Just to Clarify....

After my long, yet extremely insightful presentation today, I was humbly approached by my friend Aaron. He said that my blog was very intriguing, but that he had some trouble trying to connect all the ideas to relate it to the main theme I chose.

So I have decided to dedicate a post to breaking it down for my confused readers. I knew the final product of my blog would be slightly abstract. It was an inevitable result from my efforts to keep my blog posts from being trite, and to present new ideas in each of them. But if one thinks about the content for a bit and ruminates for approximately five minutes, one should be able to understand the connections.

Nonetheless, I have outlined my ideas below:

Click picture to enlarge

Hope this enlightens you all,

Henry

Parents Who Need to Simmer Down

If you've ever been submerged in Asian culture, you will know that Asian parents tell their kids to aspire to become one of three occupations. I have simplified it down into a nice diagram below:

My parents are no exception. Since I was 5-years-old, I endured the typical brainwashing every Asian child typically undergoes.
"Henry, in order to become truly successful, you must become a doctor! Make the big money, get a big house! Bring all your relatives over from Taiwan, and we can all live in your big house! Make your momma proud!"
I really had no idea what my mother was rambling about at that time; I was 5-years-old. As I grew older however, I began to understand.
I was 9-years-old when I visited my homeland Taiwan during the summer. (By then, there was already an established Success = Doctor mentality in my head.) That year was coincidentally the year Taiwan was hosting the World Games. As my family toured the sporting events, we stopped by the main stadium. And golly, was it beautiful.

From that moment forward, something sparked inside my head. I wanted to design grand, phenomenal works like the World Games stadium when I grew up. I wanted to be an architect.

On the plane ride home from our trip, I asked my mother: would it necessarily be bad if I became an architect when I grew older? Could I not still be successful? Her answer was simple: doctors make more money than architects do. To her, it seemed that one's level of success was determined solely by wealth. Being the naive child I was back then, I simply nodded my head and accepted her words as veritas.

***

My situation when I was young isn't much different than the relationship between Macbeth and his wife. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth is consistently steering Macbeth off the moral path and persuading him to commit actions he is doubtful of. This influence is extremely evident when Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to murder King Duncan, and also when Lady Macbeth continues to act as Macbeth's cognitive advisory after the whole murdering ordeal. The decisions Macbeth makes are always related to Lady Macbeth's motives. Part of Macbeth's ambition to become king is fueled by Lady Macbeth's desire to bear sons and let the Macbeth bloodline take over the throne of Scotland.

Similarly, my future-career dilemma was greatly influenced by my mother. At that time when I was little, I did not truly want to be a doctor; it was only my mother behind the scenes who was advocating the occupation choice on behalf me. I was not able to voice own opinion and have some self-control over my future.
From both stories, the lesson becomes apparent: an adviser with his/her own agenda is capable of veering your ambitions into satisfying the interests of him/herself. It is important therefore, after considering the advice of others, to have a clear definitive voice in what you ultimately choose to do. Otherwise, your misled ambition may lead you astray from your genuine goals.



*Note: After taking Design Tech in Grade 10, I now have a putrid despisal for architecture.

Being Better Isn't Always Better - The Misconception That Led to My Demise

Math had always naturally been one of my stronger subjects. Since Grade 8, I had been recruited into Mr. White's little cult of enriched math students. Therefore, I knew a lot of concepts that were covered in the Grade 11 math curriculum. I wanted to perform exceptionally well in all my math courses in Grade 11, and I thought that since I already had the knowledge, getting a high ninety wouldn't take much effort at all. At the start of this year, I strolled into my functions and data classrooms with airy confidence, thinking that these classes would be a breeze. I think my teachers knew how I felt too, because as soon as I sat down on the first day, both teachers issued a solemn warning: "You may think that you know everything in this course," they said, "but by not taking this class seriously and not doing your homework, you will be digging yourself a deep grave. If you do not try in this class, don't come crying to me when you receive a bad grade at the end of the year, because you will receive. No. Mercy."
It was a huge mistake not to take those words into heart. Indeed, I did cruise in the high nineties during the first semester. I began to think that the math teachers were just intimidating me with shallow comments. But boy, was I wrong. Pretty soon, I saw a gradual but unmistakable decline in my marks as the curriculum tackled harder material and I continued to neglect my math homework. By the third term, my conceited attitude had completely disappeared, and I was working feverishly everyday to catch up to my high standards. The scenario was synonymous to Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. Even though they were not as smart as me, the students who had worked diligently since the start of the year were getting higher marks than me, who was essentially the hare scrambling to catch up in the race. This experience definitely made me learn an important life-lesson. To this day, I vow to never be so haughty, and to do my homework, even when I think the material is lucid.

***

The connection to Macbeth is instantaneous. Macbeth also fell victim to the trap of over-confidence. His unfaltering faith in the witches led him straight to his demise. Even though the witches were telling the truth, they were only alluding to snippets that misled Macbeth and caused him to make wrong assumptions. Most notable are the following two prophecies:

     The power of man, for none of woman born
     Shall harm Macbeth (IV.i.86-87).

     Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
     Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
     Shall come against him (IV.i.100-103).

These two prophecies destined Macbeth to be doomed, because he inferred that he was invincible, and that he would be victorious in the upcoming siege against Malcolm. Who would have thought that Birnam forest would actually creep towards his castle on Dunsinane hill? Nonetheless, Macbeth should not have trusted the prophecies so easily. Those flattering prophecies that seemed too good to be true should have aroused suspicion. Instead of being so cocky and reckless, thinking that he was surely going to win against Malcolm, Macbeth should have taken more caution.

Macbeth's ambition was completely misled by the fiendish witches; they instilled false confidence in Macbeth, and made him believe that his goals would be easier to conquer than they actually were.

***
Now back to my story.
...My math teachers weren't dumb. Over their years of teaching, they had seen many cases where even the brightest students were seduced by laziness and ended up achieving nadirs in their academic history. Listening to my teachers' invaluable advice and approaching my math courses with a humbler attitude would have made me more successful in school and enable me to achieve my full academic potential.

Focus.

