Kafka on the shore review. Last Blog!

Kafka on the Shore was indeed an interesting novel. When I read the book summary on the back of the book, I completely missed the part that said the main character had an Oedipal complex (maybe because it wasn't capitalized) and when I started the book, it started to soon get weird. Kafka on the Shore was a fantasy novel with many odd and dream sequences that I myself had a hard time understanding until the very end. I was very intrigued by the whole Oedipal complex and how it controlled Kafkas actions, even though he was trying to run away from the prophecy, it eventually came back and got him, eventually being fulfilled by the end of the story. I wasn't particularly a fan of the novel in general, and many parts weirded me out, mainly the sleeping with his mother and sister and killing his dad. Also the parts where it described blood in deathly and the dream sequences were very weird and I am not a fan of those scenes, I get a little squeamish sometimes. Overall, it was a very interesting read, but I wasn't that much of a fan.

Kafka on the Shore...... A time where I was lost

One time where I can distinctly remember being lost was as a child in the supermarket at the local Jewel Osco. I was with my mom and I suddenly turned around, and she was gone. She had probably assumed  I was still walking beside her, but I had become enamored with the Transformer toys in the toys and games section of the store. After looking at Optimus Prime for a few minutes, I turned around and of course, she was nowhere to be seen. I definitely was scared as I became disoriented and suddenly everything in the store looked foreign. This was probably the first time that I had been separated from my family without knowing where they were. As a child, all you know is your family and you are constantly with them. Suddenly, everything I knew was gone and seemingly lost simply because I got distracted. This is kind of like what Kafka was going through, except he chose to get lost instead of having it happen to him. Eventually, I found my mother, just like Kafka finds his family throughout the book, and eventually returns home, just as I returned home with my mother. Now here's a great song by the Clash about being lost in a supermarket.

Open Letter to Parents

This is an open letter to every single parent in existence. This subject applies to every single parent, and I know every single parent has to deal with this, and every single kid has to deal with their parents doing this. I call it the "what are you up to" epidemic. Every parent suffers from this disease. All y'all need to eventually let go and chill about your "little babies" around the time of freshman year. Ain't nobody wanna have their parents nagging them constantly and daily about where they are, what they are doing, who they are with. High school is a time to branch out and learn about oneself and leave the nest of ones home. If parents are badgering their children all the time and bothering them, all it will do is irritate the child and cause friction within the household. Although a parent should make sure to watch for certain signs that could lead to problems like depression or other problems like getting involved with the wrong crowds and doing bad things, I think most kids generally just want to do their own thing without the worry of involvement from parents.

Civic Duty: All People Should.....

.....Close the freakin' door after they leave a room that someone is already in. Nothing irritates me more than when anyone in my house comes into my room to say something or talk to me, and when they leave, they leave the previously closed door wide open. Really people, it's just common courtesy that you should close a door after you leave a room, as the person in there before had it closed for a reason, and you should respect the wishes of others. Another thing that I have noticed is that most males have completely lost any sense of chivalry or respect towards women. I have seen countless times a man walking with a woman and just opening the door for himself and letting it slam in her face. Be a real man and open the door for her, and also open car doors for her, help her with her coat on. I also hate it when ultra feminists get mad for doing things like that, saying "I can open my own door" and "you're just a backward think male who thinks that women can't do anything for themselves. Like seriously lady, a guy is just trying to be nice and probably making your life easier, so shut up. Also, people these days have no respect or patience for the elderly. They are still people and we shouldn't just forget about them and disrespect them. Help them with their groceries and help them cross the street. Older people helped build society to where it is today, and most people don't recognize that. In all, I think society is getting kind of worse in the sense of civics, as most people are more self centered and personalized than before because of all this social media.

Is Poverty a Choice?

