Reflection -
Thus far in my Humanities experience I have endured many twists and turns. I also expect to experience many more by the time I finish Humanities 30-1. As for the English portion of Humanities 30-1 I believe that I have accomplished a high level of development, which hasn't been easy.
As I worked through Humanities I became very successful in some areas while I struggled in other areas. I found success in most of my visual projects but struggled with my written projects during the beginning of this course. The successes in the visual projects came as a result of my creative side. Although I was successful in visuals when this course began I was still able to improve my ability and the amount of different mediums in which I was comfortable with during the duration of Humanities. As I approached the end of the English portion of Humanities I was able to show that I could create a variety of visuals which included three-dimensional visuals, drawn visuals, and electronic visual.
As this course began I found the written projects to be more difficult. To improve my ability to accomplish a good written paper I employed a few different strategies to achieve a better mark in my written papers. First I learned how to not just read the question but how to understand what was being asked of me. In my early writings I found it difficult to understand what I was to be answering, however as I had to write more papers I became more and more comfortable with the style in which the questions were stated and was therefore able to answer them properly. Next I worked on developing my idea and providing the correct supporting evidence from texts. By completing this stage of development in my writing I was then able to write very good papers, and decided to try writing in different voices. I found success in some papers while I struggled in other papers with my voice. One paper I was able to create a strong voice in was Hamlet’s Delay. As I tried improving my writing skills in different ways I was able to learn what worked and what didn’t. Although my first Critical Response was graded higher than the second one that I did I was still able to develop my writing ability. I learned what didn’t work in my writing but was still able to show that I have the skills to write excellent papers during the course of Humanities 30-1.
One of the projects that I was most proud of accomplishing was my Critical Response to The Grapes of Wrath. Before this project I was still having some difficulty with developing a main idea and maintaining that idea, which I was able to accomplish in this piece of writing. Another big hit for me was the Hamlet speech. Prior to this project I had difficulty with presenting and public speaking. With the accomplishment of this project I gained more confidence in my ability to present for future projects, and although it could have had improvement I was proud of myself for accomplishing the level that I did.
There were also a few projects that were big misses for me. The project that I felt I fell the most was the timed critical response in which I discussed how the text creator developed the idea of how individuals take on responsibility. Although I felt that I had I created a strong voice I was disappointed in my ability to maintain a strong idea and develop it fully throughout the writing. I will learn from my mistakes in this particular piece of writing when I write my diploma. Since I have confidence that I can write a paper in which I maintain a strong idea and fully develop it I am certain that I will be able to benefit from this mistake and write a strong paper for the diploma.
As I move on in life I know that the skills that I have developed throughout this course will enable me to accomplish many things in my life. Along with the skills I have learned from the curriculum I will be leaving this class with many other skills. I have developed skills that allow me to learn from my mistakes, take advice and use it to improve my abilities, as well as work productively in a group. I will use these skills for the rest of my life whether while attending university for the sciences, being successful at my job, or just living life I will always be able to find I situation in which the skills that I have learned in this class will help me and therefore I believe that I am ready for whatever I am to encounter in life.
Expository Writing -As I worked through Humanities I became very successful in some areas while I struggled in other areas. I found success in most of my visual projects but struggled with my written projects during the beginning of this course. The successes in the visual projects came as a result of my creative side. Although I was successful in visuals when this course began I was still able to improve my ability and the amount of different mediums in which I was comfortable with during the duration of Humanities. As I approached the end of the English portion of Humanities I was able to show that I could create a variety of visuals which included three-dimensional visuals, drawn visuals, and electronic visual.
As this course began I found the written projects to be more difficult. To improve my ability to accomplish a good written paper I employed a few different strategies to achieve a better mark in my written papers. First I learned how to not just read the question but how to understand what was being asked of me. In my early writings I found it difficult to understand what I was to be answering, however as I had to write more papers I became more and more comfortable with the style in which the questions were stated and was therefore able to answer them properly. Next I worked on developing my idea and providing the correct supporting evidence from texts. By completing this stage of development in my writing I was then able to write very good papers, and decided to try writing in different voices. I found success in some papers while I struggled in other papers with my voice. One paper I was able to create a strong voice in was Hamlet’s Delay. As I tried improving my writing skills in different ways I was able to learn what worked and what didn’t. Although my first Critical Response was graded higher than the second one that I did I was still able to develop my writing ability. I learned what didn’t work in my writing but was still able to show that I have the skills to write excellent papers during the course of Humanities 30-1.
One of the projects that I was most proud of accomplishing was my Critical Response to The Grapes of Wrath. Before this project I was still having some difficulty with developing a main idea and maintaining that idea, which I was able to accomplish in this piece of writing. Another big hit for me was the Hamlet speech. Prior to this project I had difficulty with presenting and public speaking. With the accomplishment of this project I gained more confidence in my ability to present for future projects, and although it could have had improvement I was proud of myself for accomplishing the level that I did.
There were also a few projects that were big misses for me. The project that I felt I fell the most was the timed critical response in which I discussed how the text creator developed the idea of how individuals take on responsibility. Although I felt that I had I created a strong voice I was disappointed in my ability to maintain a strong idea and develop it fully throughout the writing. I will learn from my mistakes in this particular piece of writing when I write my diploma. Since I have confidence that I can write a paper in which I maintain a strong idea and fully develop it I am certain that I will be able to benefit from this mistake and write a strong paper for the diploma.
As I move on in life I know that the skills that I have developed throughout this course will enable me to accomplish many things in my life. Along with the skills I have learned from the curriculum I will be leaving this class with many other skills. I have developed skills that allow me to learn from my mistakes, take advice and use it to improve my abilities, as well as work productively in a group. I will use these skills for the rest of my life whether while attending university for the sciences, being successful at my job, or just living life I will always be able to find I situation in which the skills that I have learned in this class will help me and therefore I believe that I am ready for whatever I am to encounter in life.