I have always been an avid violin player. In 2009, I managed to qualify for provincials in Toronto, after I played extremely well in the local Windsor Kiwanis competition. While this was good news, it also meant fitting many hours of strenuous, dedicated practice time into my daily schedule. In addition, final exams in school were approaching quickly; the combination of the two delivered a crushing blow to my daily life. The three weeks prior to the provincial competition and final exams were brutal! My daily schedule would consist solely of schoolwork and violin. There was simply no time for breaks or leisure of any kind!

This busy lifestyle undoubtedly affected me negatively. My peers noted how I had completely transformed. My hair was always tangled and greasy, and my eyes had droopy bags underneath them dark enough to be infinite black holes. And above all, my disposition was horrible! A lack of sleep combined with overwhelming pressure truly created a monster. I was temperamental, like a tornado that obliterated anything in its path. Everyone who interacted with me would leave with a stormy cloud over their head. Eventually, even my closest friends gave up on me and let me be.

Becoming a recluse didn't exactly help me either with the student council elections that were approaching quickly. My extinct social lifestyle created distance between my friends, and hence, I did not receive as warm of a support as I did in previous years when I ran for council. My terrible attitude which arose from a hectic lifestyle ultimately caused me to lose the 2009 elections. Moreover, I didn't even win the provincial violin competition! Oh, woe was me! Those were some dark times.

***

The tale of Macbeth is not much different from my personal experience. By disregarding my friends at school and sacrificing my popularity to focus on other aspects of my life, I was essentially setting myself up for the same disaster as Macbeth's. Macbeth originated as a well-liked general who was respected by his peers. By focusing too much on his big goals however, he lost his established ties with influential Scottish noblemen Macduff, Lennox, and Ross, which were necessary to have in order for Macbeth to have become a successful king. Also, Macbeth's ruthless actions, such as the killing of Macduff's family, promoted his formerly loyal subjects to despise him. The loss of popularity became a considerable factor that led to Macbeth's downfall. The Scottish noblemen Macduff, Lennox, and Ross all chose to side with Malcolm in the final siege to crush Macbeth. If Macbeth had maintained his social connections, the allegiance of the three Scottish lords could have turned the tide of the war against Malcolm. My personal example and the example of Macbeth both exemplify how, by focusing too much on achieving our goals, we can lose sight of where we are and forget to interact with the important people around us.

Was It Worth It?

I was an eighth-grader in Southwood elementary school when there was a science fair. It was a school-wide event, and the winner would receive a $500 bursary to perform research over the summer with an esteemed professor from the University of Windsor. This, of course, brought some vivid hype to the academically-inclined kids at my school, including myself.

The reality was, only two kids in Southwood were likely to win the science fair and obtain the bursary: Anas, my best friend, and I. We were both rare prodigies back in our day, so everyone was expecting us to be the main competition.

Two weeks after the science fair had been announced, Anas and I were both well on our respective ways to success. He had chosen to build a conventional miniature Tesla coil, whereas I had opted for a more creative approach: trying to construct an ipod Taser. Video on How to Make an ipod Taser


The night before our displays were due, Anas and I decided to rendezvous to help each other finalize our projects. (We were best friends then, so we did everything together.) He showed me his entire Tesla coil demonstration, which was very impressive. As for me however, I had done some thinking before I had went to Anas's house to show my project to him. I knew that there could be only one person who could win the five-hundred-dollar bursary. I also knew that Anas was the only viable competition that could pose a significant threat to my victory. Therefore, I only showed Anas a very basic model instead of my real project, which was actually stashed under my bed. I presented to him an early prototype that I had made weeks earlier, to give Anas a false idea of the competition that his project was going up against. We both tweaked our projects, and wished each other earnest luck for tomorrow's competition.

You can imagine then, how much of a surprise it was for Anas the next day. As I unveiled my secret, real, glamorous project, Anas quizzically asked, "Did you do this all in one night?" But we both knew the answer to that. It would've been impossible to make that much progress in one night. I had already invested numerous long, laborious nights in order to produce a project of such high caliber.

This incident was the start of the break-up of our friendship. I had lied through my teeth to my best friend, just to win a monetary prize. I did end up winning the science fair, but when I stood up on that podium to claim the award and saw Anas's dejected face in the crowd, I knew that I had also lost something much more.

***

This scenario has a striking similarity to Macbeth's relationship with Banquo. Like Anas and I, Macbeth and Banquo were initially best pals, the most intimate amongst all friends. From the witches' first encounter though, Macbeth started to formulate his own ambitious plans, and eventually betrayed Banquo in the process. When Macbeth became the King of Scotland, he became paranoid and took the witches' prophecies too literally. Afraid of being overthrown, he arranged the assassination of Banquo and his sons. Had his ambitions not drove him to madness, Macbeth would have kept a great friend, who could have helped him stay in power and given him invaluable advice. As for my science fair, if I had played a fair game and not beguiled Anas, I could have kept a friend that would have helped me out in academics for years to come.

Therefore, in both the case of Macbeth and I, one realizes that it is important to not let overwhelming ambitions cause one to betray close friends and sever deep bonds of friendship.



*Note: All similarities to real people in this blog post are merely coincidental. The following events are purely fictional as well.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of undisclosed individuals.

Cheater, Cheater!

It was a blistering Tuesday afternoon. It was one of those days when it was so unimaginably hot you couldn't focus on anything. Unfortunately, it was also the day of my chemistry unit test. It was 10:30 in the morning, and my black shirt was already soaked like I had slept in Water World for 5 days.

My thinking process was fried. Who cared about polarity and hydrogen bonds? What was electromagnetism? My mind was making all these lame questions when I really should have been feverishly finishing the 5-page long test.

I really needed to do well on this test too. I was stuck at an 87% currently, and if I didn't end the year with a 95%, the chances of me being flogged or disowned by my parents were frightening high. Besides the physical intimidation, I also needed a high mark in chemistry if I was going to apply any prestigious university in Grade 12. God, I needed to ace this test.

Now let me tell you about my friend Jebidiah. He's the top-of-the-class kind of student, and practically a professional when it comes to polarity and bonds. Oh, and did I tell you that he was sitting next to me on this fateful day?

I weighed my options. Our chemistry teacher was busy sipping her OJ like nobody's business. She seemed to be in her own dimension, more lost than Micheal Phelps in the Saudi Arabian desert. I could cheat... a small glimpse couldn't hurt anyone, could it?