I believe that in many cases, poverty is indeed a choice, and is something that with hard work, one can get out of. Now, I'm not saying that this is true in every single case of poverty, as there are many variables to how one gets impoverished. I think that if one is currently impoverished, they can take many steps to get out of that poverty. First, they can collect employment while also actively searching for a job to get back on their feet. This doesn't just mean applying to one job, a person should try and apply to tons, as it is still hard to find work nowadays. Once a person can get a stable job with reasonable pay, then they cans start trying to do things with their money, like investing it, and not spending it on things like drugs, or gambling, or cigarettes. I think that if someone is really smart/mature, then they can get out of poverty and lift themselves up. I also think a big problem about poverty is that people waste money on trivial things that personally gratify them, like fancy clothes or unneeded technology that dwindle their savings and further lead them into poverty. Some people choose to stay poor because they can keep a routine, and the government doesn't want anyone to die because of poverty, so they will be supported by the government, and essentially just abuse the system to their own advantage and not do anything to get out of poverty. So either way, one can choose to stay poor and rely on others to help them, or do something about it themselves and get out of poverty by taking action.

Integration

In theory and in the books, integration is a beneficial thing for everyone. People get to interact with people who are different than them, get to see different walks of life, how others live, and can potentially eliminate prejudice. In theory, communism also looks pretty nice. Soviet Russia has proved that to be very, very wrong. I dont want you to get an impression that I am very anti-integration, I am not. I just think that something people should consider is whether the recipients of integration, two races, ethnicities, religions, etc really want it, and does it actually make people better? Now, I am 100% for integration in the sense of civil and equal rights; everyone, man, woman, black, white, orange, purple, should get equal pay and opportunity if they are doing the same work etc. But in the case of Brother Rice high school, and their decision to segregate their prom, I have no problems with that. These are students who have all learned, interacted, and known each other for 4 years, and decided they wanted separate proms, which the school allowed. It is an equal decision for each party, and isn't doing anything really wrong, it's just some people feel comfortable with certain people, and wanted to have their last senior fling with those certain people. As long as people are equal and have the same rights, can we really force people to do something they really don't want to? Only time can tell

My Thoughts on the first 12 Chapters

I am a big fan of the Malcolm X autobiography. He was never really a civil rights activist that was touched upon in history books or in history class. It was always just Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks who were focused on as the big civil rights leaders. Malcolm X was always given a little snippet, but always portrayed in a negative light, and as violent. It was nice for once to read about a different civil rights leader, and also a leader and figure who didn't always propose peaceful protesting. When learning about civil rights, I never really understood how so many people could just peacefully protest, as it was such a volatile time, and at least someone must have been extremely angry. Also, MLK and Rosa Parks were always seen in a positive kind of goody two shoes light, whereas Malcolm X had a violent and criminal background, and for him wanting some type of equal rights is kind of a redemption for him, as he completely changed his lifestyle to become an activist for equality. The most interesting parts of the book was learning about his upcoming, and when he was the same age as me, he was hustling the streets with drugs, and engaged in criminal activities that could have led to his death. His transformation in prison also shows a very different type of prison as it is portrayed as now. For Malcolm X, prison actually reformed him, and put out a better man than who came in. Nowadays, some people like being in prison because they know how to work the ropes, and it doesn't really reform people. In all, this was a great book, and it was a shame Malcolm X was assassinated.

King Still King

I think that Martin Luther King Jr. is still important in today's society and hasn't been forgotten.  He is remembered for all he did for civil rights and making all citizens in America equal. President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act into law was the direct result of Dr. King's actions along with other prominent civil rights activists. His message is one of peaceful civil disobedience and protesting, and people are still inspired today by this. I think that he is not really relevant nowadays along the lines of dealing with racism, which is a good thing. I think most people really don't need to worry about racism in our every day life interacting with others (at least what I see in Chicago). One thing about racism that I randomly thought of while writing this (as an inbound college student) is what would Dr. Kings views be on Affirmative Action. My personal view on it are that it is a blatantly racist policy. For those of you that don't know what Affirmative Action is, it is a set of quotas saying that certain percentages of people should be specific races in the workplace or school to ensure diversity. Within the current education system, AA makes it easier for minorities to get into schools if they have the same scores as white kids, purely based on their race. This is racist against every party and race included. AA is saying that if there is a certain standard for whites for a certain school, minorities should be let in with more leniency respective to their grades and scores to make the school more diverse. For one, these schools are insinuating that minorities aren't as smart as whites, which is completely false and racist. Here at Whitney Young and around the world, some people are smarter than others because they just are, they have something in their brains that works better than others. This has absolutely nothing to do with race or skin color, and I think there shouldn't even be a spot to show what race one is on application forms. I know intelligent and dumb people of all races, and what race they are has nothing to do with intelligence. I personally think Dr. King would be opposed to this policy, as he advocated an equal playing field for everyone, and saying some should be accepted over others based on race is preposterous.  I think we should always remember what Dr. King did and accomplished, and try to view everybody as equals no matter their skin color.

