When I reread Socrates' "lecture" to Glaucon, I read it with a different outlook. In class before break, I stated that what was in the cave was the truth; the shadows the men saw were of real objects. They were not false, but they were not what exists in reality. When the men step outside the cave into the blinding sunlight, they then begin to perceive reality. Reality is the real truth, if that makes sense. I also used the metaphor in class that doing your math homework is like living in the cave. They are legitamate problems, but not the ones that you will see on the test. The problems you must solve on the test truly tell if you know the material and are the real problems. After thinking about this metaphor again (and visiting my top two colleges), I formulated a new one.
You never truly know what things are like until you actually experience them. It's very similar to life, and choosing a college. (I'll explain the life metaphor first.) When you are little, every thing is peachy keen. Santa brings you presents, along with the Tooth Fairy, and so on. You have no idea what "real world problems" are. You're aware of money, school, and social acceptability, but not to the extent you will have when you become an adult. Being a leader this year at school has "opened my eyes", so to speak, to the reality of many of these things. Things were no longer "shadows" created by the protective "cave" parents put their children in; I walked into the sunlight...which brings me to the college metaphor.
Brochures and virtual tours are great when you begin your college search, but you will never get the sense of the school until you visit-not just take a tour and an info session, but talk to professors, students, and sit in on a class. When you do this, you get a real feel for the school and whether or not it is good for you. Then, when you return home, the pieces of paper they send to you just do not seem to affect you anymore.
When the men return to the cave, like Socrates says they could do, it's similar to returning to the shelter your parents offer or settling for the brochures and pictures of colleges. They seem great, but ignorance is no longer bliss. You can never stop wondering about what is going on in the real world outside of your "cave". When you escape the truth and come to terms with reality, you can never go back.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Through the Looking Glass
This book is very similar to Alice in Wonderland, but this time, she went through the looking glass. Alice, who I found out is only 7 years old and six months, is still a logical person in an unlogical world, but the more I think about it, this book makes more sense from its nonsense than the other book did.
You know how a paragraph appears backwards when you hold it up to the mirror? Well, this book is just like that: not written to be read backwards(a poem that Alice-and the reader- reads in this land is, however), but events that begin with the end. For example, the white queen (like in chess-there's red and white chess people here) screamed that she was bleeding from her broche pricking her finger, pricked her finger, and then began bleeding. Weird, right? But it makes perfect sense when you think about it in context with the mirror. At the beginning of the novel, Alice is speaking to one of her cats about what things are like in the place through the looking glass, foreshadowing the types of events, such as the one above, that happen. I'm only about halfway through the novel, and I can already give plenty more examples.
One of the main differences I have noticed so far between this novel and the other one is that the characters Alice encounters make more sense as well. For example, Alice is often unclear in her requests/conversations, even though the common reader understands them perfectly. When the character responds, however, they take her thought literally, word for word. You then realize, as the reader, that when you think about the literal construction of her statement, she did say it incorrectly. The more I read, the more I encounter this. Therefore, the big question is if Alice is still the logical person, or if she has "converted" to fit into an illogical world that's beginning to make logical sense?
You know how a paragraph appears backwards when you hold it up to the mirror? Well, this book is just like that: not written to be read backwards(a poem that Alice-and the reader- reads in this land is, however), but events that begin with the end. For example, the white queen (like in chess-there's red and white chess people here) screamed that she was bleeding from her broche pricking her finger, pricked her finger, and then began bleeding. Weird, right? But it makes perfect sense when you think about it in context with the mirror. At the beginning of the novel, Alice is speaking to one of her cats about what things are like in the place through the looking glass, foreshadowing the types of events, such as the one above, that happen. I'm only about halfway through the novel, and I can already give plenty more examples.