...An inconspicuous nudge later, Jebidiah and I were practicing academic communism. He made sure there were no blanks on my page, and we made sure that all of our answers matched.

***

Reflecting back, I can see how this personal experience relates to Macbeth. Like Macbeth, I wanted something so badly that I  went through any means to reach my goal. To achieve a good mark on that chemistry test, I made an immoral decision to cheat. My ambition blinded me from seeing the potential consequences of my actions. If I had been caught, the incident would have left a permanent, ugly stain on my Ontario Student Record. It would have crushed all my future dreams in academics, and being accepted to a prestigious university would be a joke in my agenda. In Macbeth, Macbeth's life spirals downward as soon as he makes the fateful, unwise decision to kill Duncan; my life would have been no different if this cheating incident had been exposed. Macbeth's choice to murder King Duncan and mine to cheat both show how practical judgement can quickly disappear as soon is there is a craving that needs to be satisfied.

We stumble across many desperate situations throughout our lifetimes; hopefully, we can learn from the tragedy of Macbeth and make wise, moral decisions, even in the face of immense desire.

*Note: All similarities to real people in this blog post are merely coincidental. The following events are purely fictional as well.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of undisclosed individuals.

The Theme of Misled and Uncontrolled Ambition

A prominent theme in Macbeth is the negative consequences of unchecked ambition. Macbeth begins as a man of great potential and stature, only to be ruined by his relentless quest to be the King of Scotland. Because Macbeth has such a great yearning for power, a small trigger by the witches' prophecies clouds his better judgement and ultimately makes him commit atrocities. To make matters worse, after the witches have planted the seed of hope in his mind, Lady Macbeth gives Macbeth the final push that is needed. Whenever Macbeth has a speck of remorse for his actions, Lady Macbeth either challenges his masculinity, or simply reassures his doubts and makes Macbeth shrug off the guilt. She challenges Macbeth's masculinity when Macbeth is reconsidering whether he should carry out the murder of the king:

     What beast was't, then,

     That made you break this enterprise to me?

     When you durst do it, then you were a man;

     And, to be more than what you were, you would

     Be so much more the man. (I.vii.53-56)

And afterwards, when Macbeth is ranting fearfully after murdering King Duncan, Lady Macbeth calms him by saying comforting words such as, "consider it not so deeply" (II.ii.41). Most notably, Lady Macbeth dismisses the magnitude of Macbeth's murder of Duncan by telling him to wash the "filthy witness from [his] hand," (II.ii.61) implying that his actions can be easily cleansed and erased by simple water. Lady Macbeth is always alongside Macbeth to provide the emotional soothing Macbeth needs, until the very end, when Lady Macbeth herself falls victim to the emotional trauma caused by the terrible crimes the two have committed.

Macbeth's conquest for power brings about many negative consequences. He foremost lies to his dearest, best friend Banquo (eventually killing him too), breaking the bond of brotherhood and trust between them. The first sign of the collapse of this friendship is when Banquo refers to the witches' incident and Macbeth shrugs the topic off like it is trifling business:

    I think not of them:

    Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,

    We would spend it in some words upon that business,

    If you would grant the time. (II.i.25-28)

Macbeth lies through is teeth to his best friend, indicating the drastic change from being a proper, noble hero, to a deceitful man full of paranoia.

Macbeth also loses the popularity from his other peers. Once a popular warrior famed for his valor on the battlefield and loyalty to the king, Macbeth slowly loses the support from his Scottish noblemen peers Lennox, Macduff, and Ross. His erratic behaviour, such as his guilty outbursts during the feast, combined with poor decisions on his part create the tension between Macbeth and the Scottish noblemen. For example, the murdering of Macduff's family only serves to incite Macduff and cause him to become more determined to exact revenge on Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition formulates a despicable character that negatively affects his popularity. Because of this, eventually, none of the Scottish noblemen that were once loyal to Macbeth choose to side with him in the final siege and Macbeth is left to be doomed by himself.

As Macbeth is consumed by his ambition to become king, he loses his moral values. He changes from a virtuous man to one who constantly uses violence as the solution to his problems (as seen with Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff). Macbeth also has no regard for his country anymore: once he takes the throne, he leaves his country in a state of complete shambles. Macbeth becomes king to satisfy his own greed, rather than to serve his country and demonstrate his leadership. Macbeth’s unrelenting ambition transforms him into someone without a moral code, who obtains his objectives with no regard to the means used and the consequences.

Macbeth’s betrayal of his closest friend, his loss of support from his circle of peers, loss of moral values, and his rash decisions all ultimately contribute to his tragic downfall. Macbeth’s downfall demonstrates how misguided and uncontrolled ambition can be deleterious.

From Now On, It's Macbeth

The blogposts that follow this one will all be for my English FSE.

Thanks,

Henry

A second goodbye.

Just an update, I think I'm going to reach 1000 views by tonight! Thanks for the 'support' guys!

Also, I just felt like I had to mention, that I have currently made 50 cents off my ads, which is pretty stellar. In a couple more clicks I'll be able to go to the dollar store and get something nice! ohboyohboy! ;)

Peace, this time for real,

Henry

Goodbye.

Epic Rap Battles of SH5

"Encore, do you want more..." - Numb, Remix by JayZ and Linkin Park

 So with over 800 views to my blog (which were probably mostly me refreshing the page to edit my work), I felt indebted to make a final bonus blog for all you dedicated followers/leechers. I present to you:

 Epic Rap Battles of SH5

Here's a beat to go along with it, if you suddenly have the irresistible urge to spit these lyrics out loud: *NEW* Beast violin rap instrumental!

  Epic Rap Battles of SH5

Billy's daughter:

Yo yo, mike check, check it,

Dad, I think you've lost it a bit,

Ever since that plane crash you’ve been talkin nonsense lickety split

I love you dad, and I know you love me too,

But im afraid this relationship’s going become overdue,

Why you in this cold house with no slippers or shoes,

It’s like you have no common sense,  your feet are deathly blue,

First this, then you start speaking ballyhoo,

Dad, if you keep this up, you’re going to be eschewed!

