roman’s blog

Man, things are going downhill pretty fast ever since Okonkwo got exiled. I was hoping that once he returns he’d be able redeem himself, as he always has been able to. I was kind of surprised also, because even though Nwoye has left him, he still had much to look forward to when he returns to his clan and I so wanted to see and his clan succeed. But as Okwonko got depressed with the current state of affairs so did I.  My gut reaction to the Missionaries is “okay whatever, they’re just doing what they think is right” but now they are becoming really irritable and I can see how their actions are destroying a culture and a way of life. I thought about how humans destroy forest lands that push animals to the edge and how all the bystanders who aren’t doing it, see all the negative effects. That is the perspective from which I am seeing the colonization of the Igbo play out. Course I am saddened because the white man had no right to waltz into occupied land and convert and conform its citizens. I’m not sure of their direct motives but how would they feel if another race thought that they were superior in every aspect including religion so they decided to invade England and disrupt its people.

How did British colonization of India affect their society and what were the struggles/problems with colonization?

I basically want to research all the problems that occured with the british colonizing India to learn about what some of the negative affects might be. Although this is just one territories that Britain colonized it seems like it is the most interesting with Gandhi and how they gained their independance from the british. Hopefully there will be alot of compare between the colonization of the Igbo culture and the Indian one.

A. It is about two men meeting on a hilltop overlooking tuscan city phoenix. Steeply a U.s operative is tying o get information out of Marathe the other guy who is member of the wheel chair assassins. Marathe is in to get medical help for his wife and is willing to betray his gang. They end up talking about love and history and Steeply gets completely schooled by Marathe. But maybe is was juts steeply baiting him?

B. Ruminative -to meditate on; ponder.

3. Gibbous-(of a heavenly body) convex at both edges, as the moon when more than half full.

C. Was Steeply only baiting Marathe?

2. Does Marathe really need help for his wife?

3. Why did they talk about love and history as opposed to the topic at hand.

 Marathe’s argument that we choose who to love is quite different from Steeply’s in that there is no choice about whom or what we love. I lean more toward steeply in the same way that I agreed with his explanation of the Trojan War. Steeply came off as the more practical type who would adhere to facts rather than emotions. Yes, I think Marathe is right to a degree that we have the ability to choose who we love but as far as other “attachments” I don’t think there is always a choice. Sometimes these attachments seem to find us and “choose” us instead. For example, many people as if by luck (and sometimes not) have something happen to them that they never seek out personally, such as being born into a certain religion, in which case they’d have less choices to make about who or what to love growing up in that atmosphere. Secondly, Marathe’s notion that one must have, “something worth dying for without thinking twice, because otherwise you’re a slave to self sentiments” is pretty wild, especially considering that not everyone at any given moment is ready to die for something. People can search many years for that thing that’s “worth dying for,” simply because they haven’t found it yet or maybe “it” hasn’t found them yet. Either way, that “thing” whatever it is, is what made Marathe more passionate about his life and is also what makes people who’ve also found it more passionate about their own. It’s all about the search and just because someone else doesn’t know what it is that he loves most, doesn’t mean he never will.

The difference between the presentation of the two accounts is distinct. The first account is more “time specific” oriented and gives a sort of play-by-play description of the earthquake as it unfolded. It is a witness writing about the damage and significance of the quake, however the author did watch it from “out on the bay” and didn’t personally catch all the details that Twain includes when he was on 3rd street in downtown San Francisco.  Twain was able to recall all kinds of people’s reactions and emotions and he includes many examples of how the quake make some people do some odd things, like run naked in the street. Twain’s presentation focuses more on how the quake affected the citizens as opposed to summarizing the earthquake like the first author does. Since this was Twain’s first earthquake experience his account is more in-depth and is centered on drawing the reader in to feel what Twain felt when he was there.

The difference between the two is that they talk about two entirely different subjects, one being “opera and art” and the other “the problem with violence.” What both have in common in that the author is questioning an assertion towards his/her topic. Martin Luther questions that fact that violence can lead to racial harmony. Menotti questions and defends the accusation that opera is not an “art,” he argues that if opera isn’t art, then what is?

“The long held tradition of rewarding children once a year in december communicates our love and expectations towards them, but more importantly the simple act of giving something inflicts our attitudes toward the individuals who receive them and often is a representation of what we’ve come to expect of them.”  

When I try to think back to the times when I needed someone’s help I really can’t put the dot on just one person. For me it’s always been a continues cycle of different people throughout my life. Two years ago I might have said it was Jesus and just other people in my church. But since those days all those people have all kind of failed when I needed support especially when you have “doubts,” or maybe it’s the simple fact that I’ve decided to stop taking their advice and started thinking for myself. Either way, If I had to find someone that did at one time help me I’d have to say it was my youth pastor who I was really great friends with. He was only about five years older than me but he was the greatest role model at the time because his life seemed so perfect…Course I know now that wasn’t the case but either way we were really good friends because we basically agreed on everything. I’ve learned that a simple way to lose people like this is just to simply disagree, so I guess I had it coming.