One of the main differences I have noticed so far between this novel and the other one is that the characters Alice encounters make more sense as well. For example, Alice is often unclear in her requests/conversations, even though the common reader understands them perfectly. When the character responds, however, they take her thought literally, word for word. You then realize, as the reader, that when you think about the literal construction of her statement, she did say it incorrectly. The more I read, the more I encounter this. Therefore, the big question is if Alice is still the logical person, or if she has "converted" to fit into an illogical world that's beginning to make logical sense?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wonderland
For those of you who have seen Disney's "Alice in Wonderland", you get a pretty good representation, give or take a few things, of what Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is about. Yeah, it's extremely weird, but a great piece of literature. Alice, the protagonist, has dreaming down to an art. Have you ever had a dream where (after studying a bunch of subjects before bed, for example) all the subject matter is jumbled into one massive problem that you just can't solve, and you freak out and think you're going to fail? Well, that's this book in a nut shell. Literally, eveything she has learned becomes mixed up, like the recitations or history, and nothing makes logical sense. Yet, everything seems so real!
The imagery in this book was phenomenal. Everything, as silly as it may seem, was described so well that I honestly got 'lost' in the book, more so than in any poem or other novel I read. I remember at one point, when I was reading about the Mad Hatter's tea party etc, I actually became slightly dizzy picturing everything. (Stupid, I know.) And as far as the reader knows, Alice is actually living in this crazy world with disapeering cats and smoking catipillars, until the end of the novel when she wakes up. The book finishes with her sister wondering what will happen with Alice when she goes through the looking glass, the second book about Alice.
In a way, this book sends a good message to people who don't think outside of the box a lot. Alice is a very sensible person in a world that makes no sense whatsoever, but when she comes out of Wonderland, she has a new perspective on things (so it can be inferred with what little she says after her awakening). Therefore, maybe we should "take a trip to Wonderland" in (day)dreams in order to get a reality check.
The actual meaning behind the book, however, is more of a protest than an inspiration. "Carroll" was a mathematician at an Oxford Catholic college. He wrote this book protesting imaginary numbers, symbolic algebra, and many other radical changes in the mthematic world at the time. Makes sense, right? Here's the website if you want to read more.
http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_03_10.html
The imagery in this book was phenomenal. Everything, as silly as it may seem, was described so well that I honestly got 'lost' in the book, more so than in any poem or other novel I read. I remember at one point, when I was reading about the Mad Hatter's tea party etc, I actually became slightly dizzy picturing everything. (Stupid, I know.) And as far as the reader knows, Alice is actually living in this crazy world with disapeering cats and smoking catipillars, until the end of the novel when she wakes up. The book finishes with her sister wondering what will happen with Alice when she goes through the looking glass, the second book about Alice.
In a way, this book sends a good message to people who don't think outside of the box a lot. Alice is a very sensible person in a world that makes no sense whatsoever, but when she comes out of Wonderland, she has a new perspective on things (so it can be inferred with what little she says after her awakening). Therefore, maybe we should "take a trip to Wonderland" in (day)dreams in order to get a reality check.
The actual meaning behind the book, however, is more of a protest than an inspiration. "Carroll" was a mathematician at an Oxford Catholic college. He wrote this book protesting imaginary numbers, symbolic algebra, and many other radical changes in the mthematic world at the time. Makes sense, right? Here's the website if you want to read more.
http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_03_10.html
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden was an eye opener for me. Lost in cabin fever, I was anxious to find change. This book definitely brought it to me. The book evolves over time, beginning in late winter. Mary, the protagonist, finds the secret garden in a state much like it is outside now: gray, brown, cold, and 'dead'. She soon finds some green life underneath all the gray. She begins to try to weed and organize the garden struggling for life, until she meets a 'magical' boy (Dickon) who helps her garden. After lots of hard work, the two of them begin to form a wonderful garden full of lilies, crocuses, etc., until the garden has officially come to life again. Throughout this process, Mary's weak cousin, Colin, begins coming into the garden with Mary and Dickon. As the garden comes to life, so does Colin. He transforms from a hopeless, sickly, weak, pale boy, to a plump, healthy one.
