What comes to mind when you hear 'the roaring twenties?' Well for me, not a whole lot. I know that it was a time when women got a lot more independence and lost a lot of hair and dress length. I'm guilty of not knowing very many historical facts about this time, but I just assumed that everything was still really old-fashioned and traditional. After reading The Great Gatsby, I believe that I may have been dead wrong.
I'm not a big fan of historical things (movies, books, etc.), so I wasn't really looking forward to this book. However, it seems as though F. Scott Fitzgerald is describing a dramatic love triangle drunken party scene that could have easily taken place in the 2000's. After reading the first chapter, I was totally stunned. I pictured a 1920's party as being very sophisticated with waltzing and expensive wine, not some huge drunken brawl where everyone was totally wasted. Seems more like our modern times, yet also more barbaric.
The way that the characters talk and act is also so similar to us humans now. I thought that all of the new advances in technology, etc. had completely morphed us into a whole different species. Apparently I was wrong. In the 1920's there was still cheating on spouses, fighting, and awkward conversations. I guess things never fully change!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
America is . . . Gran Torino!
I have to admit that I enjoyed doing the 'America is a Movie' presentation much more than the summer chosen essay presentation that we did last quarter. I think that it is super interesting to see how my different classmates view America. Some have totally optimistic points of view, and others view America in a very pessimistic way. Usually I've noticed that everyone focuses on family, which I believe is a huge part of America (and the rest of the world, for that matter!)
(For the 4th block AP Compers, the movie that I chose was Gran Torino). Not only do I HIGHLY recommend this movie, but I think that it represents America very well. Mr.Kunkle told me a funny story about his cranky old neighbor who is really racist and he ACTUALLY told Mr. Kunkle that Gran Torino was written about him! (I guess it actually does hit home closer than I thought!)
One of the main themes of Gran Torino that I've noticed in a handful of works that we've read so far is racism. I wouldn't consider myself a racist, but in certain situations it is very hard to not notice or even discriminate against those who are of a different color than I am. I am always kind to people from other races, but it can create a barrier that makes it awkward of difficult to be completely normal around each other. America is known as the giant "melting pot," so we are surrounded by so many different races and cultures. I think that more people need to learn the history of other races (such as Walt did with the Hmong in Gran Torino) in order to fully understand others and be less judgemental! We can all improve just a little bit more to make the world a better place :)
(For the 4th block AP Compers, the movie that I chose was Gran Torino). Not only do I HIGHLY recommend this movie, but I think that it represents America very well. Mr.Kunkle told me a funny story about his cranky old neighbor who is really racist and he ACTUALLY told Mr. Kunkle that Gran Torino was written about him! (I guess it actually does hit home closer than I thought!)
One of the main themes of Gran Torino that I've noticed in a handful of works that we've read so far is racism. I wouldn't consider myself a racist, but in certain situations it is very hard to not notice or even discriminate against those who are of a different color than I am. I am always kind to people from other races, but it can create a barrier that makes it awkward of difficult to be completely normal around each other. America is known as the giant "melting pot," so we are surrounded by so many different races and cultures. I think that more people need to learn the history of other races (such as Walt did with the Hmong in Gran Torino) in order to fully understand others and be less judgemental! We can all improve just a little bit more to make the world a better place :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Master Your Metabolism
Lately I've been feeling kind of "blah" in the interesting book department. I needed to delve into a book or good read that would spark my interest. Being a proud health freak, I decided to read yet another health book called Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. I bet you're thinking this is a diet book and that I'm crazy, but you're wrong (well at least about the diet part book!)
This book is different from all other health books that I've read. The majority of them just talk about how calories matter and eat raw foods and make sure your meals are balanced. They never mentioned the importance of having your hormones in balance. Jillian describes the three steps to take control of your life: remove the toxic foods, restore the foods that make you healthy, and rebalance your hormones. So far I've only read the first step, so I'll keep you updated as I go along!
The first step (remove) was very interesting. I never knew how many different ingredients in foods can get your hormones out of whack. This is the reason why people gain weight or can never seem to lose it. I never realized any of this! I've been trying to avoid some of the bad ingredients, and I've also learned some fun facts. Attention Soda Drinkers: Do you drink soda from a plastic bottle? The majority of sodas contain either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. This chemical ingredient interacts negatively with plastic bottles and creates the CANCER CAUSING AGENT BENZENE. If you can, drink soda from aluminum cans instead or even better yet, avoid it all together!
