedipus’ daughter and she believes that she is above the law. I do not believe this at all. She just feels very strongly about the burial of Polyneicies, and she will make sure that her voice is heard throughout these events. She may not get the “above the law” attitude from Oedipus, but she certainly gets the courage from Oedipus. Oedipus was a smart man himself, and he did not back down to a challenge (Ex: The Sphinx).
The criteria I use to decide which laws I am going to either break or bend all depend on the consequence. I would never break a law that had a severe punishment to it. If robbing banks was legal, I would be robbing banks all day, but since it has a long term jail sentence pinned to it I don’t break the law. The other guideline I use for breaking or bending a law is if it will harm anybody. I would personally never want to break a law and physically or emotionally damage someone because of it. A law I would break would be the JOL driving law, because it doesn’t harm anyone, and it doesn’t have any jail time associated with it. A law I would bend would probably be a curfew time that is set up with your parents because it won’t have severe consequences. A law that I would follow would be bank robbery, because I would never want to go to jail for that long. I believe that a fair law can be defined as a law that works for the better safety of mankind. To me I believe that an unfair law is one that deprives you of you right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

comments

NATES
The best part of the stroy was the quiet part of the story. i enjoyed this part of the story the most because i believe that you used a lot of good descriptions and you really brought the moment to life. "Eventually we arrived at the true destination, Bash Bish Waterfall. Siddhartha was amazed at the peacefulness of the setting. The Waterfall was not even a mile inland from the busy street we had once been on. After a bit of quiet meditation Siddhartha spoke."
You could have done a little bit better during the indulgent part of the story. it was overall very good but you didnt describe the casino as well as you described the waterfall. to improve this part i beleive that you could put in some more details about the casino itself and what the atmoshoere, sounds, smells...are like. One of the textual refrences in this story comes early in the beginning when they discuss water and how it bares no sense of time. It fit in and it flowed very well with the story.
The first sentences of the story do grab my atention and i beleve that it is a very effective introduction. i also feel the same way about the conclusion. i do beleve that the story anded rather abruptly though, and maybe instead you could gradually work the reader to that point.

CASEY
The best part of the story was the stimulating part of the story. i believe that this is the best part of the story because you do a really good job with describing las vegas. when you are describing this scene i can imagine in my mind how crazy las vegas is. "

We both woke up extra early to head out for our flight to the Sin City where I would show Siddhartha how Americans have a good time. After we caught our flight and landed, we jumped in our limo that I ordered to take us to Caesars Palace, where we would be staying in one of their pent houses. As we drove by all the bright buildings, Siddhartha’s eyes were popping out of his head. He could not believe what he was seeing. All of the giant buildings, all  the people walking around, all the traffic, and all the entertainment. After stopping by our luxurious room, we decided to hit the tables and try out our luck at gambling. Being the nice guy I am, I gave Siddhartha $1000 to us as starting money. After losing half of it, he actually started getting the hang of the whole betting thing. After winning his money back, he was not done there. Siddhartha ended up tripling his money and decided to call it quits. With the extra money, we bought dinner and saw a show. Then we hit the night life. We entered a club which was crazy. There were people everywhere, there was a dance floor, a DJ, crazy lights, strippers, and bars. Siddhartha was totally out of his element. So instead of joining me on the dance floor, he decided to take a seat near a stripper, where unlike most men there struck up a conversation with the girl. After a while I became nervous and got him away from here as fast as I could. Siddhartha was upset with me."

You could have done a better jod in desciing the quiet and poeaceful part of the story. i fell like this part was kind of left out. The textual reference in this story comes when they are discussing the river and they talk about the ferryman like in the actual novel.

I enjoy the introduction to the story and i think that it is entertaining to read. i think thet you could have made it a little bit better though by maybe making it grab the readres attention more.

The conclusion was done very well and it satisfied the story.

Siddhartha Comes to America Rough Draft

As I sat and stared out of the window of my house I thought about my good friend Siddhartha. Siddhartha is a very hard person to please and he is also a very intelligent human being. I had to come up with at least a couple special places that I could take him so that he can get taste of what it’s like to live in America.

                I picked Siddhartha up from his plane ride and he had a very displeased look on his face. I figured the loud noise of the airplane and stimulating environment of the airport were overwhelming him. I told Siddhartha to make sure to get a good night sleep because I know that he will enjoy what’s in store for tomorrow.