My favorite parts about this book were the imagery and evolutions, and the meaning behind it all (to me). The imagery of the evolution of the garden really got me. It made me think of our journey to the woods behind SMH last March in Reilly's class. Everything seemed dead, but if you really looked for it, you could see that spring was coming. You see, I love spring. The colors, smells, warmth, everything. The imagery of the garden evolving in the novel really made me happy, and it made me see that spring is slowing creeping up on us. I also enjoyed seeing the developments of Mary and Colin. They both, before they found the garden, were spoiled brats who only cared for themselves. But the more and more they worked in the garden, the happier and more pleasant they became.
As for the meaning of the book...I understood it to be telling us to find our passion and pursue it instead of whining about how miserable our lives are. It's also telling us that fresh air, the 'magic' mentioned throughout the novel, does wonders for us. There was a passage towards the end of the novel that was talking about how one can feel when outside and happy : it gives a person a certain feeling of immortality. It got me thinking that not many people I know do that any more. So do yourself a favor: when the weather is just right, go outside and enjoy the wonderful mysteries of spring.
"One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands alone and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising sun - which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with millions of starts waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in some one's eye." -Frances Hodgson Burnett
My favorite parts about this book were the imagery and evolutions, and the meaning behind it all (to me). The imagery of the evolution of the garden really got me. It made me think of our journey to the woods behind SMH last March in Reilly's class. Everything seemed dead, but if you really looked for it, you could see that spring was coming. You see, I love spring. The colors, smells, warmth, everything. The imagery of the garden evolving in the novel really made me happy, and it made me see that spring is slowing creeping up on us. I also enjoyed seeing the developments of Mary and Colin. They both, before they found the garden, were spoiled brats who only cared for themselves. But the more and more they worked in the garden, the happier and more pleasant they became.
As for the meaning of the book...I understood it to be telling us to find our passion and pursue it instead of whining about how miserable our lives are. It's also telling us that fresh air, the 'magic' mentioned throughout the novel, does wonders for us. There was a passage towards the end of the novel that was talking about how one can feel when outside and happy : it gives a person a certain feeling of immortality. It got me thinking that not many people I know do that any more. So do yourself a favor: when the weather is just right, go outside and enjoy the wonderful mysteries of spring.
"One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands alone and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising sun - which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with millions of starts waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in some one's eye." -Frances Hodgson Burnett
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Road...to Apocalypse 2012?
Just kidding about the title. I couldn't resist.
Anyway, I recently finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. If you enjoy stream of consciousness, or have never read a book with that and are looking for something different, read this. It's an excellent book, and for some one who daydreams a lot (haha), I found it very easy to follow: no really long sentences that go on for an entire paragraph or so. I do have to warn you, though, that this book was extremely depressing and rather creepy, but so good.
While the incorrect grammar and run-ons irked me for most of the book, I did enjoy the power created by the repetitions. The Heart Beat and Warmth coming from the Thin Boy. Carrying the Fire; the will to survive as a "good guy". Ash. Gray. Oh, how gray and dismal this book was.
Oh, and the reason I included the upcoming "apocalypse" in my title was because this book was about a father and his young son traveling the roads in a post apocalyptic world where everything was dead (ash), and the "bad guys" have taken to cannibalism. Yuck.
On that note, I would like to focus on the son. If I had to guess, he is probably around the age of 6 and was born in an already apocalyptic world. And some people think that kids these days aren't having the "best"
childhood. This boy has never tasted Coke until his dad finds one can left in a machine, and he has never seen a blue sky. This boy has grown up gray. Yet, he is the symbol of humanity and unconditional love, which to me is not gray at all. He has seen his dad "steal" (the people aren't around anymore, but they still take from the houses they come across), his dad kill, and he has seen a gutted baby roasting over a fire (sorry), yet he is willing to share what little food and provisions he and his father have in order to help an old, almost blind man. At one point, he sees a boy about his age in a building, alone. He wants to take him with them, but the father says no. As they leave, the son looks back constantly, and then he begins to cry. Later in the novel, the same thing happens after they leave the old man mentioned above to journey alone. When their cart is stolen and the dad finds the cart and the thief, the dad takes the cart and forces the thief to give them every thread of clothing he is wearing, even though it is freezing out. So what does the little boy do? He weeps. And weeps. And weeps. Taking into account everything this boy has been through, it is hard to believe that he is this compassionate and kind. This boy is the main reason why I fell in love with this book and, to me, that there is always hope.