Tellin your story in NYC,

People just think your mad, that’s a guarantee,

So do yourself a favour, just stop with the madness,

This isn’t Sparta, all this is just sadness.

NEW BEAT> enter, Billy R-dizzle Pilgram

Hey, Hey, Hey, Check it, Pilgram west side represent, uh, *nods head* uh.

Stop

The hate

On fate.

I’ll go to NYC if I like,

Spread the truth cause it’s right,

Life’s all about the inevitability,

I don’t care about my credibility,

And don’t start tellin me it was the plane crash,

That caused me to go start talkin, cause that’s straight up trash,

So stop being so uptight, talkin in spite,

I just felt that back then, the time wasn’t ripe.

Uh. Unh. Yea. Check it.

Hand it off to my homies on the west side, Traufmadizzle, where you at? <lynn pet peeve;)

NEW BEAT> enter, Traufmadorian Shady

Uh, unh, west side represent,

Chorus:

Here’s where I’m at,

 Here’s where I’m at,

There’s nowhere else I’d be,

Cuz fate’s the referee,

I was destined to be here since the beginnings of time,

To be here telling you about fate, just spittin my rhymes,

Think of it like amber, you’re just bugs trapped in it.

Don’t even think of altering your life, you were born to befit,

Humans, Humans, always crying out rubbish

“We’re all going to die in 2012”, you scream?

Would you all calm down and eat some ice-cream?

Cause I know what happens: a trauf pilot presses the wrong button. JUST SAYING.

Fate's real.

Y'all just wont admit.
So I’m calling quits.

...I knew this was going to happen anyways.

This will be the second last post to this blog.

I'm ending my blog with a bang. You'll see.

But in the meantime, please check out all other aspects of my blog, including the Ads by Google. Especially the ads by google. If they interest you, feel free to click them. This has nothing to do with me making money off every click. nope. nothing.

Please don't spam click, as google will get suspicious and probably ban my website.


Muah, hugs and kisses,



Henry

Not just lions; Ponies, Ligers, and everything in Between - A response to H1 VS H2 3

original blog link: H1 VS H2 3: The Return of the King of the Jungle

Harry, let's talk again. After reading your response to my post on lions, I was compelled to make another response. Again, please don't take anything as offensive, my ideas are only to be considered, not taken personally. S'all good? Ok, moving on.

Well, your first paragraph is slightly confusing in my opinion. Just because Vonnegut's novels are the only ones that you have read which use the "dog barking" phrase, does not mean you should completely associate it to Vonnegut and not give credit to the other authors who use it. I don't think the phrase should be called "a hallmark of Vonnegut" as you worded it. That term is much too strong to describe a phrase that is actually quite common.
Another minor criticism I would like to point out: I didn't see a very strong correlation between what your blog was trying to discuss, and the contents of this first paragraph. I think you veered off a bit in direction and digressed in your arguments. My original post was regarding the specific use of the "dog braking" phrase, and why different animals couldn't be used as well to convey feelings or enhance settings on the book. However, you're first paragraph was discussing how "A dog barked" is a memorable phrase in the novel SH5. I feel that writing your first paragraph on ideas more related to primary topic would have greatly benefited the direction of flow in this blog and its relevance. Nonetheless, you mentioned a very interesting connection regarding image association.

Minor details aside, I want to clarify my intentions when I wrote my "Why Cant a Lion Roar" blog. Harry seemed to have misinterpreted my blog post when he wrote his response. Granted, the purpose of "Far away, a dog barked /a cricket chirped" is to indicate the dead, awkward silence of a situation. However, when I gave my example about the lion, I was referring to using "a lion roared" in a different context. I obviously realize that if an author was to use a roaring lion in a serene moment of the book, the scene would almost definitely be ruined by the picturing of the humongous, vociferous lion in the mind.

What I had meant instead was to use my lion phrase to convey a different set of emotions. Maybe because lions are characterized by their ferociousness and anger, whenever a lion roared in the distance, it could symbolize the tension of a debate that was occurring in the story. Therefore, it didn't necessarily have to be an aggressive lion who roared; it could essentially be any animal performing any action. The lion was just an example in general. Perhaps this entire misunderstanding was my fault, for not explaining properly. I do apologize. But now that you understand what I intended to write, you can see that your argument about lion roars able to be heard 5 miles away is pretty fruitless. Such a stat could only promote the usage of the phrase in a situation where perhaps there was a choleric man in a rage. Then, in that context, one could put, "Meanwhile, a lion roared."

All of these small catch-phrase sentences, if used in the right place and right time in a novel, could surly produce a powerful emotion an author chooses to convey. So down with the trite, lame dog barking. Next time when you (the reader) are writing a creative piece of work, I encourage you to be creative and use a new animal to describe the atmosphere. Just make sure you can justify it when it comes to analysis. :)

Leave RB alone! H1 vs H2 response

Oh hey Mr. Lynn, if you're assessing one of the blog responses for the rubric, please assess this one and count the lion roar response as just a blog post of choice. Thanks!

Original blog link here: H1 VS H2

Harry, first off, please do not take any offense to the following. S'all good? Ok, next thing to mention. Unlike you, I will not be summarizing every idea of yours that I wish to discuss. So for all viewers, if you are confused as to what I am critiquing about, please read Harry's blog thorughly beforehand, because I will not be restating his points. I find this approach to be much more direct and less time-consuming for both the reader and myself.

There are 3 points I'd like to cover through the course of this post. Let's first talk about the first-person narrative. I found your first sentence in your argument to be confusing.

"Rebecca Black's first person narrative really wasn't what we should call "first person narrative." First-person or not, if yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday."

The main concern that I had was that the lyrics you used to support this topic were not in third person at all. Like what Vonnegut did in SH5, Rebecca Black only uses first person in various parts of her song. The beginning describing her personal life is narrated in 1st person; however, Yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday, are simple claims that seem irrelevant to this subject.
You also made a point about connecting to the listeners' thoughts and feelings.

If Rebecca Black was trying to connect to the listeners, she could have tried in a more emotional level.