                I woke Siddhartha up fairly early in the morning to get ready to go. As he strolled out of the room he asked, “Where are we going today?”

I replied, “Were going to take a hike in the woods.”

“Sounds good.” Siddhartha stated as he took a seat in the kitchen.

                We quickly packed and got dressed and soon enough we started our venture into the woods. I walked slowly through the woods so that Siddhartha could take in all the beauty of the surrounding nature. I choose to take him in the morning because the morning is the most peaceful time, the birds are out, the air is still, and the air is fresh. The destination in the woods I have planned is was one of my favorite childhood spots. As a kid I would always come to the stream in the back of my woods and enjoy my surroundings. I know for a fact that Siddhartha will like the stream, because he is a ferryman and he has a lot of respect and love for the river.

                We approached the bank of the stream and stood looking across the stream and the sun peeked through the tress and as the air started to warm. It was most definitely a scene that would stick in your mind for the rest of your life. Siddhartha sat immediately near the edge of the stream and began meditating. I let him do his thing as I wander a little further into the woods.

                After about two hours I was ready to go, so I approached Siddhartha and asked him, “Are you ready to get going back?”

Siddhartha did not answer.

“Excuse me…”

“I’ll meet you back when I’m finished, you can go without me.” Said Siddhartha.

This actually made me feel happy because I knew that Siddhartha was enjoying himself and he was engaged in what he was doing.

                “You better prepare yourself today Siddhartha.” I said in a joking manner. “Today will not be like yesterday…At all.”

“What do you mean?” Siddhartha said.

“You’ll see when we get there.” I Said.

                We got in the car and we began our drive. Today I am planning on bringing Siddhartha to Times Square in the middle of New York City. Siddhartha will be so overwhelmed here that he won’t even be able to formulate a though in his head. The goal is not to hurt or confuse him, but rather give him a taste of the American culture. I am actually expecting him to slightly enjoy it because he grew up in a city/town area and I bet that he still reminisces about it every now and then.

                As we drove around the massive city I could see the Siddhartha with eyes wide open and a bewildered look on his face. We found a lot to park in and we walked on foot to Times Square. The lights, the sounds, the commotion are too much for most people.

“This is Times Square one of the most popular attractions in America, and one of the busiest places in the world.” I said to Siddhartha as I stood in front of the billboards and the flashing lights.

“I can’t believe this place!” Siddhartha said. “I can barely breathe with all these fumes in the air, I can barely hear myself think with all of this sound, and I feel dizzy because of all these lights!”

“I want to leave this place now” Said Siddhartha.

“I figured you wouldn’t like it too much here.” I said as I began to laugh.

                On the car ride home Siddhartha was quiet, it seemed like the city had an impact on him.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“The city just reminded me of my childhood when I used hang around the city with my good friend Govinda.” Siddhartha sadly stated. “It’s just kind of sad to look back and see how far I have moved away from where I started.”

“Well I’m glad it had an impact on you though.” I said with reassurance.

                It was Siddhartha’s final day in America and I had to bring him back to the airport so he could go back to India. I was sad to see him go, and he was sad to leave.

                “I hope you enjoyed yourself Siddhartha.” I exclaimed.

“I truly did.” He said. “I learned a vast amount about America and the American culture, but I also learned a lot about myself and who I am as a person. To me this was a very enjoyable and successful trip, and has helped my progress towards becoming enlightened. Thank you very much, friend.”

College Draft

a.) this essay rose to the top because the other ones weren't very good. b.)this essay describes me effectively. c.) in this essay i need to work on my repetitiveness and my grammar. d.)is it clear what i value in life?

Values

Placement is everything. Speed is everything. Consistency is everything. It’s true, as a pitcher placement, speed, and consistency are very important, but in my mind I know that confidence is the key. All I need is one strike, and if I don't throw it then the game is in jeopardy. I could try to place the pitch, I could try and throw the pitch as hard as I can, but if I let my instinct take over and just let it fly, I know that I’ll be alright. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, and I felt the sting of my hand wiping across my perspiring face. I stepped on the mound and got my sign from the catcher. I could feel my instinct kicking in, I blocked the crowd’s noise and I zoned in on the catcher’s mitt. I began my windup and it seemed as though time slowed down. The ball rolled off of my fingertips and the friction from the seams aggravated my already blistered hand. All I could do now was watch, watch and hope. The ball cruised in to the bottom left of the strike zone as the umpire signaled and yelled "Strike Three". Instantly a feeling of success swept over me because my human instinct prevailed.