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke












We Shall Overcome - Pete Seeger

The Wanderer.

Zooropa album cover

Johnny Cash in 1993

U2 in 1993

One song that I have recently discovered, and one that I believe to be exceptional is "The Wanderer," by U2. It was first released in 1993, on their eighth album, "Zooropa". The whole album was a break from their distinct, post-punk, new wave, and 80's sound to a more electronic and alternative rock sound, which they started to dabble in with their previous album, "Achtung Baby." But this blog isn't about the whole album, (definitely not one of my favorite U2 albums), lets get to "The Wanderer." It is the closing track off the album, and is one of the most distinct songs in the U2 catalogue, because none of the band members sing lead vocals on the song. Who does then? Many of you most likely ask. Get ready for the big surprise. Johnny Cash. Bang! Bet you didn't see that coming. U2 asked the 61 year old country legend to lend his famous baritone voice to what I believe is U2's and Cash's best song. The main underlying sound is a synthesised bassline delivered by bassist Adam Clayton. One can also hear the faint drumming of Larry Mullen and a muted acoustic guitar in the background. The Edge (U2's guitar played) provides harmonizing background vocals throughout the whole song, and in the middle of the song, delivers a short guitar solo. Bono doesn't come in until the very end, delivering a country-like yodel to finish off the song. The title fits in with Johnny Cash's "outlaw country" persona, and also with how he is aging, with less and less people listening to his music, he becoming a wanderer himself in the faster growing world of the 1990's. The lyrics are very graphic and descriptive, talking about a man searching and wandering in a kind of post-apocalyptic world for someone, what I believe to be a woman, heard in the lyric "yeah I went with nothin', nothin' but the thought of you, I went wandering" and later "I went with nothin, but the thought you'd be there too, looking for you." He has with him a bible and a gun, which I think incorporates both Bono's and Cash's religiousness. While wandering, the narrator says he is also looking for another person, just one good man left. No matter your interpretation of the song, I think it has just a great sound with some nice vocals, and recommend it to all. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-dZvQxYX1g

Frankl-y Speaking

Man's Search for Meaning showed me a very different view on the Holocaust.  I was used to reading books like "Number the Stars," "Night," or "The Diary of Anne Frank." These books showed me what the Holocaust was like in a more censored way than how it was described in Frankl's book.  Never did these other books explain how Jews were turned against Jews (the Capo's for example) and were not as graphic in detail and in the horror that Frankl's book describes.  Also, I found it very interesting how Frankl used these experiences to develop his own method of psychotherapy, logotherapy, that focuses on the future to calm people and show them how thier lives are meaningful, considering that Frankl himself has quite a lot to look back upon in his past, and still looks to the future.  I also really liked his idea of a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast to complement the Statue of Liberty in the east. I googled the current plan to build this statue in San Francisco bay (which at the moment is being developed, but with little funds) and got some pretty cool pictures of what is trying to be built. It would be two hands clasped together, working together (the hands are pretty much replicas of the Statue of Liberty's hand holding the torch). The idea that with freedom and liberty, we need responsibility is a great one, and I really like the idea of building this project.

Thankful for A Classmate

It's hard to believe that this year is almost 1/4 over already.  In that time, I think this Philosophy class has really opened my eyes to some ways of seeing the world, and from points of view I would have never even thought of before. In our class, I am thankful for both Johns. John Vitzileos always has something to say in our discussions, and the points he makes always spark more debate; the debates being something in our class that I find very insightful, and really like participating in.  John has some good ideas and is a good debater, which I think is essential to dissect what we do in our class and be a good philosopher. John Cetnicar too has some good discussion ideas, and isn't afraid to interject them. Also, whenever I don't know if we have homework John C is always a reliable guy to check what we have to do and he knows whats going on. Thanks Johns!