Critical Response:
Throughout the book, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck demonstrates the many different forms of self preservation and how it affects how the individual responds to competing demands. Steinbeck used the main characters to show the audience these aspects of an individual’s drive to pursue personal well being by having them develop throughout the story. He also introduced other, minor characters throughout the book in intercalary chapters that are used to contrast the main characters that represent the ideal response to competing demands.
Tom Joad is a major character in the book. The plot follows him very closely along with his family. Steinbeck has clearly done this because Tom is a prime example of what Steinbeck believes should happen in society. When the book, The Grapes of Wrath began, after the chapter on dust, Tom was trying to get home after being in jail for four years; he had only two things on his mind at that time, his family and himself. Steinbeck showed us this beginning stage of Tom so that he could develop this character. Tom spent a large portion of the book thinking about his family and himself, about things like keeping the vehicles from breaking down, where they were going to sleep and how they were going to get enough money to survive. The plot required Tom to have this set of thought, for the country was going through very difficult times, however Steinbeck tried to show us that because everyone had that set of mind the country and somewhat more importantly the lower class of society remained in that state of depression and need. Steinbeck used Jim Casy to make Tom Joad develop. When Tom found Casy on strike and watched him die, he developed a new way of thinking. He realized that Casy was right and that change had to happen. Casy spent most of the book thinking. Steinbeck created Casy as a Christ figure, and when he died for his cause he finally got a true disciple to carry on his ideas. Although there were also men on the strike with Casy they were not as committed as Tom was after Casy died. Tom showed that he truly understood and was willing to take action when he said “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there.” (pg. 572). Tom changed and finally realized that he could help his family the most by helping the revolt that was brewing. He realized that he couldn’t keep on thinking about the individual, and proved this when he said “Throw out the cops that ain’t out people. All work together for our own thing – all farm our own lan’.” (pg. 571), but had to instead start working for the good of the collective. This was the major concept that John Steinbeck tried to make his audience understand. He wanted his society to understand that the individual couldn’t just worry about their selves but instead work for the collective group. He believed that this was the only way to bring success and prosperity to the majority, instead of letting a few become wealthy while the majority faces extreme poverty and hunger. Steinbeck also developed Rose of Sharon’s character in such a way as to prove his beliefs were the best. She was like many of those who were in the same difficult situation. She thought about herself and her unborn child, growing inside her. When she gave birth to a still born child it changed her ways though. Not only had she lost the father of her child earlier in the book but she also lost her child before she ever really had it. This is what made her change and realise that she had to start not being so selfish, and think about others. She made it clear that she understood this and was willing to change at the end of the book when she fed the starving man in the barn.
Steinbeck also created characters that were never or never developed into examples of Steinbeck’s ideal citizen to be part of an ideal society. One main character that Steinbeck included was Noah. Noah had more than his fair share of difficulties and hardship not only while trying to get to California but also just in life. Since Noah was challenged mentally he felt that he never really belonged in the family. As the family began travelling and Noah was forced to be a bigger part of the family, Noah realized how much he did not belong. He finally gave up when he refused to continue travelling with the family and stay at the river. When Noah said, “I’m sad, but I can’t he’p it. I got to go.” (pg. 284) he showed that he was only concerned about himself and not the collective and was never going to change. Steinbeck included Noah to show us what happens if the individual only thinks about their self instead of thinking and working for the collective. Since Noah just thought about himself he likely died on the edge of the river and he was never able to not only be part of the collective but more importantly to Steinbeck he was never able to help the collective group. Connie was another character that Steinbeck used to show us what the problems are with the individual only concerned about the individual. He was a character that had many challenges and finally they became too great so he just left so that he did not have to face these challenges. Connie did not want to have to face the hardships of being a father and caring for a family. He also realized how hopeless the situation was and saw no relief in the future so instead of working for the good of the collective as Steinbeck wants society to do, Connie left so that he did not have to deal with that pressure resting on his shoulders. He finally understood that his and Rose of Sharon’s plan to study nights, get a good job, and live in town, where they could go watch movies and have a doctor for their baby’s birth was just a dream that would never come true. This finally became apparent to Connie and he could not face Rose of Sharon with this truth. Connie was never able to understand that he should be working for the good of the collective instead of only worrying about the individual. By including these characters as a main part of the book Steinbeck showed us what happens if we do not understand that we have to work for the good of the collective. Steinbeck showed us that if we only concern ourselves with the individual no one can succeed.
In the book Steinbeck wrote intercalary chapters and introduced new characters to contrast his idea. At the beginning of the book Steinbeck wrote about a tractor driver who was just like all the other people who were being pushed off of their land, but was still working for the government, who were pushing those people off their land. The tractor driver was getting three dollars a day to drive the tractor while it was pushing hundreds of people of their little source of income; this was Steinbeck’s example of what happens when the individual puts more importance on the individual instead of the collective group. Steinbeck showed us the tractor driver’s beliefs when he said “Times are changed, don’t you know? Thinking about stuff like that don’t feed the kids. Get your three dollars a day, feed your kids. You got no call to worry about anybody’s kids but your own.” (pg. 51) which clearly goes against everything Steinbeck was trying to get across to people by writing this book. Eventually the farm will die and the soil will have no nutrients left in it to grow a new crop, when this happens the tractor driver will be out of a job and his three dollars a day just like everyone else. Steinbeck tries to make us understand that if he had worked for the collective group and not taken the job then the people would not have been pushed off their land and forced to starve to death in an unfamiliar place. The tractor driver was included to contrast the ideal way people should think and act for society to run ideally. Steinbeck wrote “The decay spreads over the State... Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. ...cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten” (pg. 476) so that we could understand how scientists who were creating beautiful food and produce were only concerned about their selves. If they were not only concerned about their selves and their income they would not be letting the food that they create rot while fellow human beings starved to death. Steinbeck shows us that if everyone were to just work for the benefit of the collective group then thousands would not have starved, especially when there was so much food left to rot instead of being fed to the poor and hungry people. Also as a kind of summary, Steinbeck wrote about the brief history of how the hungry, angry Americans were able to take the land from the wealthy, comfortable Mexicans. Steinbeck used this to show us that not only was a violent revolution used, but also is necessary for society to understand that everyone is equal and a classless society must be created for change to happen.