Since the first signs of life were evident on Earth, human beings have been the superior species. What makes them superior? Human beings are unlike any other creature. Not because they are physically different, but because they are mentally different. Humans have a much greater capacity for knowledge and sense than most other creatures do. Human beings are logical when it comes to solving problems, and that is the difference that separates us from other creatures.

                Much like any currency human beings have value to them. What makes a human being’s life valuable is based upon what that human being has accomplished. To accomplish certain things one must be a well rounded individual who must be able to overcome adversity. Adversity is what separates the boys from the men so to speak. Achieving value in life is contingent upon whether or not you can rise up in the face of adversity or not. Being able to confront adversity is a great accomplishment and it shows true character.
                Over the past years I have been getting much better at confronting adversity and overcoming challenges. Frequently I have been finding myself confronting these challenges and I don’t even know it. An everyday challenge to me could include solving a complicated problem for school, standing up for someone, standing up for yourself, being honest in a situation, a sporting event, and especially overcoming self doubt. Through facing adversities I have been able to boost my confidence and terminate my self-doubt. As a baseball player I know a lot about having confidence. When you’re hitting you always need have confidence in yourself, if you don't then you will never hit the ball. You need to go up to the plate every time expecting to succeed. If you doubt yourself for the slightest moment, you won't be able to hit the ball. Through this method of thinking I am able to be successful at baseball.
                The ultimate test for man truly is a confidence check to see if they have what it takes. The most successful people in the world overcame insurmountable challenges to get where they are today. I truly admire people with the drive and ability to overcome these obstacles and to reach for their dream or to stand up for what they believe in. To me, these are the human beings who have value, and I hope through my future challenges I am able to garner value.

Things They Carried Hw 1 (pgs. 1-38)

Assignment 1, The Things They Carried

1.      The tangible item that I would choose to carry along with me would be flint. I would choose to carry flint because of its practical use in nature and survival. Flint can be used to create fires by colliding it with other rocks or hard material. When the sparks from the collision hit dry material a fire is created.

 If my goal was to survive in the jungles of Vietnam I know that there would be rivers with water and I could also make improvised weapons out of materials I find. Therefore that would eliminate the need to carry weapons or water and the only thing I would need would be a fire and that’s where flint comes in.

This item would be important to me because it would be my only means of starting a fire. With this fire I could cook any food that I have or have caught, purify and water that I got by boiling it, and I could also use the fire to keep predators away at night. In any survival situation it is very important to have a fire so that would be my main goal.

The intangible item or a memory/thought I would choose to keep with me during this time would be a relaxing and easing memory. The memory that I would choose would be when I was sitting at the beach in Florida and watching the sun set on the ocean. To me this represents relaxation and calmness. When I’m in terrible situations, such as being in the jungles of Vietnam, I would choose this memory to remind me of a happy place that I have been.

 It’s not necessarily that this is an important memory but it’s a memory for me to keep me relaxed and to keep me upbeat even when I’m in the worst situations possible. For example most of the times when you see calendars with pictures accompanying them, the winter months always have pictures of the sun or beaches.  I think they have this on them because it reminds people of summer, relaxation, and it keeps them warm inside.

Assignment 2, Love, Spin

2.      The chapter love most reminds me of the novel that we read in school called All Quiet on the Western Front. Even though the wars were different and the time period was different, both of the concepts were the same. In AQOTWF the men are severely scarred from what they have seen on the battlefield, and most of them have seen good friends die. In The Things They Carried the men can’t get the over the fact that their good friend Ted was killed during battle and both of their lives are altered forever.

I wish that this chapter told more about what actually happened when they were in Vietnam. Instead they talk about brief moments in the war and how their lives are impacted by it. I would rather learn about what happened during the whole course of the battle and then learn what their lives are like now. It’s also only the second chapter so I assume they will explain it shortly.