How the Class is going

I really like the direction our class is moving in and what we do in class.  I'm a fan of the books we have read so far, and the discussions that come out of them. I think we should have more "circle" discussions where as a class we really debate what we think about certain things.  I don't really have a problem with the groupworks, as I had a class last year where group works were pretty crazy and extremely long and in my opinion sometimes unneccessary. I guess we could always have less groupworks, that would be nice. Another thing I would like to add is I really like how you incorporate music to a lot of what we learn and do in class. Music is a passion of mine and it's really fun to learn about new music and relating certain songs to what we are learning. For my English class last year, we would watch a movie after we finished a certain book, whether it is the film version of that book, or a movie that didn't seem to have to do with the book itself, but had very similar underlying themes and related to what we just read in a very interesting way.  So, watching a movie that related to what we read would be interesting, and I'm not just trying to waste time or anything, this was just something that I thought was really cool with my other English class, and a suggestion that you may incorporate it into our class. Otherwise, awesome class!

Voltaire and Camus are voting for....

Nobody. At least Camus isn't voting for anyone. In his mind whats the point in voting? Life and existence is meaningless and absurd so no matter who is in office, that person will have no point or use.   Besides, everyone is going to die anyways so voting would just be a waste of our short, minuscule, pointless lives that already have no purpose or impact on the universe.  So just sit at home and do nothing, because you can't commit suicide to end your pointless and meaningless life. That would be cheating (which then gives living a purpose, and creates a paradox loop that will never end) Camus needs to chill a little about how pointless we are, just have some fun and try not to think. Heck he should go vote and prove his life has meaning by having an impact on a country's new leader.

Voltaire is voting for Candide.  He is a naive person who doesn't have any corruption of the outside world and hopes for the best.  No matter what comes in Candide's way, he could only be living in the best world there is, so just forget about it and push ahead.  Candide could bring some real change and positivity to the political spectrum. As long as the skeletons in his closet of killing people don't get out, he should have a pretty good chance against that Nothing candidate.

Meaning in My Life

Something that I find meaningful in my life has been being a junior counselor at Phantom Lake YMCA Camp for the past 3 summers. As a camper I would always look up to my counselors, and I thought it would be really fun to do myself. My first year as an SDP (thats what the junior counselors are called) I had a first year camper that on one night when there was a huge thunderstorm, got really scared. I helped comfort him until it was over and he eventually fell asleep.  At the end of that week, he told me he really wanted to come back the next year, and was looking forward to see me. This was the first time I really experienced and felt that my actions had an influence on campers, and how just like I looked up to my counselors, they looked up to me too.

Are Candides Punishments Fair?

I think that when Candide has to be punished as a deserter, technically his punishment is fair as by the millitary rules.  Desertion is not allowed in any army, and if caught is a pinishable crime, so as his punishment he "runs the gauntlet." Although Candide was forcefully conscripted to the army by the two soldier he meets, the millitary law still technically applies and candide has to face punishment for his action. These are the laws of the military and of his country. Candide is ignorant to millitary laws and to being in the army because of his sheltered life, but the fact that he is now a member of the army still means he must follow millitary regulation and law. On the other hand, we see that Candide is naive and mostly a sheltered and innocent person. He was also forced into the millitary against his will, and doesn't want anything to do with it, so Candide deserts.  If one looks at this perpective, one would say he is unfairly punished and mistreated.  I think that someones opinion on Candide's punishment is up for discussion, can be viewed in either of these scenarios, and we can't really decide which one is more correct as both arguments are equally valid and true.

How do I know what I know?

I know the things I know basically from what has been taught to me or things I have experienced firsthand.  If we don't see things or witness things for ourselves, I guess we don't really know anything but as humans we assume and trust other humans to what they say or know, even though we may not know for certain.  I think that if humans only believed things they have experienced, then the world we know would most likely be a completely different place.  For all we know, if people didn't take leaps of faith in trusting other people, the world could be centuries behind in technology or advancement, or if more people trusted others, we could be centuries ahead of our time.  This is a very speculative discussion that many may have trouble understanding, but I think that as humans, the majority are wise enough to decipher and figure out what is real and what isn't

Not Examined Life / Modern Gadfly

I think that the non examined life is still worth living.  I don't think that every little aspect of our lives should be dissected and thought about for every single thing we do.  There are certain times where it is important to think about and examine out lives very closely and carefully, like when choosing a college, career, marriage, where to live, etc.  If we spend our whole lives worry about whether to examine every little thing, then we could be wasting important moments because of our focus on examining life so much.  In all, some things should be examined, but some little decisions we can brush over.