Steinbeck made it very clear throughout the book that an individual must work for the good of the collective instead of the individual. By doing this the group will strive instead of suffering like Steinbeck demonstrated in The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck used the development of characters like Tom Joad, Rose of Sharon, and Jim Casy to show the audience that you have to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the group before the majority will strive. He also included characters like the tractor driver, Noah, and Connie that demonstrated that if you only act in the good of the individual the majority of the collective will never be able to strive. Steinbeck showed us how many can suffer because they are only concerned about the individual therefore the collective suffers and will continue to suffer until they unite and work for the good of the collective.
Taking Responsibility:
As the creator of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King I included examples of the ways in which individuals take responsibility for themselves. I, Peter Jackson, am here to explain these examples better for those of you who found it difficult to understand or missed these examples. I portrayed in the film that every individual takes their own amount of time, which can be long or short, to accept and act upon their responsibility.
Tom Joad is a major character in the book. The plot follows him very closely along with his family. Steinbeck has clearly done this because Tom is a prime example of what Steinbeck believes should happen in society. When the book, The Grapes of Wrath began, after the chapter on dust, Tom was trying to get home after being in jail for four years; he had only two things on his mind at that time, his family and himself. Steinbeck showed us this beginning stage of Tom so that he could develop this character. Tom spent a large portion of the book thinking about his family and himself, about things like keeping the vehicles from breaking down, where they were going to sleep and how they were going to get enough money to survive. The plot required Tom to have this set of thought, for the country was going through very difficult times, however Steinbeck tried to show us that because everyone had that set of mind the country and somewhat more importantly the lower class of society remained in that state of depression and need. Steinbeck used Jim Casy to make Tom Joad develop. When Tom found Casy on strike and watched him die, he developed a new way of thinking. He realized that Casy was right and that change had to happen. Casy spent most of the book thinking. Steinbeck created Casy as a Christ figure, and when he died for his cause he finally got a true disciple to carry on his ideas. Although there were also men on the strike with Casy they were not as committed as Tom was after Casy died. Tom showed that he truly understood and was willing to take action when he said “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there.” (pg. 572). Tom changed and finally realized that he could help his family the most by helping the revolt that was brewing. He realized that he couldn’t keep on thinking about the individual, and proved this when he said “Throw out the cops that ain’t out people. All work together for our own thing – all farm our own lan’.” (pg. 571), but had to instead start working for the good of the collective. This was the major concept that John Steinbeck tried to make his audience understand. He wanted his society to understand that the individual couldn’t just worry about their selves but instead work for the collective group. He believed that this was the only way to bring success and prosperity to the majority, instead of letting a few become wealthy while the majority faces extreme poverty and hunger. Steinbeck also developed Rose of Sharon’s character in such a way as to prove his beliefs were the best. She was like many of those who were in the same difficult situation. She thought about herself and her unborn child, growing inside her. When she gave birth to a still born child it changed her ways though. Not only had she lost the father of her child earlier in the book but she also lost her child before she ever really had it. This is what made her change and realise that she had to start not being so selfish, and think about others. She made it clear that she understood this and was willing to change at the end of the book when she fed the starving man in the barn.
Steinbeck also created characters that were never or never developed into examples of Steinbeck’s ideal citizen to be part of an ideal society. One main character that Steinbeck included was Noah. Noah had more than his fair share of difficulties and hardship not only while trying to get to California but also just in life. Since Noah was challenged mentally he felt that he never really belonged in the family. As the family began travelling and Noah was forced to be a bigger part of the family, Noah realized how much he did not belong. He finally gave up when he refused to continue travelling with the family and stay at the river. When Noah said, “I’m sad, but I can’t he’p it. I got to go.” (pg. 284) he showed that he was only concerned about himself and not the collective and was never going to change. Steinbeck included Noah to show us what happens if the individual only thinks about their self instead of thinking and working for the collective. Since Noah just thought about himself he likely died on the edge of the river and he was never able to not only be part of the collective but more importantly to Steinbeck he was never able to help the collective group. Connie was another character that Steinbeck used to show us what the problems are with the individual only concerned about the individual. He was a character that had many challenges and finally they became too great so he just left so that he did not have to face these challenges. Connie did not want to have to face the hardships of being a father and caring for a family. He also realized how hopeless the situation was and saw no relief in the future so instead of working for the good of the collective as Steinbeck wants society to do, Connie left so that he did not have to deal with that pressure resting on his shoulders. He finally understood that his and Rose of Sharon’s plan to study nights, get a good job, and live in town, where they could go watch movies and have a doctor for their baby’s birth was just a dream that would never come true. This finally became apparent to Connie and he could not face Rose of Sharon with this truth. Connie was never able to understand that he should be working for the good of the collective instead of only worrying about the individual. By including these characters as a main part of the book Steinbeck showed us what happens if we do not understand that we have to work for the good of the collective. Steinbeck showed us that if we only concern ourselves with the individual no one can succeed.