This book is different from all other health books that I've read. The majority of them just talk about how calories matter and eat raw foods and make sure your meals are balanced. They never mentioned the importance of having your hormones in balance. Jillian describes the three steps to take control of your life: remove the toxic foods, restore the foods that make you healthy, and rebalance your hormones. So far I've only read the first step, so I'll keep you updated as I go along!
The first step (remove) was very interesting. I never knew how many different ingredients in foods can get your hormones out of whack. This is the reason why people gain weight or can never seem to lose it. I never realized any of this! I've been trying to avoid some of the bad ingredients, and I've also learned some fun facts. Attention Soda Drinkers: Do you drink soda from a plastic bottle? The majority of sodas contain either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. This chemical ingredient interacts negatively with plastic bottles and creates the CANCER CAUSING AGENT BENZENE. If you can, drink soda from aluminum cans instead or even better yet, avoid it all together!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The ANGRY God....Really?!?!
I have to admit that I was starting to get kind of worried after reading/annotating a few essays and discovering that I really didn't have much to say. Colonial history is not really my thing, so it was hard for me to participate in the discussions. When I opened my course reader to page 39 and saw that I was going to have to read an 11 page essay I said to myself sarcastically, "Oh boy, this is going to be a blast." Actually, I was right. I'm excited for our discussion tomorrow because I have LOTS to say about this essay.
If this essay made me one thing, it would be ANGRY. Kind of funny, isn't it? This essay described how God is an angry person, and in the end it turned me into one! I'm not the most religious person in the world, but I do know some things about God and Christianity, and I feel like this essay was definitely a counterpart to commonplace knowledge.
This essay was definitely written in a pessimistic tone, which could potentially be why it made me in such a bad mood. I pick up on those kind of things. I hated how the author constantly repeated phrases such as wrath of God and condemned to hell. Like honestly, how can he prove or back up any of the statements that he made? Did he have a one-on-one chat with God before he wrote this? I don't think so. Sure, he may have found some hell-bound and negative quotes from the Bible, but there are plenty more verses about how God forgives us and loves us unconditionally.
I did not spend more than five summers of my life at Bible Camp and hours at church to learn that God hates me. According to Edwards God apparently, "looks upon me as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire." Seriously?!? This is definitely not true. I've learned from countless songs and sermons that God loves me and everyone else--no matter what they do. We can be forgiven of our sins, no matter how bad they may be. God wants us to be happy.
Edwards essay is terrible, to be quite honest. I don't have strong emotions on many things, but this essay is definitely one of them! My religious faith has nothing to do with this argument that I'm making. Honestly, if our God was so spiteful and hated everyone like Edwards says, then our world would be a much different place and no one would have such strong beliefs or love for a God that wants everyone to burn in hell. This is ridiculous, I'm outta here!
Link: God So Does Love Us!
If this essay made me one thing, it would be ANGRY. Kind of funny, isn't it? This essay described how God is an angry person, and in the end it turned me into one! I'm not the most religious person in the world, but I do know some things about God and Christianity, and I feel like this essay was definitely a counterpart to commonplace knowledge.
This essay was definitely written in a pessimistic tone, which could potentially be why it made me in such a bad mood. I pick up on those kind of things. I hated how the author constantly repeated phrases such as wrath of God and condemned to hell. Like honestly, how can he prove or back up any of the statements that he made? Did he have a one-on-one chat with God before he wrote this? I don't think so. Sure, he may have found some hell-bound and negative quotes from the Bible, but there are plenty more verses about how God forgives us and loves us unconditionally.
I did not spend more than five summers of my life at Bible Camp and hours at church to learn that God hates me. According to Edwards God apparently, "looks upon me as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire." Seriously?!? This is definitely not true. I've learned from countless songs and sermons that God loves me and everyone else--no matter what they do. We can be forgiven of our sins, no matter how bad they may be. God wants us to be happy.
Edwards essay is terrible, to be quite honest. I don't have strong emotions on many things, but this essay is definitely one of them! My religious faith has nothing to do with this argument that I'm making. Honestly, if our God was so spiteful and hated everyone like Edwards says, then our world would be a much different place and no one would have such strong beliefs or love for a God that wants everyone to burn in hell. This is ridiculous, I'm outta here!
Link: God So Does Love Us!
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