Thursday, May 28, 2009

Star Wars Episode 6

Q: "The hero's journey is a journey into the center of yourself." How is this true for both Luke and Anakin (Darth Vader)?

A: Luke started his life without knowing his father, his mother, his sister, and what had happened prior to his birth. He went through his life for years without knowing the truth of his father and what had become of him. He did not even know that his sister existed until he was well into the journey to fight his father. He was forced to fight to find himself and see where it was that he wanted to stand and what is was that he wanted to find for. He was being pulled between what he had been trained his entire life and a jedi apprentice and where his father was and the dark side of the emperor and his desire to turn him dark. He finds himself and decides to stand for the good and try to convert his father back to the Jedi's ways.

Anakin/Darth Vader decided to turn to the dark side during his attempt to save his wife. He did it out of love and affection, but it turned against him and made him lose his wife instead. He made a journey into himself as he contemplated what he should do to take care of his dream. He also made the journey when he was deciding which side he would stay with. He was torned between trusting the Jedi and their attempt to ensure peace in the galaxy by taking over the Republican. He had to look into himself to see what it was that he truely wanted to do and what he felt was right, even though his decision was altered by the dream he had. He did eventually find himself once more when he saved his son from the Emperor. He found the good within and took ahold of it, releasing his loyalty to the Dark Side.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Star Wars Episode 3

Q: Which archetype does Anakin/Darth Vader fit? Why?
Can he ever truely return to his society? Why or why not?

A: Throughout the story and episodes Anakin takes many different archetypes. He becomes a hero as a warrior, a romantic/gothic hero, hero as a lover, an apocalyptic hero, an unbalanced hero, and a transcendent hero. The main archetypes that he aquires include hero as a warrior, romantic/gothic hero, and hero as a lover.

He fits the archetype as a warrior because he faces the Dark Side trying to overcome the Emperor and regain peace in the galaxy. Eventually, he had his arm cut off and it was replaced with a mechanical arm. Later, Obi One cut off his legs during their battle and he had those replaced as well. His Heroism as a lover is portrayed through his love for Padomi and his attempt to save her fate in his dream, even though he becomes the reason that she dies. He is a romantic/gothic hero because in his attempt to save his wife, he ends up switching over to the dark side to gain the powers he thought would save her. He goes through a journey to find himself and ens up going on a trail to the dark side, causing him to ruin his relationship with his wife, his friends, the galazy, and all that he knows.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Finding Nemo

Q: In Finding Nemo there are two hero's journeys. After over viewing the info on Archetypes- who are the heroes? What archetype does each one fit? What are their thresholds, trials, innermost cares? How are they each changed upon their return to their society?

A: The two heroes in the story of Finding Nemo are Marlan and Nemo. Marlan is a hero as a lover. His adventure and journey are intended to find and save his son who was taken by some divers. He risks his life and many obstacles for the sake of his son's life.

Nemo is a hero as a Scapegoat. He attempts to save the lives of the other fish in the tank and return them to the ocean. He risks his own life to save theirs. His journey is a quest for identity and a warrior's journey. He tries to find his own identity and find a sturdy stance for himself against his father, while trying to find his father's acceptance of who he is and give him the responsibility of caring for himself as well as others despite his physical obstacles. He experiences his threshold when he discovers that he is capable of completing anything despite his " lucky fin" and does not need his father and accepts his father and the reasons for what he does things. His warrior's journey comes when he discovers he is capable and then tries to save the other fish from the tank and help them return to the ocean.

Marlan's journey as a hero of love is soley to save his son. He travels through the ocean and experiences many different challenges and finds a new friend. He learns to see that Nemo is capable of doing everything and does not need his help and guidence for everything he does. His warrior journey comes from traveling to save his son.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Is California Worth Living In?

Q: Is California worth living in when it experiences wildfires, earthquakes, heat waves, flash floods, snow blizzards, volcano eruptions, tornadoes, the Santa Ana winds, and big storms? What keeps people here? What do other places experience that we don't?

A: Here in California, depending on where you live, you have some sort of intense weather that jeopardizes your home, family, and friends who live there. In northern California we have the volcanoes on three sides of the valley that are potentially going to erupt some time in the sort future. In the San Francisco area they experience huge earthquakes while in the mountains they acquire large amounts of snow barricading them into their homes until it can be removed. In southern California they have the Santa Ana winds that pick up spreading wildfires all over the place destroying towns and homes suddenly. Small tornadoes are created, big storms come on the ocean sides, flash floods come washing away anything that comes in its path, and then the heat waves that hit as well.

What is it that really keeps the citizens of California here and encourages others to come and visit, keeping California the Golden State? We do have the beaches stretching up the coast, and much more to experience as well. It really depends on what a person can handle competing with in order to make their life enjoyable. Everywhere in the United States there is some sort of natural catastrophe that they have to endure. There's the Tornado Belt, the hurricanes in the south, huge droughts, and freezing weather on the east coast blanketing the various states with snow and ice. California has probably the most mix up of the various extremities that we can encounter, but not one is the most extreme, keeping them all even in intensity. People must find California as an adventure that keeps giving for all the catastrophes that we experience and the countless that we have coming. For those who do decide to stay, they get the benefit of in-state tuition to some of our great colleges and universities. There is so much to experience it is impossible to never have something to do. Wherever you are you can never run out of activities to experience keeping our happy state the Golden State.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Newsweek: the Catsouras Family

Q: Should this family win their legal battle, or is this truly a free speech issue? if this had been one of your family members- how would you feel? Most news agencies would not show these photos- should they be allowed on the Internet- or does the Internet need to remain unfettered?