In the book Steinbeck wrote intercalary chapters and introduced new characters to contrast his idea. At the beginning of the book Steinbeck wrote about a tractor driver who was just like all the other people who were being pushed off of their land, but was still working for the government, who were pushing those people off their land. The tractor driver was getting three dollars a day to drive the tractor while it was pushing hundreds of people of their little source of income; this was Steinbeck’s example of what happens when the individual puts more importance on the individual instead of the collective group. Steinbeck showed us the tractor driver’s beliefs when he said “Times are changed, don’t you know? Thinking about stuff like that don’t feed the kids. Get your three dollars a day, feed your kids. You got no call to worry about anybody’s kids but your own.” (pg. 51) which clearly goes against everything Steinbeck was trying to get across to people by writing this book. Eventually the farm will die and the soil will have no nutrients left in it to grow a new crop, when this happens the tractor driver will be out of a job and his three dollars a day just like everyone else. Steinbeck tries to make us understand that if he had worked for the collective group and not taken the job then the people would not have been pushed off their land and forced to starve to death in an unfamiliar place. The tractor driver was included to contrast the ideal way people should think and act for society to run ideally. Steinbeck wrote “The decay spreads over the State... Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. ...cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten” (pg. 476) so that we could understand how scientists who were creating beautiful food and produce were only concerned about their selves. If they were not only concerned about their selves and their income they would not be letting the food that they create rot while fellow human beings starved to death. Steinbeck shows us that if everyone were to just work for the benefit of the collective group then thousands would not have starved, especially when there was so much food left to rot instead of being fed to the poor and hungry people. Also as a kind of summary, Steinbeck wrote about the brief history of how the hungry, angry Americans were able to take the land from the wealthy, comfortable Mexicans. Steinbeck used this to show us that not only was a violent revolution used, but also is necessary for society to understand that everyone is equal and a classless society must be created for change to happen.
Steinbeck made it very clear throughout the book that an individual must work for the good of the collective instead of the individual. By doing this the group will strive instead of suffering like Steinbeck demonstrated in The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck used the development of characters like Tom Joad, Rose of Sharon, and Jim Casy to show the audience that you have to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the group before the majority will strive. He also included characters like the tractor driver, Noah, and Connie that demonstrated that if you only act in the good of the individual the majority of the collective will never be able to strive. Steinbeck showed us how many can suffer because they are only concerned about the individual therefore the collective suffers and will continue to suffer until they unite and work for the good of the collective.
Taking Responsibility:
As the creator of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King I included examples of the ways in which individuals take responsibility for themselves. I, Peter Jackson, am here to explain these examples better for those of you who found it difficult to understand or missed these examples. I portrayed in the film that every individual takes their own amount of time, which can be long or short, to accept and act upon their responsibility.
A character that took very little to no time to know what he must do to accept his responsibility was Gandalf the White. He had his fair share of difficulties in this story especially the earlier movies, being killed and resurrected and all, but he never hesitated to carry out his responsibility. He knew that he had to be a leader and did his best, which was an excellent job, to lead everyone to the best possible outcome. He helped Pippin during the movie as well as the army at Gondor. Without the leadership of Gandalf the White the army at Gondor would have surly been defeated and the age of man would have come to an end with Gondor captured. Gandalf was able to accept his responsibility to lead these people and prevent Gondor from being taken. Had he not been able to accept his responsibility as quickly as he did the outcome of the movie would have been quite different.
Faramir was another character that I used to develop the idea that each individual takes their own amount of time to take on their responsibility. This character was faced with a difficult situation. He had to choose between acting upon his responsibility to take orders from his father, the Steward of Gondor, or ignore the orders to save many lives. With such a large decision to make he took longer to know what to do, as is expected, then Gandalf the White, for example, who knew that he had to be a great leader for the people in hard times. By having comparisons like this I was able to show the idea that every individual will need a different amount of time to know that he or she must act upon their responsibility even if it takes decades to do so.
Another character that I included was Theoden. As the King of Rohan he had to make the hard decision of leading his people to a battle which he believed to be a lost cause, or ignoring the cries of help from Gondor. Theoden knew that his army would be out numbered but he also knew that it was his responsibility as King to lead his people to the battle since Gondor needed their help. Similar to Faramir, Theoden was not able to commit to acting upon his responsibility the instant he found out what had to be done. A large decision like the one that he was faced with deserves time to think it over and know that you have made the right choice. In the end Theoden accepted his responsibility and the fate that he was leading his army to, which would in the end take his life along with hundreds of other soldiers. I further showed that everyone will in the end have to accept and act upon their responsibility, the only question is how long before they finally take on their responsibility.
Frodo, as the one of the main characters was faced with an impossibly large task, especially for a hobbit. He accepted the responsibility of carrying the ring and destroying it with little delay. However as time with the ring progressed he became more and more reluctant to destroy it but since it was his responsibility to destroy it, in the end he did. With Frodo I was able to portray that even one who accepts responsibility and acts on it rapidly can develop a fear or reluctance to finish acting upon that responsibility. At Mordor, Frodo was so close to finishing the task and fulfilling his responsibility but was unable to do so until attacked by Gollum. By including this twist at the end I was able to show the audience that although you may delay completing your task and fulfilling your responsibility in the end every individual will take on and finish what they are responsible for.
As I developed the character of Aragorn I showed another reason for why an individual might delay in taking on their responsibility. As the heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn was responsible for becoming King and leading the people of Gondor to greatness. This however took him a long time to accept. Aragorn was a strong character who had little to be physically afraid of, however there was the great fear of failure like the man he was descendant to, Isildur. He was afraid of making the same mistakes and letting down Gondor like Isildur did. With such a heavy burden placed on his shoulders Aragorn delayed in becoming King and taking on his responsibility for as long as he possibly could but when Gondor needed him the most he came through for them. I developed this character as such to show that individuals will always know when they can no longer put off their responsibility, and when this time comes they will accept the responsibility that was placed on them and act upon it.