Keep in mind that Rebecca is trying to connect to a younger audience that has yet to mature. So while these lyrics may seem unrelatable to you, a brilliant academic student in Grade 11, they may connect instantaneously with a 3rd Grader who's stress-free and just looking forward to a Friday. I think the biggest misunderstanding in your claim was in thinking that Black is trying to reach out to listeners like you; instead, I felt that she had the intention to target a different younger, less mature audience. Thus, I believe that her 1st person perspective is still valid, as it still tugs at the heartstrings of young boys and girls, who DO wake up for school, and who DO eat cereal everyday. You are still absolutely right when you claim that her life adversities do not apply to older people, who on the contrary, may think these lyrics are repetitious and bland.

Next up is regarding the various perspectives. First off, I felt that you were being a little too harsh on Rebecca Black. Your post was supposed criticize my connections and ideas, and yet, I felt that you were constantly hashing out on Rebecca Black instead, deploring her, for lack of a better word, 'substandard'  lyrics.
You made a great emphasis on how the rapper choose to use a school bus to convey his emotional excitement. And once again, I have to remind you, these are little kids that are listening to this music. What better way is there to connect to these young people who hop on and off a school bus five days a week? I can see why the rapper would choose to relate using a school bus. Tell me harry, when you were a kid, if you ever took the school bus, did you ever have those days when you just couldn't wait to get home, and you'd jump off the school bus as soon as you could? I think the rapper was trying to recall these nostalgic moments that every child who takes the school bus has felt, and transfer that energy into enjoying the song Friday.

And lastly, there is the concept of fate. I can understand why you would have mixed feeling for this one, Harry, as this idea is quite original and daunting. The major problem I had about your argument for this one was how you focused too much on whether Rebecca Black did or did not have the intentions of incorporating fate, rather than discussing the connection itself. Whether Black intended to make these profound connections does not matter. In class, when we discuss our novels, do you think all of the ideas presented by our peers are those the authors had in their minds when they were writing their books? Definitely not all of them. The joy in every fine piece of artistic medium is how many people can have different interpretations. What matters is how you defend your personal interpretation. In my blog entry, I made a far-fetched connection, as you said. However, I was slightly disappointed in your response because I wanted to read about the flaws in my argument, such as whether I had justified it enough, rather than whether Rebecca Black had intended for this idea to be present in her song lyrics.

So that's my stance. Please don't take anything personally, I really felt that you had some good ideas in your response post to my original post.

Toodles, muah, hugs and kisses,
Henry

RB VS KV

I’ve discovered something extraordinary. But first watch this video:


Now, I present to you…..

How Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and Rebecca Black’s Friday are Similar to Each Other

1. The Repetition
This first point is by far the most straightforward connection. After reading SH5, we all know how much Vonnegut likes to use the certain catch-phrase “so it goes”. He uses it one-hundred and sixteen times, to be exact. I haven’t bothered to count up the number of times Rebecca Black says the catchphrase “it’s Friday” in Friday, but it’s a ridiculous, overwhelming amount as well. It is important, however, to distinguish the uses of the repetition. Vonnegut uses “so it goes” every time death occurs. The phrase emphasizes the numbness after so many deaths, until the readers learn to accept each tragedy as “just another occurrence”, and move on. Rebecca Black’s “it’s Friday” phrase serves a different purpose. The constant reiteration enforces the prominent theme of the song: Friday. After four minutes of listening to Friday, listeners get a solid understanding of Black’s excitement and passion for that particular day of the week. Nonetheless, both Vonnegut and Black use repetition to achieve different objective in their media.


2. The Poteweet
Vonnegut’s uses the bird chirp “Poteweet” effectively, especially at the conclusion of SH5, to imply that there really is not anything intelligent left to say after a massacre like Dresden’s. Similarly, when Rebecca Black introduces the lyrics "yesterday was Thursday/ today is Friday/ tomorrow is Saturday/ Sunday comes afterward", she's implying that there is not much left to be said about Friday. Black and Vonnegut can only discuss their ideas to a certain extent, before it is up for their audiences to realize the plainness of the subject matter. When there is nothing significant left to talk about Friday or the bombings of Dresden, Vonnegut and Black both rely on simple lyrics/phrases to hint how everything that needs to be said has already been covered, and that all that is left is for the audience to interpret the information.


3. First-Person Narrative
At key moments in SH5, Vonnegut occasionally reverts to the first-person narrative, which is easily distinguishable from the abundant third person perspective that is used. For example, when Billy is touring the prison camp toilets and notices someone suffering from diarrhea, Vonnegut adds in a small detail saying, “I was the that person [excreting my brains out]”. This writing technique validates Vonnegut’s experiences and reminds the reader that many of the events in SH5 are actually recounts of Vonnegut’s real-life war experiences.

For Rebecca Black’s song, the majority of it is actually first person. Essentially, she is narrating her own life on her lyrics. The first-person narrative is especially dominant in the introduction of the song: “Seven a.m., waking up in the morning, Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs, Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal …”, as Black recounts her own routine life in the form of lyrics. Both Vonnegut and Black use first-person narrative to connect to their audiences more with their own personal life, instead of only referring to an estranged, third person character that may seem too distinct to relate to.


4. Varying Perspectives
There are instances in SH5 when neither Billy’s nor Vonnegut’s view is used. Instead, a different character’s emotions and character flood the pages. An example is Valencia, when she is rushing to the hospital to see Billy. It is only by viewing Valencia’s perspective that readers obtain a true sense of her frantic and hysterical emotional state.

Likewise, Friday does not solely use Rebecca Black’s perspective. Some point in the middle of the song, an interlude interrupts the lyrics depicting Black’s typical day. The interlude showcases an African-American rapper who exudes his enthusiasm for Friday by describing the rush he feels when he is cruising the streets and passing school buses. Although only taking mere seconds in the song, this interlude symbolizes one of the most crucial themes in Friday.

Depicting an African-American adult celebrating exemplifies the universality of Friday. Everywhere around the world, listeners of different ethnicity and varying ages, whether it be teens like Rebecca or adults like the rapper, can relate to Friday. Incorporating a person with a different cultural and social background in the song Friday really accentuates the bigger, more profound hidden themes of the song Friday: universal happiness and acceptance.