Anyway, I recently finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. If you enjoy stream of consciousness, or have never read a book with that and are looking for something different, read this. It's an excellent book, and for some one who daydreams a lot (haha), I found it very easy to follow: no really long sentences that go on for an entire paragraph or so. I do have to warn you, though, that this book was extremely depressing and rather creepy, but so good.
While the incorrect grammar and run-ons irked me for most of the book, I did enjoy the power created by the repetitions. The Heart Beat and Warmth coming from the Thin Boy. Carrying the Fire; the will to survive as a "good guy". Ash. Gray. Oh, how gray and dismal this book was.
Oh, and the reason I included the upcoming "apocalypse" in my title was because this book was about a father and his young son traveling the roads in a post apocalyptic world where everything was dead (ash), and the "bad guys" have taken to cannibalism. Yuck.
On that note, I would like to focus on the son. If I had to guess, he is probably around the age of 6 and was born in an already apocalyptic world. And some people think that kids these days aren't having the "best"
childhood. This boy has never tasted Coke until his dad finds one can left in a machine, and he has never seen a blue sky. This boy has grown up gray. Yet, he is the symbol of humanity and unconditional love, which to me is not gray at all. He has seen his dad "steal" (the people aren't around anymore, but they still take from the houses they come across), his dad kill, and he has seen a gutted baby roasting over a fire (sorry), yet he is willing to share what little food and provisions he and his father have in order to help an old, almost blind man. At one point, he sees a boy about his age in a building, alone. He wants to take him with them, but the father says no. As they leave, the son looks back constantly, and then he begins to cry. Later in the novel, the same thing happens after they leave the old man mentioned above to journey alone. When their cart is stolen and the dad finds the cart and the thief, the dad takes the cart and forces the thief to give them every thread of clothing he is wearing, even though it is freezing out. So what does the little boy do? He weeps. And weeps. And weeps. Taking into account everything this boy has been through, it is hard to believe that he is this compassionate and kind. This boy is the main reason why I fell in love with this book and, to me, that there is always hope.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Mr. Darcy Part 3
Before I start, I would like to say how much I enjoyed this book...and the movie. One of my favorite parts about it was how easy it was to relate the characters to people in my life. The absurdity of some of the character's thinking and actions, and the absurdity of the measures taken in order to be married, made it all the more enjoyable. Anyway...
Mr. Darcy, the once very proud, haughty, self-righteous man, which was acknowledged quite a bit in this last part, has been completely "broken". He could not stop loving Elizabeth, who realized how proud she herself had been all along, and did many things to win her over. For example, he paid for her youngest sister's wedding, which was otherwise going to be an abomination and frowned upon in society (he learned of this trouble from Elizabeth when she visited his estate*). He also told his friend, who is madly in love with the eldest Miss Bennet, that he had been wrong before about her not loving him in return. (Of course, Elizabeth learns about all of Mr. Darcy's good deeds through others and not him, at first). When his friend returns, so does Darcy. What does he do? He basically ignores Elizabeth. Until they go for a walk when he proposes again. By this time, Elizabeth has been humbled herself, and knowing all about his good deeds and tolerance of her family (this time around), she accepts. And they live happily ever after. The End!
*Before all that happened, Elizabeth was traveling with her Aunt and Uncle and paid a visit to Pemberly, his estate. All the people who work for Mr. Darcy had nothing but kind things to say about him. Not once did they mention him being proud. This is when Elizabeth began to realize how proud she had been and how proud Mr. Darcy really isn't.