I included The Dead Army in this movie to show that responsibility can be ignored for a very long time, however in the end it will be carried out. Although the Dead Army was many soldiers and not and individual it acted as an individual. The army never wavered in its choices; if a choice was made the entire army acted upon that choice. The Dead Army had ignored their responsibility to Gondor for hundreds of years but when the time came again that Gondor required their assistance they finally were able to act upon the responsibility that they had ignored many years ago. Even though in our lives it would be impossible to ignore responsibility for hundreds of years, with this drastic amount of time that responsibility was delayed I showed the audience that eventually all of us will fulfill the responsibility we are faced with in life.
I hope that this explanation has further developed your understanding of the ways in which individuals take on responsibility. Although the main reason for creating the film was not to showcase this idea I felt the need to include it. I wanted to present the idea that we will all have to accept and take on our responsibility in life to my audience and by doing so I hope that I have made things clearer in your life or at the very least entertained you with the film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Personal Response -
Restoring Honour and Certainty:
Throughout life every individual is forced to make a decision and will struggle with what they must do to restore honour and certainty. As with any decision there are many different outcomes that could occur after struggling with the decision. Some may not understand how to answer this difficult question due to the fact that they have not been in a situation which demands a choice like this to be made. Therefore this question is similar to a math question in which the answer is hard to obtain and getting to it seems purely theoretical instead of having any relevance to their real and current life.
Throughout life every individual is forced to make a decision and will struggle with what they must do to restore honour and certainty. As with any decision there are many different outcomes that could occur after struggling with the decision. Some may not understand how to answer this difficult question due to the fact that they have not been in a situation which demands a choice like this to be made. Therefore this question is similar to a math question in which the answer is hard to obtain and getting to it seems purely theoretical instead of having any relevance to their real and current life.
Presently, I feel that I am in a situation very similar to this. The question posed is something that I know should occur in life but because I have yet to encounter a situation that changes my life and forces me to change my perspectives to restore my honour and certainty it doesn’t feel real to me. So, since I have not been faced with a major situation in which I have had to make such a decision I will attempt to answer this question with a minor situation that has occurred in my short life that I believe to be an example of what is to come as I continue to live my life.
In the poem “Setting up the Drums”, written by Don McKay, music is used to restore his perspectives. In McKay’s case music was what he was passionate about and what he strived to do well at. Music was what helped him sort out his life and all the challenges that accompanied it. By having something like music that is important to you it helps you look at things in a new way, helps you understand what the right thing to do is, even in the hardest of situations. When you are passionate about something it allows you to straighten out a challenge so that it doesn’t feel so intimidating and overwhelming.
Like with the decision that has to be made by all individuals, everyone also has something that they are passionate about to help them make this decision. Some may be interested in music, like McKay, or drama while others could be more passionate about sports or education. Every individual is unique and therefore has unique interests. I developed a passion for racing this past summer, and with this new interest came a new perspective on how to restore honour and certainty.
I have been a very competitive person and when I do not achieve the standard that I expected of myself I am disappointed in my performance. When I was getting ready for my first 100 foot shootout my standards were not very high. It was my first car race and I was not expecting much out of the situation except for having fun and trying something new. This expectation changed very quickly after receiving my first place trophy for the weekend. Not only had I won the very first race that I had ever entered but I had fallen in love with the thrill of racing. From that point on it was my primary objective to not only attend every 100 foot shootout but to do very well in each one. This very high standard only rose with each win that I received. I was even able to win at Rocky Mountain House, an event that had rules that didn’t give the benefit to my car.
When the season was nearing the end, I decided to try auto crossing. Since I had done so well in the 100 foot shootouts I had similar expectations to the expectations that I had developed while racing in the 100 foot shootouts. I had lowered them a bit because I knew that the auto cross would be different than what I had done so well at, however my standards were still fairly high. After completing the weekend my perspectives were completely changed. I placed second last over the weekend and it was difficult for me to be okay with that considering I’m a competitive person. This is what changed my perspectives on what must be done to restore honour and certainty.
I had to make the decision whether I would either be disappointed with where I placed over the weekend or if I would enjoy and be proud of what I had accomplished instead of always needing to be first at whatever I did. I chose to enjoy what I had accomplished and accept the fact that I didn’t always have to be the best, accept that there wasn’t anything wrong with coming in second last. This decision changed my definition of honour and certainty. Prior to this event which changed my perspectives, my definition of honour was being the best at whatever I did, however coming in second last allowed me to understand that there was no shame in placing where I did. I knew that I had tried my hardest and just as importantly I had had the best weekend ever. I couldn’t wait for the next auto cross so that I could do it again.
I realized that honour, for me, was not about how well I did but how much fun I had. I no longer had the pressure of meeting my high expectations, I could relax and have fun just racing not worrying about where I finished at the end of the day. Without these expectations I was even able to do better because I didn’t have the pressure on me. This also applied to my life outside of racing. If I just did the best that I could instead of worrying about having to be at a certain mark in school, for example, I could relax and take the pressure off of me that I had to be first in everything that I did to be honourable. I was able to understand that my definition of honour had changed from having to be number one to being about trying my hardest at everything that I did.
This situation also refined my perspectives on certainty. I believed that certainty was all about knowing that I had to be number one or I hadn’t done something right. I learned that certainty could be, knowing that I was going to give my one hundred percent effort and what ever happened after that, happened; if I had tried my hardest then I couldn’t do anything else to change the outcome.
Like me, every person on this planet has at least one thing that they are passionate about and it will change their perspectives and definitions of honour and certainty. For some their perspectives may change as mine did however for others it could be the opposite of how my ideas about honour and certainty changed. When you are passionate and good at something it could help you see that honour is about placing first because you are the best at whatever you are doing; it could be about trying your hardest and that landing you in first every single time.