5. Fate
Perhaps one of the most essential connections that I made is regarding fate. Fate is a concept that is deeply explored in the novel SH5. The motto written on Pilgram’s office, the Traufmadorian concept about being trapped in amber, and the general nonchalance attitude Billy adapts throughout the novel, all support the notion that we are merely existing, and that there is no use fighting against the unalterable.

Rebecca Black also refers to fate in Friday. She expresses this profound theme by weaving them in her seemingly shallow lyrics.When she is debating which seat to take (Kickin' in the front seat / Sittin' in the back seat / Gotta make my mind up /Which seat can I take), Black is actually exploiting the pretense of free will. Her music video depicts a car with all the seats occupied by her friends except for the middle back seat. Naturally, there is only one outcome that can happen: Rebecca must take the middle back seat. However, Rebecca still decides to challenge fate in her lyrics and point out multiple possibilities when there is actually only one. By doing so, Rebecca Black mocks the idea of fate. The way the story unfolds in the music video and her ultimate decision (she ends up taking the middle back seat) implies that challenging fate is a futile action, and that in life, the inevitable that has already been set in stone is bound to occur. Like Vonnegut’s novel SH5, Friday explores the notion of fate quite extensively.

Anfkgs in Alabania

If you were to start writing a novel, what would be the basis for your work? Vonnegut obviously chose his war experiences but seems to have tied them into a somewhat laissez faire view of life. What do you feel the public should learn through your story-telling? Explain the genre, character types and / or general plot of a book that you would write.

Well fortunately, I've always wanted to write a novel, so I guess now would be the perfect time to reveal my story idea.

Firstly, I want to write a fiction novel. Pure fiction, to be exact; not like Vonnegut's warped story with snippets of his real-life experiences. Since I was little, reading has always been an opportunity for me to escape reality and touch on the most far-fetched ideas. I recall being enthralled in Grade 1 by a book about pink fluffy ponies leaping on purple rainbows. Everyone occasionally needs some fiction to enlighten their minds and extend their imagination. My theory is that if you live your entire life in reality, why would you want to spend your time reading about more of the same boring material?

Secondly, I wouldn't really have anything specific as a basis for my work. Maybe my dreams, just because of the sheer spontaneity and creative potential that dreams often have. The point of my fiction novel would be to keep the plot very humorous, whimsical, and light. Nothing too treacly or serious. Again, let me emphasize that I would want my novel to be pleasurable to read, something that would entertain readers and let them have a good chuckle or relaxing smile after a stressful day of work.

So with that being said, let's get to the specifics. My fiction book would be titled, "Tommy in Paradise". Here's a brief summary:

Meet Tommy. Six-year-old Tommy lives a boring lifestyle. He goes to kindergarten. Eats. Sleeps. Routine stuff. He yearns for something exciting to happen in his life.
His wish comes true when, one day, as he is rummaging in his attic, he discovers a pink book with blue and lavender ribbon embellishments on the cover. Curious, Tommy opens the cover, only to be blinded by a radiant yellow light. Tommy is suddenly warped into the book.

The book turns out to be a black hole in disguise, and Tommy is sucked into another universe. As he is being sucked in, Tommy meets Asster, a friend of his, who is coincidentally also being warped. They stick together and find themselves on Alabania planet. In Alabania, there exist creatures that look like ponies. They are unique from ponies, however, in that their species' name changes every 2 seconds. So 2 seconds ago, they were called Yijous. But now, they are called Wefrts. And so on, every two seconds. Tommy and Asster are immensely confused by this odd tradition, but eventually learn to accept this odd nomenclature system on planet Alabania.

Initially, Tommy and Asster are persistent in trying to find a way back to home on Earth. Gradually, however, Tommy becomes more inclined to the jocose environment on Alabania. The Jjkfgs are very friendly to Tommy and Asster. The Rkjsnafs teach Tommy how to fly and create rainbows with his chest hair. (There are rainbows on Alabania, and Tommy has chest hair.) With his newly-acquired talents, Tommy is a lot more happier than he was back on Earth. On the contrary, Asster adapts a completely different attitude. Asster refuses to learn the ways of the Infkjs. He romps around gloomily, as he refuses to adapt to Alabania and the Renkts. The two kids become more separate as time progresses.

25678909876890876890876543567890987 years later, the Traufgfs discover a warp tunnel on Alabania that connects back to Earth. Asster and Tommy are both given the opportunity to leap into the portal and return to their former lives. In the end, Asster chooses to warp back to his boring life back on Earth, whereas Tommy decides to stay with the Rwnadfs and lead a life of glamour, fun, excitement, and rainbows. The book concludes as Tommy zooms accross the Alabania sky, leaving a rainbow trail behind him. Even better, a Yfnfvrnjk flying under Tommy also does the same, creating a double rainbow. The epilogue proceeds to say that Tommy lives a fruitful, fulfilling life until his death at the ripe age of 95.

Fin


Character Analysis:

Through his life-changing experience, Tommy learns to look at life in a whole new perspective. He sees the world as something new and galvanizing. Undoubtedly, Tommy is the dynamic protagonist, as he changes from an average child with a dull lifestyle to a child who can fly and perform amazing feats (ie. make rainbows on demand)

Asster is obviously the foil character who is unwilling to change and adapt to a more vivid exciting lifestyle. Asster's personality accentuates Tommy's insipid prior lifestyle on Earth and how much Tommy has changed since.

Why can't a lion roar?

If a dog can bark for no apparent reason in SH5, why can't a lion roar? It’s a question I ask myself every day, but to no avail.

I'll tell you a short story. Once upon a time, many prestigious authors (see comment section for some examples), decided to add a little catchphrase in their books: "Far away, a dog barked." The motive behind this startling revolution was not publicly revealed. Naturally, readers and critics started discussing in great lengths what this sentence could possibly mean.

"It signifies the awkward silence in that particular moment in the story," claimed an English teacher.

"From my perspective, it's simply a means to detract all the seriousness from the text. It’s Vonnegut’s strange humour,” hypothesized an erudite scholar.

“It’s Vonnegut’s way of winning,” Charlie Sheen confidently stated.