Mr. Darcy, the once very proud, haughty, self-righteous man, which was acknowledged quite a bit in this last part, has been completely "broken". He could not stop loving Elizabeth, who realized how proud she herself had been all along, and did many things to win her over. For example, he paid for her youngest sister's wedding, which was otherwise going to be an abomination and frowned upon in society (he learned of this trouble from Elizabeth when she visited his estate*). He also told his friend, who is madly in love with the eldest Miss Bennet, that he had been wrong before about her not loving him in return. (Of course, Elizabeth learns about all of Mr. Darcy's good deeds through others and not him, at first). When his friend returns, so does Darcy. What does he do? He basically ignores Elizabeth. Until they go for a walk when he proposes again. By this time, Elizabeth has been humbled herself, and knowing all about his good deeds and tolerance of her family (this time around), she accepts. And they live happily ever after. The End!
*Before all that happened, Elizabeth was traveling with her Aunt and Uncle and paid a visit to Pemberly, his estate. All the people who work for Mr. Darcy had nothing but kind things to say about him. Not once did they mention him being proud. This is when Elizabeth began to realize how proud she had been and how proud Mr. Darcy really isn't.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Mr. Darcy Part 2
Today, while stuck on the couch, I finally finished part two of Pride and Prejudice. The more and more I read, the more I like. In this part, Mr. Darcy acts most strangely. He goes out of his way to visit Elizabeth. Although she was at her cousins residence which is across the street from his Aunt's estate, this was a big deal for him. He spent much time with her, even if it was in silence, until the day he asked for her hand. You would think that, because of this, he has been humbled a great deal, but...no. He began his proposal by stating that he is loves her against his better judgement and his friends' wills. And the fact that her family, not including Elizabeth and the eldest sister, are quite foolish and their monetary status is considered low for him. Man, he was so close. Elizabeth, no stranger to pride and prejudice herself, practically yells at him for his proposal and is quite distraught because of this.
The day after this scene, Mr. Darcy writes Lizzie a letter, explaining two situations which have made him seem more proud and apologizing for his proposal. Elizabeth rejected his proposal not only because of the manner he presented it with, but also because he ruined her sister's chance at being happy and marrying his friend Mr. Bingley. He believed that it was a terrible match and that she did not love him. Again, letting his pride and prejudice of her family get in the way of letting his friend be truely happy. The second situation, however, proves him not to be as proud as thought, but misunderstood and hurt. His good childhood friend, Mr. Wickham, was to inherit some of Mr. Darcy's father's money, for he looked after both boys. Mr. Wickham, however, was foolish and greedy and wanted more. Darcy would not give him any. Therefore, Wickham propsed to his younger sister, who at the time was only 15, because he heard she was to have a 30,000 pound inheritance. When he heard he would get nothing of it, he fled. (Elizabeth had been under the impression that Wickham was the one harmed here, for he is just a foot soldier and very poor.)
My prediction for the last part is quite similar to the first. I believe that, especially since Lizzie refused Darcy and "put him in his place", that he will really be humbled this time. BUT will Lizzie be able to look past his cold exterior and see who he really is?
The day after this scene, Mr. Darcy writes Lizzie a letter, explaining two situations which have made him seem more proud and apologizing for his proposal. Elizabeth rejected his proposal not only because of the manner he presented it with, but also because he ruined her sister's chance at being happy and marrying his friend Mr. Bingley. He believed that it was a terrible match and that she did not love him. Again, letting his pride and prejudice of her family get in the way of letting his friend be truely happy. The second situation, however, proves him not to be as proud as thought, but misunderstood and hurt. His good childhood friend, Mr. Wickham, was to inherit some of Mr. Darcy's father's money, for he looked after both boys. Mr. Wickham, however, was foolish and greedy and wanted more. Darcy would not give him any. Therefore, Wickham propsed to his younger sister, who at the time was only 15, because he heard she was to have a 30,000 pound inheritance. When he heard he would get nothing of it, he fled. (Elizabeth had been under the impression that Wickham was the one harmed here, for he is just a foot soldier and very poor.)
My prediction for the last part is quite similar to the first. I believe that, especially since Lizzie refused Darcy and "put him in his place", that he will really be humbled this time. BUT will Lizzie be able to look past his cold exterior and see who he really is?
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