I think that a modern Socrates is David Letterman.  His talk show has been going on for almost 30 years now and he has always featured provocative material, although with a humorous aspect. When dealing with politicians or even celebrities he pokes fun at their ideas or thoughts that seem to not benefit the American people, and even on an event like 9/11 he got really serious and had a very motivating monolouge directed towards Al-Queda

Eulogy

Gordon Bentley was born in Chicago on May 31, 1995.  He first lived in the Wrightwood neighborhood until he moved to Old Irving Park in 1997.  He attended Lasalle Languave Academy from 2000 to 2009 where he took Italian as a second language.  While at LaSalle, he liked to read A LOT of books and never had videogames growing up. He has a passion for music and a music library (digital and vinyl) that is constantly growing. Gordon was raised Jewish and he had his Bar-Mitzvah in seventh grade in 2008, but after that gravitated to being more non-religious.  He began high school at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in 2009, where he played sports for the boys 16" Softball team in the fall, and did Volleyball and Lacrosse in the spring.  During his summers he would work at Phantom Lake YMCA Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.  He went to this camp for 8 years and in 2012 finished the Staff Development Program.  In school he liked English and History classes the best and continued to take Italian through his junior year. Gordon never liked math of any sort but some Science interests him such as aerospace or outserpace.  He is interesed in many colleges including the University of Michigan, UW-Madison, the University of Illinois, NYU, Boston University, Colombia Univserity, Harvard University, and more.  He has always been a Democrat or a liberal, but not through parental or other influence pushed upon him through school, etc. but through reading political artlices and watching the news and finding out his values and morals.  He wanted to vote for Barack Obama in 2012 but unfortunately doesn't turn 18 until May, so he'll have to wait until 2014 to vote in an election.  His future plans are unknown, but is more interested in the fields of buisness, economics, politics or even government. 

Tell Tale Heart

The tell tale heart is a story of a seemingly insane man (or woman) telling the story of how he or she murdered an old man.  I think that it is being told in court to a judge and jury, and the narrator is pleading for his or her sanity and reason for the murder.  The narrator is scared of "an evil eye"  that the old man posesses, and each night for a week plots to kill him.  Then he finally ups and does it.  But a neighbor hears the ruckuss and calls the police, who then arrive on the scene, to investigate.  When the police do arrive the narroator freaks out and gives himself away due to the alleged beating of the heart.  I think that the narrator is somewhat crazy, but overall sane, the beating of the heart could be the death watches, a type of beetle heard before in the walls, but murering someone because of an eye is a little crazy.

Kick the Can

It was a hot summer day sometime a few years ago.  I was with some of the kids in my neighborhood, Danny, John, Owen, Conley, and Wyatt.  We were all bored of playing hide and seek and tag, so we decided to frind a new game to play.  Danny, who had brought us all cans of Minute Maid Lemonade, suddenly had the idea of playing "Kick the Can."  Nobody had ever played it before, so we all took some time listening to the rules.  When we all understood it, Owen volunteered to be the person who was the tagger, and everbody else ran to hide.  Soon enough he coaught Conley, and she was put in the "jail" zone, which Owen tried defending, but he was overwhelmed and someone kicked the can, so Conley out, and this went on for hours; people getting in jail and then getting out.  Eventually, everyone but I got in jail, and if I wanted to get them all out, I had to kick the can.  So using strategy, I went around some houses to hide and then snuck up around back.  I then hid behind a tree, and waited until Owen had his back turned, and sprinted to the can!  I was halfway there, but then Owen saw me!  I had to arc around, but I still got to the can and kicked it before Owen tagged me, and I freed everybody.  We would play this game all summer, and played it for years, and it would sometimes end in watergun fights to cool everybody off.