…So what does this catchphrase mean? Has there been deep thought put into this sentence, and is it just so profound that I can’t understand it? Or is this barking dog just something insignificant Vonnegut tossed in to meet a word count?
If you ask me, I agree with the English teacher. But I’m curious. If it turns out to be just some irrelevant flotsam, then am I allowed to interject my stories with a “meanwhile, a lion roared”? I could say that the lion symbolizes the conflict between two characters and provides a brief comforting pause amidst the chaos in the plot. ;)

I find this outrageous! Tell me what you think. Meanwhile, watch this lion roar:
or these lions purr:

My Life: Henry Cheng $31.95

Everyone was just so happy.

Six-year-old Henry wasn’t sure exactly why, but the people around him seemed more cheery than usual. Someone had just shaken him awake from his afternoon nap, and his mind was still reminiscing of his warm yellow blanket. And so he sat dazed, wondering what the commotion around him was about. This awkwardness continued for around five minutes, until Henry finally decided that it’d be best if he resumed his nap. So he dropped unconscious. But moments later, his obnoxious mother woke him up.

“HEEEENNRYYYY!!! WAKKKEEEE UPPPP. IIITTT ISSS YOOUURR BIRRRTHDAYYY!!!!” Henry was reminded of the Discovery channel he had been watching earlier that day, when the ostrich would scream incessantly when it was chasing its prey. Thus, like what any targeted prey would do, Henry activated his natural defensive manoeuvres. He began flapping his arms wildly, eyes still closed, in a desperate attempt to thwart his predator.

Henry’s efforts were futile. He was dragged to the living room, where the cheery people were still celebrating. He was just about to throw a tantrum, when some birthday cake was abruptly shoved in his mouth. Things suddenly became much better for Henry. He now understood why everyone was so happy. The cake was simply delicious! He yelped a cry of immense pleasure, and then proceeded to be cheery like the people around him. He stood up and performed a happy dance ritual, swinging happily back and forth to the music. Oscillating, back and forth…




Henry was still swinging, weightless in the air. But he had somehow he had warped into a playground. He was swinging on some child variation of a zip-line. It was amusing. He’d walk to one side of the playground, grab the device, and swing across. Repeat. Walk across. Swing to other side. Repeat. Henry chuckled with ingenuous glee. Then, however, on the third time, something went awry. After swinging on the zip-line continuously in the same fashion, Henry thought it would be interesting if he tried something new. His mother had always taught him the ancient Chinese proverb 不入虎穴焉得虎子, which meant “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. So he set out to abide by these principles.

Upon some deep contemplation, Henry finally decided he would attempt to swing with full speed on the zip-line and let go midway. His logic was that if he was fast enough, he could possibly hit the ground hard enough and bounce off to the moon. Coincidentally, he had been watching E.T. the night before, which is probably how he thought of the stupendous idea.

His first attempt was futile. Henry got sand in his eyes, and rocks in his bleeding knees, but this did not deter him one bit. His mother has also once taught him, 如果一開始你沒有成功試再試 (if at first you don't succeed try, try again). Henry’s determination was only further fuelled by his initial failure. So he got up and gave his plan a second attempt. This time, something magical did happen! Despite failing to fly to the moon, Henry discovered that his left arm had mysteriously morphed into a bent shape! He excitedly ran to his mother to share what had happened. Halfway there however, the pain hit him like beam of scorching laser.
…Moments later, screams echoed across the playground. Henry had fractured his arm, and his parents were rushing him to a hospital. Henry never believed in proverbs after this incident.

The car ride to the hospital was excruciatingly painful. Henry writhed in pain, with cold sweat dripping from his brow. “Oh my,” Henry’s mother exclaimed. “That’s a nasty shade of purple.” Henry fainted.




When Henry awoke, he was in the middle of a road. He adjusted to his surroundings. It was a crisp sunny day, and the school bell had just rung. Children were flooding out from the school doors. As the children walked by Henry, some stopped and stared, with their mouth gaped open. Again, Henry was struck with confusion. Why were people treating him so peculiarly? Then he noticed a red Volkswagen parked awfully close next to him. And then he observed his contorted leg. Gosh, it was nasty shade of purple.

At that moment, Henry had an epiphany. It seemed like the bright sun had all of a sudden focused entirely on him. He could even hear the angels in the sky singing a D major chord in perfect harmony. Henry had just realized that he got hit by a car. He felt really anxious for a moment. But then Henry realized that he didn’t have anywhere to go on such a fine afternoon, and that he really couldn’t go anywhere anyways with such a disfigured leg. So Henry lay down on the pavement to wait for an ambulance. Somewhere far away, a dog barked.

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Vonnegut deserves vulgarity

One late night, I decided to do some background research on Dresden. I thought, anyway, that it would probably be a good idea to understand where Vonnegut's ideas were coming from before I read SH5.
Here's what I discovered:

Comparing these before and after pictures, do you think it is fair for Vonnegut to exploit the vulgar side of war? Keep in mind that the poor fellow had to view these traumatic experiences first-handedly. What he witnessed in his lifetime would undoubtedly affect his writing.

Rather than viewing this aspect of his writing so negatively, why not embrace it? It is true that what Vonnegut witnesses in real life adds a scathing, sometimes macabre tone in his books. However, I think that it provides an important realistic perspective. All books can't be flowery and nice. A gruesome detail here and there only encourages the reader to realize that war is too often glorified in texts. SH5 only serves as a faithful reminder of the real brutality and misery of war. And that's no reason to censor his book. Give Vonnegut a break.


Until next time!
Henry

Censorship? I think not.

Has censorship ever done this world any good? Maybe the initial reason to censor is good. The Americans, for example, probably banned SH11 to maintain the positive morale of their people during the Vietnam war. Nonetheless, censorship has almost always led to problems. What begins as a good intention can quickly be manipulated by the people in charge. Take China, for instance. It may be for the country's sake, but its media and internet censorship has stirred a whole vat of problems concerning freedom of speeches and human rights. This brings me to my second point.

Another reason to reconsider censoring objectionable materials is that people should have the right to voice their thoughts, no matter how controversial or perverse they may be. Censoring is no solution. It`d be better if people could evaluate diverse opinions, and then come to a conclusion by themselves whether each opinion is right or wrong. Censoring only breeds ignorance, as people become unaware of new ideas and become too narrow-sighted.