These days I don’t really have a “lifeline” or so to speak but I take pride in being able to work things out myself. I feel like I don’t necessarily need someone to sit down with and talk about my feelings with because I know that not too many people care about what I have to say so I just take it in stride. On the other hand, I’ve found endless new people that I can look up to. People that are respected, smart, and just plain cool. Like my saxophone teacher is seriously one of the coolest guys I have ever met. He gives me way longer lessons that what I’m paying for… Not just that but we always talk during the week and he’s always giving me free advice and inviting me to all his gigs. He’s always sending new material my way and lately he’s been helping me with my college admissions and I feel like his being there helping me is making the process a lot easier. Simply put it he’s awesome and a very open-minded person who is what I think when I think about me in the future.  

 Critical thinking is something that you aren’t born with. I know I wasn’t. Its a lot like a process… a way of thinking about things that stands apart from passive thinking in all situations of life. I like to compare it to the great scientist, philosophers, and great thinkers of our past. The people who were at the fore-front of thinking, the innovators, the ones who we now may refer to as “enlightened.” Some of them called for new social polices while others ventured where no one else dared. These were the same people that sometimes got a lot of heat but weren’t afraid to propose new theories and new ways of looking at our surroundings and the universe. More precisely, critical thinking means to questions your beliefs and your own thinking, if not other peoples too. You have to make comparisons between different styles of thinking. You are required to question popular cultural assertions, norms, and taboos in the light of reason. You have to know exactly how you think and why, and the reasons behind whyand then evaluate those reasons and ask yourself if they might be illogical, or perhaps terribly cruel. It’s quite literally thinking your own thinking! Equally as important is asking yourself if your beliefs may have built-in you certain prejudices that you may not have been preciously aware of. You must have the ability to recognize those prejudices and their source. Critical thinking also involves logic and reason, without these there wouldn’t be much “critical” thinking in the phrase itself. Critical thinking is thinking about your own thinking, thinking logically, thinking reasonably, and possessing the ability to question everything.

ABC’s

Summary

The text attempts to define what critical thinking is and how it is used and not used in today’s culture.

Vocab

1. Enmeshed-To entangle, involve, or catch in or as if in a mesh

2. Psychoanalytic-a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of conscious and unconscious psychological processes

3. Boisterous- rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy; clamorous; unrestrained

Questions

1. How much do cultural myths affect our ability to think critically?

2. Are cultural myths given special privilage from criticism?

3. Why is it taboo to question cultural myths, more specifically religion?

When I think about my life’s education route I have to stop and wonder, sometimes in awe, of how unfortunate of a road I ‘ve traveled. In no way am I asking for sympathy; I am actually pleased that I haven’t faired worse. But listening to how high schoolers talk about how they can’t bring home anything less than an A used to, not that long ago, really confuse me. I figured I was fortunate that my parents did’t push me in school and weren’t at all involved in my education. It’s not that they didn’t want to push me, no, If they had the slightest clue they would. But they were first generation immigrants possesing little English and no knowledge the school system. They couldn’t tell me to sign up for an AP class or get involved with this club because its going to help me out later. In fact,  I had to explain to them what my grades meant (some students would call me lucky but I’d argue otherwise). This was the start of my education. An open door to developing bad studying habits and a lack of seriousness.

I, being naturally slow with catching onto things, have been sort of forced to figure out how school really works, I think now I understand, but its taken quite sometime to get here and I’ve taken quite some damage. For me this really hits home now as a senior and goes back to when I  first started high school because I knew I had to get better grades but I still really didn’t realize how important that was.  I didn’t get punished for bringing home a C in 10th grade math and that made it alrght to get a B- the next time around. I formed some bad habits but there was no one to sit me down and correct me and tell me I was screwing up. I just didn’t realize I was screwing myself over. Now as a senior I long to have had the parents like those of the role model kids, the kind that push you to the edge and encouraged you to challenge yourself, the ones that make you realize that average is not enough. More specifically, parents that know what “AP classes” are because I didn’t even know about them until half way through my sophomore year. It is very frustrating knowing only with a bit knowledge of the system and a bit more seriousness,  I could be in great academic position, but here I am as a senior with a 3.2 and only 2 semester left to fix that. I know I can get straight A’s and that’s what I’m shooting for but the desired study habits haven’t been formed and I’m really worried about any negative ones carrying on into college. Having said all that, I realize I need to stray away from putting the blame on other people and push myself to rise to the occasion. If anything I have myself to blame for not catching on fast enough. I just wish I had more guidance as a young student. All frustrations aside, I’m really looking forward to what I can accomplish my senior year here at Fife!

My thoughts on college shopping have just recently changed. I used to think that “college shopping” mean’t finding the right college to go to, but now I see more emphazise in the word “shopping” itsself, because that’s what its really all about. From my research (past and present) I have learned that there are plenty of good colleges that I could potentially go to, but It comes down to the real shopping now… I learned that I soon have to make up my undicided mind. My feelings about preparing to apply are less than desired because i’m worried that financially i might be in a rut. Hopefully all goes well.