Certainty for some could be, knowing that because you are that best that there is you will always be able to get whatever you want. For others certainty could be, knowing that your passion is enough for you, that you don’t have to be rich and famous as long as you have something that makes you completely and utterly happy in life.
McKay wrote about music, and how it restored his perspectives, changing his ideas about honour and certainty. Although music is not the passion of every human being, every human being will find something, at one point or another, in their life that they don’t want to stop doing, something that when they aren’t doing it they are thinking about it. These things are what shape our ideas about what it means to restore honour and certainty. These are the things that help us understand how to answer the question: In what ways do individuals struggle to restore honour and certainty? Our ideas will change as we develop our passions in life, however we will always have, even in the smallest of magnitudes, an idea about how to restore honour and certainty. Since we will always have opinions about this subject there will always be the need to ask the question, and so it will continued to be asked and the answers will develop along with the developing species of humans.
Accepting Responsibility:
Throughout life everyone must accept responsibility for something at one point or another. Each person does this differently considering everyone is unique. Some take longer to realize what they must do to accept responsibility for their actions while others feel that they must accept responsibility not only for themselves but also others. After reading a few entries from my journal I found two examples that demonstrate how and why individuals accept responsibility for themselves and others.
Throughout life everyone must accept responsibility for something at one point or another. Each person does this differently considering everyone is unique. Some take longer to realize what they must do to accept responsibility for their actions while others feel that they must accept responsibility not only for themselves but also others. After reading a few entries from my journal I found two examples that demonstrate how and why individuals accept responsibility for themselves and others.
July 11 / 09
Living on the farm means that I must accept many responsibilities and last week I gained another. I found a kitten without her mother and have decided to care for her so that she won’t die. I feel that it is my responsibility to make sure that she stays healthy and survives without her birth mother. Since similar occasions have occurred in my life and the kittens haven’t survived I am nervous about taking on such a high responsibility, but know I must. However, after a whole week I think I have made some progress. I know how hard it is to not only know what to do but also just to do it. After reading an excerpt from Snow Falling on Cedars I was comforted to know that it isn’t just me that has difficulty knowing what to do. It explained how a mother felt responsible for caring for her daughter. The mother thought that she had to accept responsibility for her daughter’s actions because her daughter was still young and foolish, but in the end the daughter was able to grow up and take on her own responsibility. I can connect this experience to the one I am in right now. It is my responsibility to keep this kitten alive but I also am aware that one day, and by the looks of her it will be soon, she will be able to take on the responsibility of surviving on her own. She will be able to feed and clean herself without my help. After a whole week of caring for this kitten I know that I will be reluctant to accept that she doesn’t need me anymore. Although I am scared of not being needed by her I will be relieved that she has made it through hopefully the hardest time of her life.
January 18 / 11
As diplomas are approaching I become more aware of the responsibility I have to keep my marks high. I place a high standard on my marks and know that it is my responsibility to keep them at the level that I have them at. Recently I read a poem called The Lather and was able to connect it to my current situation with keeping my marks high. The expectations that the young man has to fulfill his obligations to his father mirror those that my parents and I have placed on me to achieve such high marks. One line in the poem reads “fiendish smears that won’t rinse out” which I can connect to a bad mark. I feel the disappointment of my parents and myself before I have even told them about it. I know that I should have tried harder or done something differently but the mark can’t be erased. I know that it is my responsibility to achieve a good mark and know that it is my mistake for not doing so. However, when I achieve a good mark I don’t hesitate to let my parents know. I feel proud that I have achieved the mark and in doing so have taken on the responsibility to achieve it. In the poem the writer, David Barber, talks about how meeting expectations becomes a routine and how hard and large a task it is to live up to those expectations. I found it very easy to relate to that. Achieving the marks that I do means putting a large amount of work into my projects and studying; it means that I have to put a high level of responsibility on myself to put this work in. Since I have been doing this for such a long time it has become a routine for me like the poem talks about. I will continue to put in the effort and accept the responsibility I must to achieve the marks that I do especially since diplomas are right around the corner.
January 18 / 11
As diplomas are approaching I become more aware of the responsibility I have to keep my marks high. I place a high standard on my marks and know that it is my responsibility to keep them at the level that I have them at. Recently I read a poem called The Lather and was able to connect it to my current situation with keeping my marks high. The expectations that the young man has to fulfill his obligations to his father mirror those that my parents and I have placed on me to achieve such high marks. One line in the poem reads “fiendish smears that won’t rinse out” which I can connect to a bad mark. I feel the disappointment of my parents and myself before I have even told them about it. I know that I should have tried harder or done something differently but the mark can’t be erased. I know that it is my responsibility to achieve a good mark and know that it is my mistake for not doing so. However, when I achieve a good mark I don’t hesitate to let my parents know. I feel proud that I have achieved the mark and in doing so have taken on the responsibility to achieve it. In the poem the writer, David Barber, talks about how meeting expectations becomes a routine and how hard and large a task it is to live up to those expectations. I found it very easy to relate to that. Achieving the marks that I do means putting a large amount of work into my projects and studying; it means that I have to put a high level of responsibility on myself to put this work in. Since I have been doing this for such a long time it has become a routine for me like the poem talks about. I will continue to put in the effort and accept the responsibility I must to achieve the marks that I do especially since diplomas are right around the corner.
These two entries show us a lot about how individuals accept responsibility for themselves and others. It can’t tell us everything since it is only the experiences of one person and each individual will do things a little differently than the next person, however, coupled with the texts we can conclude that at least some if not many will accept responsibility in the ways explained in the journal entries.