SH5 definitely poses the risk of offending people. It presents a very pessimistic, degrading, if not slightly scornful, view on Americans. I don`t think, however, that people should ban it for that reason. People should be allowed to read his novel, contemplate why he writes so negatively on Americans, and then make their own judgment from there. Even if one does find Vonnegut`s book to be offensive, he or she should still have the integrity to respect Vonnegut`s stance, even though he or she may disagree with it.

If censorship existed, where would we be? The Nazis censored the true nature of the Jewish massacre in WW2 from their own German people. China, to this day, still filters online results of the Tienanmen Massacre from its people. So don`t suppress truth or ideas. Offensive or not, it is still good to let people reflect on controversial materials, such as SH5. Let the world think.

Hahahahahahahahahahahaaahaha...

Write a response to or commentary about one of the Vonnegut quotes from the handout provided. Explain how the quote reveals something about Vonnegut that can also be found in his writing. Make a connection between the quote and the novel or a personal connection to the topic or message in the quote that you've chosen.

Humor is an almost physiological response to fear. - KV

This statement applies to everyone in some point in their lives. I remember experiences in elementary school, when I shrugged things off as a joke on the exterior, whilst my insides were jumping with disquieting fright. Vonnegut's absolutely right.

This quote is also quite evident in Kurt's own novel. The humor Vonnegut employs in SH11 hides his deepest fears of the war. All the horrors that he witnessed, when narrated in the book, is shrugged off with a tone of dark humor. Kurt's comrades get perforated with bullets until they resemble swiss cheese; so it goes. He sees and smells the burning corpses of Dresden; so it goes. Kurt uses this bland, repetitive humor to cover up his fears.

I thought of a couple of more examples, but my eyes are bleary, and I don't want to make it all formal... I'd like you to meet a long-time friend of mine: point-form.

- When Billy, Weary, and two scouts are stranded in enemy territory, it's obviously a hopeless situation for them: weak, tired, dejected, the situation couldn't be any worse. Vonnegut uses Weary's delusional mind, however, to lighten the mood and entertain the reader. Remember Weary's 3 musketeer exploits running vividly inside his own head? How he wraps his arms around the shoulders of the two scouts saying, "So what shall the musketeer's do about this?"...and then the scouts ditch him and Billy. I found that quite humorous, but also realized that perhaps Kurt was trying to mask his pain and fear at that time with some comedic relief.

- Another is Billy's silly apparel that he wore while being a POW; I recall the shiny silver Cinderella boots the most. The tight small flamboyant vest that accentuated Billy's armpits were also hilarious. Again, the portrayal of such a silly character could have been part of Kurt's attempt to mask the gruesome realities and conditions of being a POW. It is true that Kurt was POW during the real war in his lifetime...

-Finally, the whole feces incident at the POW camp, when a person is heard saying, "I just about defecated everything except my brains. [Moments later]...there they go." There were a bunch of amusing comments that diminished the real fears and horrors of that scene, such as the illness of the American troops and the god-awful stench that must have filled the entire camp.

So from all these examples, I noticed that Vonnegut tries extremely and excessively hard to incorporate humor into Slaughterhouse 11. His quote "Humor is an almost physiological fear to fear" can attest to that. Maybe Kurt is using comedy as a means to deter himself, and the readers, from facing the absolutely fearful events that he witnessed in the war.

Again, sorry for a lack of organization and formality to my thoughts, but I suppose you'll be more lenient with grammar and typical structure since it's a blog.

That is all.

Fate’s Bogus

This video will blow your mind. But I still think fate is a bunch of ballyhoo. Now read my blog.

Is there an omnipotent force that determines every step of our lives? I don’t think so. I believe in the notion that what you want to achieve solely results from your own actions. If you want to become successful, then you have to work hard to earn it. There’s nothing that forces you to become a specific person; it’s your own life.

Life would be bland if it cohered with the idea of fate. If you knew your life from beginning to end, and if there was no purpose in changing anything, what would be the point of living? Ideally, life should be an exciting adventure, full of quirks and unexpected turns. But by accepting a predestined path for your life, you would be essentially limiting your potential to explore and do great things. Do you want to be someone like that? Someone who strives for nothing and mopes around all day, believing that the outcome of their life is already set in stone? Because people like that are definitely not the ones who have meaningful accomplishments in their lives. Fate turns you into an apathetic individual. Instead, realize that you can control your own life, and do something about it!

Interestingly, Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse Five suggests that the world does revolve around fate. Billy’s time traveling ability implies that his life is a like a story that has already been written: Billy can revisit the events in his life, but he can do nothing to change anything that happens. This reinforces the concept of an unalterable existence. Vonnegut also uses the Traufmadorian perspective to allude to fate. Traufmadorians see the world as a long stretch of events that are bound to happen. When Billy talks about free will, this is how a Traufmadorian responds:

“If I hadn’t spent so much time studying Earthlings, I wouldn’t have any idea what was meant by free will. I’ve visited thirty-one inhabited planets in the universe, and I have studied reports on one hundred more. Only on Earth is there any talk of free will.”

Evidently, free will seems like an absurd concept to Traufmadorians. Vonnegut uses Traufmadorian philosophy to explore the idea of fate.

Even though Vonnegut's book strongly suggests that life is a series of unchangeable events, I still find his evidence to be flawed. On what grounds am I to be persuaded, if Vonnegut uses a delusional Billy, who cracked his head in a plane crash, and a far-fetched extraterrestrial species, to convey his ideas of existentialism and fate? Both of Vonnegut’s means seem ridiculous. There is no credibility to his proof. Quite ironically, free will seems even more appealing to me now after Vonnegut’s bizarre and abstract connections to fate.

Vonnegut displays a strong appeal to fate in Slaughterhouse Five. The notion of there being a fate, however, still seems completely bogus to me after analyzing his absurd connections and comparing my argument to his. So is there really a superior power called fate, which controls our lives? I doubt it. Free will prevails.

Fate is just a fancy word people who fail at life use.

too edgy. new title.

Food for thought

Is it wrong to say that Billy is a "crackhead"? One can use it in a literal sense, because he did end up fracturing his skull from that horrendous plane crash, right?
...Nonetheless, I don't think I should use this in my writing assignment.