A: Currently, the Catsouras family is fighting in order to rid Nikki's horrific pictures of the Internet. Their lawsuit with the CHP has to do with the leaked photos from two of the officers who were at the scene and the spread it caused throughout the Internet. Yes, the family has every right to try as hard as they can to rid as many of the pictures that they can, but unfortunately, they will never be able to completely abolish them or even prevent the spread from becoming even greater. The do have a right to press a lawsuit against the CHP for spreading the photos to their own friends and family even if their intentions had nothing to do with harming the Catsouras family. Those were closed photos from an accident site that had no reason to be spread.

The family's fight against the CHP goes farther then just a free speech issue. Because of the publicity, the family has been harassed with photos through email and now they all are forced to go through everyday cautiously trying to avoid stumbling upon them once again accidentally. The multiple issues that the family is suing the CHP for have every reason to be. The privacy invasion, infliction of emotional harm, and the many others all have occurred because of two officers attempts to create public services to prevent the same fate happening to others as it did to Nikki. Others who have created MySpace accounts or websites in Nikki's name only to harass and make rude, unnecessary comments should be thrown into the lawsuit as well for their invasion and infliction they have caused as well. It is one thing to post a funny photo of a pet or friend on a web page or send in an email, but a complete other when it is a picture of a car crash with a young girl hanging out the window with an almost decapitated head. That has much more to do with then just a Freedom of Speech issue.

I believe that the Catsouras family has every right to sue the CHP for the charges they have, but they cannot sue for the fact that the photos were spread or the mention of other people. It is uncontrollable and can never be stopped, but their attempt to avoid this emotional harm for other families that will experience the same unfortunate mishappening is a valid fight. The spread happened because of one simple attempt to avoid another accident of the same degree, but it went a lot further because of the technology we contain in our world today and the amount of publicity and privacy that is uncontrolled.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Sports Figures and Crimes

Q: Tell if you think Micheal Vick, or any other sports figure who has been convicted of a crime, should be allowed to play again. Why or why not? Be specific! 5 paragraph minimum.

A: The debate between a new opportunity or to live with the terrible act of the past has presented itself to society. The decision whether to be allowed to return, or to be rejected and forced to find a new job. Phil Taylor's influencial diction surfaces the two-sided debate of Michael Vick's terrible acts of torture in dog-fighting.

The controversy between fans and organizations has risen in the debate between whether Michael Vick should be allowed to continue where he left off in his football career, or if he should be refused and have to start over from the bottom and work his way up again. Many people are very controversal about this matter. Already, couches and other teams have refused to have him transfer to their team for the upcoming season. Organizations, such at PETA are wanting more actions from him other then him saying, "I've changed." Many people are for his return to the NFA while others will oppose it as much as they can.

This debate is very understandable for the PETA and other animal treatment organizations to be desireable of more action from this pro-football star. Because he is already 29 years old he is now going to be competeing with younger, faster, more competitive players that can do even better passes then he was able to. It is very understandable for people to be wanting more from his actions and for there him to give something back for what he has taken. In many peoples opinion, he has not recieved a long enough sentence for his actions of torture. He has offered to do public service statements promoting animal welfare, but will that really show that he has changed or will it just give brownie points for him to return to his football career.

Many children and people look up to star athletes and love to follow their favorite teams through the seasons. How right is it to return someone who has convicted such a crime to return to the sight of Americas youth and be their role model once again? What kind of image is this going to give those who dream of achieving in the same sport. This could convince Americas youth that doing such crimes can still allow you to come back and return to doing what they love doing. This will give a very morally wrong image to many people promoting crimes. This irresponsibility should not be awarded with stardom and high respect. In many people's opinion, he should not be allowed back and should not be given the chance to pick up where he left off. If he wants to return to the NFL he should have to be back at the bottom and competing with the rest of the new, young athletes striving to play professionally. It is unfair to be given something so amazing back after doing such a terrible act against "man's best friend."

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Duck Tape Dresses

Q: Would you enter the Duct Tape Dress to Prom Scholarship? Why or why not?

A: The contest gives a chance to be extremely original and creative. Many different designs are thought up and made, some very wearable, and others so extravagant you just stand back in awe saying, "Why?" The competition winner also wins $3000 for each person in the first place couple, $2000 for each person in the second place couple, and $1000 for each person in the third place couple.

I would enjoy entering the contest, I think it would be an amazing amount of fun to be able to actually make one of those dresses. The winnings would definiately help for college. The dress gives even more of a chance to be unique and show some creativity. It is a very fun, exquisite way to compete for a scholarship.