I couldn’t believe the one part in the account when Ted adopted the puppy and soon after Azar kills it for no apparent reason. To me this part is kind of sick and twisted because I don’t understand why someone would want to kill the dog. He also blames it on his immaturity which is not a sufficient excuse; he is probably messed up in the head from battle if he believes it is ok to murder an animal.

I didn’t know or picture war to be how it is depicted in this story so far. Some of the things they do aren’t things that I would expect people to do in war. For example they play checkers, rain dance, adopt puppies, and injecting tranquilizers for personal enjoyment. In my mind I picture war to be much more serious, and I’m sure it is, than depicted in this chapter. Besides all of the oddities preformed in the chapter there still is the same gruesomeness of war that I thought there would be.

Friday Night Kites

Ryan Piquette

A Block

9/7/11

The arid climate and the hot air reminded Amir of being home in Afghanistan. As Amir walks side by side with his adopted counterpart Sorhab, he reminisces of life back in his home country. Times then were so simple and carefree. Amir’s enlightened thought bubble is soon disrupted though when he thinks back to the events that unfolded during the kite battles with Hassan. Amir’s mood suddenly turns to one of great despair and agonizing guilt. Amir knows that deep inside himself he still has a chance for redemption, he knows that looking after Sorhab will help console himself. The two proceed to the local park in Odessa County carrying their kite along.

 Amir and Sorhab arrived at the park and to their surprise there were very few people there. Amir spots a young, muscular, white man flying his kite in the open field. He is wearing a football jacket with a panther emblem stitched into it. Amir is overjoyed when he sees the man with the kite because now he can battle his kite with the man’s kite. The man caught a glimpse of Amir and Sorhab and was displeased. Being from Texas the man was not too fond of other races beside whites being in the park. Amir and Sorhab approach the man calmly with no knowledge of him at all.

“Good morning!” Amir says as he unveils his kite and begins to get it ready for flying.

“Good morning,” Says the man.

“Have you ever had a kite battle before?” Amir questioned. “It was a game I used to play in my country, Afghanistan.”

“No, I’ve never heard of it but it sounds interesting,” the man stated.

“It’s very simple, we both just clash our kites in the air, and whosever kite breaks off loses. The loser must chase down his kite.”  Amir informed.

“Sounds good,” the man exclaimed.

“By the way my name is Amir.”

“My name is Jerrod McDougal,” the man said as they both firmly shook eachother’s hands.

Amir cast his kite into the sky with Jerrod’s, and the battle began. Both stood on the ground fixed upon the kites in the sky, because to win a kite battle you must have immense concentration. Amir and Sorhab used Hassan’s special tactic that would be successful almost anytime.

“Have you lived in Odessa your whole life?” Amir asked.

“Yes I have. I was born here, went to school here, and I will remain here.” Jerrod proudly stated.

“Was that your school?...The Panthers.” Amir questioned, pointing at Jerrod’s high school football jacket.

“Oh, this was my team that I played on in my high school.” Jerrod responded.

“Were they any good?” Said Amir.

“Any good?! We only had all the potential in the world. We were literally so close to a winning a state title that it’s not even funny. We lost in the championship round!  I still think about that game every day of my life, it changed my life, and my teammates lives forever. You see I’m from a town where football is our only life, we eat, sleep, and breathe football. For most of the guys in my school football is the only thing they have because we focus very little on academics. So, to lose that game affected us for the rest of our lives. I want to go back in time and change it so badly; you don’t even know what it feels like.” Jerrod exhaustingly stated.

“What do you mean?! I think about changing my past every waking minute! When I was younger my best friend and I were having a kite battle, just like how we are now. My friend was named Hassan; he was the best kite runner around. One day he went to go chase down a kite, and he didn’t come back for a while. I went over to see what was going on and when I got over to an alley I saw Hassan there. A group of kids were around him beating him and then they continued to rape him. I was too much of a damn coward to do anything about it. Hassan and I barely spoke again, and he just recently died amongst the upheaval in Afghanistan. I just feel awful every time I think about it.” Amir said sullenly.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two men just stood concentrating on the kites. Amir had the kite right where he wanted it and sure enough Jerrod’s kite went sailing away. Triumph filled Amir’s heart because winning this feels like his childhood when he would compete with Hassan. Jerrod’s first action was to run to the kite and follow it as it got blown away.

“Stop!” Amir yelled. “I can’t let you go alone; I will never let a friend go alone again.”

The End