The first entry shows us why individuals accept responsibility. The situation described tells us that the individual accepted responsibility because she cared about the well being of the kitten, whose life was dependent on her taking responsibility for it. The text that she talked about also revealed that the individual accepted responsibility for someone who she deeply cared about. There are many other situations in which an individual accepts responsibility for someone that they care about, and although they are not discussed in this paper, I feel comfortable concluding that individuals accept responsibility for others because they care about that particular individual.
The King's Aside Continued:
It is the poison’d cup: it is too late.
Perhaps it was too late the second King Hamlet died, but the rewards I have received for committing the act, still and will always possess me. My crown, mine own ambition and my queen that once belonged to my brother prevent forgiveness of my foul murder. Now I lose my queen in the same way I took my brother. O, the sorrow. Yet I must not reveal what I have done, for losing my queen outweighs losing everything I have worked so hard for. I fear the nights will be long and cold without her. The rain from the sweet heavens would drown Denmark if there were enough to wash these cursed hands as white as snow. This would not have happened had Hamlet simply arrived at England as planned. The suffering of tonight would have been the imagined nightmares of children. Hamlet must die if I am to remain King. O, how I wish he was as easy to kill as his father. Laertes will succeed. How can he lose when his point is uncapped and envenom’d while Hamlet’s remains dull and harmless. The cup, should he escape the venom’d sword as he escaped England shall do the trick. One sip and he shall be done for. But how can I keep the loyalty of Denmark should Laertes win the duel. They will be expecting the winner to drink from the cup. What I must say then? A sleight of hand after Hamlet has been struck. There is another cup I can switch it for yet I fear that someone may see me. I can do nothing should that happen. I cannot explain why Hamlet must drink from the cup while Laertes must not. Alas, it is too late and what will be, will be.
The first entry shows us why individuals accept responsibility. The situation described tells us that the individual accepted responsibility because she cared about the well being of the kitten, whose life was dependent on her taking responsibility for it. The text that she talked about also revealed that the individual accepted responsibility for someone who she deeply cared about. There are many other situations in which an individual accepts responsibility for someone that they care about, and although they are not discussed in this paper, I feel comfortable concluding that individuals accept responsibility for others because they care about that particular individual.
The second entry told us how individuals accept responsibility. The individual was faced with meeting expectations and accepting the responsibility so that she could meet those expectations. She explained to us how she put tremendous effort into working hard and meeting those expectations by accepting her responsibility. The text that was mentioned also explained how hard it is to meet expectations and the responsibility you must accept to meet them. It told us that hard work must be put in to accomplish such a task. Since these two examples tell us the same thing, that hard work and accepting the responsibility to do that work gives us these accomplishments I am confident in saying that individuals who accept responsibility work hard to do so.
Creative Response -
The King's Aside Continued:
It is the poison’d cup: it is too late.
Perhaps it was too late the second King Hamlet died, but the rewards I have received for committing the act, still and will always possess me. My crown, mine own ambition and my queen that once belonged to my brother prevent forgiveness of my foul murder. Now I lose my queen in the same way I took my brother. O, the sorrow. Yet I must not reveal what I have done, for losing my queen outweighs losing everything I have worked so hard for. I fear the nights will be long and cold without her. The rain from the sweet heavens would drown Denmark if there were enough to wash these cursed hands as white as snow. This would not have happened had Hamlet simply arrived at England as planned. The suffering of tonight would have been the imagined nightmares of children. Hamlet must die if I am to remain King. O, how I wish he was as easy to kill as his father. Laertes will succeed. How can he lose when his point is uncapped and envenom’d while Hamlet’s remains dull and harmless. The cup, should he escape the venom’d sword as he escaped England shall do the trick. One sip and he shall be done for. But how can I keep the loyalty of Denmark should Laertes win the duel. They will be expecting the winner to drink from the cup. What I must say then? A sleight of hand after Hamlet has been struck. There is another cup I can switch it for yet I fear that someone may see me. I can do nothing should that happen. I cannot explain why Hamlet must drink from the cup while Laertes must not. Alas, it is too late and what will be, will be.
Poem To Film Comparison:
1984:
Independent Reading -
Although the beginning of 1984 was not appealing to me I thought that it picked up as it progressed. Overall I enjoyed the book, however it wasn't a novel that I would be interested in reading again. The different concepts in the novel were interesting and I found that trying to picture myself in an environment that Winston and Julia were living in hard not only because it was so different from my present day life but also because it was so awful.
Honourable Mention -
Hamlet's Delay:
The TRUE Reason for My Delay -
Many people have debated what the cause of my delay in taking revenge for my father’s death was. I, Hamlet, am here to set the record straight. I will credit the ideas which are plausible but I promise you that by the time you finish reading what I have to say you will have the true reason for why it took so long for me to take revenge on my father’s murderer (brother). Just in case you’re worried, I will have you know that I will be to the point and precise, much unlike Polonius.
First off I would like to get one theory out of the way right of the bat because it is so ridiculous. The theory that I wasn’t strong enough and lacked the nerve that hero’s are made of makes me laugh. I was more than strong enough. I was prepared to do it when I saw Claudius on his knees praying. The only problem with that was that I wasn’t going to get revenge that way. Killing him after he had asked forgiveness for his sins when he taken my father when my father had not the time to repent for his sins was not revenge. I knew that “...this is hire and salary, not revenge.” (III, iii, 80) and waited for a better opportunity to present itself. I needed true revenge, and I was strong enough and had the nerve to know that, so I waited until the proper moment arose; you may ask if dying was the proper moment for my revenge but I will explain that in a little bit. I feel much better with that one out of the way; it definitely won’t be on my list of hardest arguments to win.
Now I will explain to you my true reason for the delay. A large part of my personality is that I think about things a lot, some people may say in excess, before I take action. That is because I like to think of myself as an amateur philosopher. It is true that “... the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought” (III, i, 85-86) and part of me was glad that the proper moment never arose until I was dying, for who can be mad at a dead man, and even if they are, what do I care? After my father’s death and talking to his spirit, I found it difficult to meet real world situations in some cases, and occasionally I was out of touch with the practical world. Although I was physically capable of accomplishing these things, since I am a thinker instead of a doer I found that it wasn’t uncommon for me to over think situations that I was in, which for common folks could be seen as being out of touch with the real world. I spent the entirety of my life from the time I saw my father’s ghost until I was dying and finally took revenge on Claudius thinking about what should, and what had to be done. By doing this I prevented myself from making a mistake and either killing the wrong man or killing him at the wrong moment. I was able to devise a plan to reveal the truth, because I am such a great philosopher. By putting on a play that showed a man killing his brother, the King, for the crown and all the other benefits that accompanied it I was able to discover that the true killer was indeed Claudius and it was not the ghost who was lying to me. I could see that Claudius was guilty because to us who “...have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung.” (III, ii, 237-239) and Claudius not only winced but ordered the play to stop and left. I also was able to think of the wonderful plan to act crazy. I was able to trust Horatio and Marcellus to “Never make known what you have seen tonight” (I, v, 145) that cold night when the ghost first talked to me. Since I was able to trust those two men to keep my secret I was able to act crazy and convince everyone around me that I was crazy. While I had everyone believing that I was crazy I could think things through, I was able to be certain that my final choice was the best possible one that could be made. Claudius was too busy worrying about making sure that “Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go” (III, i, 190) while what he had to be worrying about was what I was planning behind my curtain of madness. The facade of my craziness also misdirected other people, such as Polonius who then informed Claudius. Polonius believed “The origin and commencement of [my] grief sprung from neglected love” (III, i, 179-180) which further caused Claudius to stray farther from the truth of my plan. Now back to why dying was the right time for my revenge. First of all, if I had waited until after I had passed on I couldn’t have really carried out my revenge, so it had to be either at that point or before my final dual. However, the correct moment had not presented itself before my death arrived, and trust me, I wouldn’t have let it pass had it come. I had thought many hours about what the proper moment would be; for as a hobby I am a philosopher, remember? But like I had said, the moment hadn’t arrived before my death so it had to be as I was dying.
Similar to this theory is the one that I couldn’t persuade myself that murdering Claudius was the right thing to do. I can understand why some may come to this conclusion. I was conflicted with a decision, however it was not whether or not it was right to kill the king or not. The decision that I was faced with was when the proper moment to kill Claudius was. I knew that I must avenge my father’s death and to do this his murderer must die. I knew that by my morals it was okay to kill a man for revenge, for why should a murderer live while my father was taken from this earth too soon. “Hyperion to a satyr...” (I, ii, 140) was my father to his brother, his murderer, my uncle, my ‘father’, should I continue? I don’t believe that there are many people that wouldn’t agree with me that it was morally acceptable to remove from this earth a beast such as Claudius since he had taken the sun god from us. I wish not to continue on this subject so I will proceed to the next theory.
I will accept the fact that the situation that I was faced with was far from normal and seeing the ghost of my dead father unnerved me. I am also aware that had I been faced with normal situations my revenge would surely have come sooner. The play that I planned for the king was indeed so that I could be certain that it wasn’t “a damned ghost that we have seen” (III, ii, 81) for should Claudius’ “occulted guilt do not itself unkennel in one speech” (III, ii, 79-80) we could be certain that the revenge was unjust, therefore I must not kill my new father. Had I not created this plan and not been certain that the man I was to take revenge on was undeniably the man that committed the murder, I would not have been able to carry out my revenge. These were far from normal circumstances and undoubtedly had my father’s ghost not appeared I would have not needed to devise such a plan, because when “my father’s spirit in arms [appears] all is not well” (I, ii, 153) and things must be thought out twice as carefully as under normal circumstances. The only problem with this theory is to believe that I was too damaged to act and eventually take revenge. Had I been that damaged I would not have been able to take my revenge even as I was dying, I would have simply waited to die as everyone else fell like flies around me.
Finally I will explain why this last theory isn’t the real reason for why my revenge was so delayed. It is completely true that I waited until I could prove that Claudius was the true murderer and this was one of the major factors that slowed me in my quest for revenge. It was also tricky to make sure that my mother was kept out of this foul situation. Although not impossible, considering I accomplished it, this detail of my obligations did set my execution of the revenge back a fare bit. The part of this theory that I must straighten out with you uneducated people is that, alas I was still the King’s son, meaning that it was not hard for me to meet with him. The Swiss guards were far from an obstacle that I was faced with during my search for revenge. To add to that, it wasn’t like I was going to poison him in the cowardly manner that he did kill my true father. It was normal to have a knife in my position and once in a room alone with Claudius it was mine own choosing to whether I would kill him or not. Besides it would not have been hard to convince that thing that I had had a change of heart and wanted to get to know him better, have some father-son bonding time alone, and if I had decided that I was going to take my revenge I could have, easily. Just to restate, the guards were not an obstacle.
Now that you have finished reading what I have to say I hope that you know now the true reason for why my revenge was so delayed. The fact that I am a philosopher and need to think things through multiple times slowed the process of revenge considerably. When courage is cast over with thought the outcome will most often be the best one possible, however it will take much longer for it to occur. My story is a prime example of how thought slows reactions, for my revenge was delayed a great deal (perhaps for too long). Facing real world situations and staying in touch with the practical world was also a flaw that set my revenge further back. I have enjoyed correcting all of you who were wrong about why I delayed and I suppose I should congratulate those who were correct, even though it should have been obvious. I look forward to the next time you need to be corrected.
