Journal 2-5-10

In the book Ruined a girl named Rebecca Brown has to move to her Aunt Claudia's house in New Orleans because her father is on a business trip for 6 months in Hong Kong. No one in her New York town can care for her while he is away so she has to relocate herself for the time being. Since her cousin is not in her part of the very expensive prepatory school that she was forced to go to, she has her first day alone. So far Rebecca is very judgemental on her new surroundings and doesn't give anything a chance. Her cousin warns her to stay away from the mean girls there. They are the high priorority girls who get all the guys and are snobs to everyone. Rebecca doesn't seem that fearful or mean towards them but she doesn't believe anyting that they stand for. She is different from other girls and so far the only friend that she has is her cousin. Rebecca is still in need of learning how to make new friends at a place that she hates but soon she will find a friend in a very unusual place. The cemetery.

No More Mister Nice Guy

In this article it's stating that Mickey Mouse has been losing its sales because of the new age. They are now changing the image of the famous mouse into a much more feistire and mischievous one in the new Nintendo Wii game, Epic Mickey, coming out next fall. Some say that there is more than one reason why they are changing the cute little inocent image of the mouse into a more fierce and fearful one. "A tough mouse for tough times." says a caption in the article. They're right. These are tougher times than they were when Mickey Mouse was first created. So now they are making a new mouse for a new generation.

Afganistan: How We Got There

In this articile, it reminds us of America's journey with Afganistan. Like in 1979 when Islamic guerillas threatened to topple the Communist-leaning government in Kabul, and the Soviet Union invading. We have had so many problems with the Soviet Union and after they were dismembered we thought that, that problem was over. It wasn't. Like on 9/11/2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon took place killing 3,000 people because of 19 suicide hijackers. Ever since then Afganistan has been our main priorety. Their leader Osama bin Laden, has created so many attacks on America and some even said that he has additionally planned 50 more. America's president, Barack Obama does not want to see Afganistan start another but completly different, Vietnam war with us. He has sent an additional 30,000 American troops into Afganistan which brings the total to about 100,000 troops. "I do not make this decision lightly," he said, "I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake." Well if it does turn out to be another Vietnam war we will have more than our security at stake then.

Free Speach Vs. Privacy

In the article, "Free Speach Vs.Privacy" two German men who were convicted for a crime committed in 1990 are sueing Wikipedia because of the right of privacy. But Wikipedia has only used their names in the victims profile case, Walter Sedlmayr. Wikipedia is stating that because they do not run their operations in Germany that the two murderers should not have the right to privacy on Wikipedia in the United States. The two men that were released in 2007 and 2008 say that they do have the right to privacy even if it has to deal with an article published in America. People do have the right to privacy but when it involves one person from a different country than the people who posted the stories that involve the other they have a freedom of speach. The organization does have the right to post the information about the people in another country.

Insult or Honor?

The article, "Insult or Honor?" talks about the use of Native American names and symbols for school mascots and team names. Some people say that it is an unsult to use the names of Native American tribes as logos for teams because they are disgracing the tribes good name and putting it to shame. But other people think differently. Some people who are members of the tribes being used are honored for the recognition. "I'm a full-blood, and I grew up on the reservation," says Eunice Davidson, 57, of the Sioux tribe, "I have to tell you, I am very, very honored that they would use the name." I have to agree with Eunice. It is an honor not an insult for using Native American names as team mascots because they are honoring them. It's a remembrance of what their tribes have overcome nad where they are today. The recognition of these tribes are an honor to the people who are a part of these tribes. Some people who are a part of these tribes think that it is an insult to use their tribes name. Most Native American people now are thinking that we are insulting them by using their names in acts of violence. It's just competitive and nothing else is violent about it. They are not starting gangs or making a mockery of the tribes names. "We're talking tears and heartbreak here for our students," says Linda Neurburg, assistant director of American Indian Student Services at the university of North Dakota. We all understand the insult that the natives of the tribes are thinking but we are not trying to make them feel the way that they do. We are trying to celebrate the tribes journey to get where they are today by honoring them in sports regognitions. Five colleges had to change their team logos because people thought that it was a discrace to their good tribal names.If we were in that kind of situation and if we had their point of views on the subject than maybe the severity of the situation would be different to us. The schools that use those names are honoring the tribes for their courage and bravery. Using a Native American tribe name for a school representative is a good way to honor our past.

The Lie

Lie essay
Sarah Broge
4 Johann
January 26, 2010
Lie essay

Everybody doesn’t tell the truth all the time. That is called lying. Everyone lies sometimes. But lying too much could end badly. Not only for you but for the people you are trying to protect.
In the story “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., a teenage boy is hiding his rejection from the famous Whitehill School that his family has been a part of for centuries. He is nervous and he can’t think straight when in the car his parents are talking about how proud they are of their son and how another generation will attend the famous boarding school. When his mother brings up the subject of receiving special treatment because of her son being a Remenzel she has a very good point to make. She defends herself promptly. “Maybe I’m just a simple minded girl at heart but I look through this catalogue and see all the buildings named after Remenzels, look through the back and see all the hundreds of thousands of dollars given by Remenzels for scholarships, and I just can’t help thinking people named Remenzel are entitled to ask for a little something extra.” She says to her husband. The mother thinks that her son deserves special treatment but once they get to the school it is the father that asks for an exception into the school because of their family name. The thing that is wrong about this story is not that the son lied about getting accepted, it’s that the father lied about the special treatment concern dealing with their family history with the school. They could have changed their views on the school and the way that the school handles things appropriately with rejection letters.
I believe that this mode line is a comedy. It may not seem that funny but it looks like it could be a comedy because of the events that happened. The first thing that happened was that it was a normal day in the car, heading to the Whitehill academy for boys. The parents start talking about the school and go into the dining area. That’s the second step. A problem occurs when the main doctor at the school enters and the parents find out that their son was rejected from admission. The resolution to the problem is that the family is now unpleased with the way that the school is being controlled and they decide to leave and never come back. The father even said himself, “I don’t suppose that we’ll ever be coming here anymore.” It returns to normalcy by the family leaving the school in the same sunny conditions that they came in. Just with different thoughts in mind.
Lying is a bad thing when it means you are trying to shield someone from something that might hurt them or getting yourself out of trouble. You can lie for many different reasons but the same outcome still is the end of every lie. Someone gets hurt and the truth comes out. In the story “The Lie”, a boy lies to his parents about getting into a boarding school that their family has been a part of since the beginning time of the school. That particular lie is one of the worst because of the outcomes that are possible. You shouldn’t lie. You should tell the truth every time that you are in a hard situation and there is only two ways out of it. Lying is not something that you would want to make a habit of. It is bad and either way someone gets hurt. Whether it’s you or the person that you are lying to.
Lying is something that is everywhere and everyone lies sometimes. But when the lie gets too severe bad things happen and some traditions have to be broken.

Story of an Hour

Sarah Broge
January 6, 2010
Johann 4
The Story of an Hour

The ways of the 1800’s were not as simple as they are today. You couldn’t get a divorce and women could not be free within themselves. One woman’s journey to freedom finally comes but is taken away from her in about a less than an hour.
The Story of an Hour’s mode line is tragedy. The main character Louise Malard just lost her husband in a train wreck. Only for a few minutes she feels grief. She rises to power when she realizes that she is finally free of his torment and the power over her that he had. She feels free now. Independence is what she gained from his death. But there’s a catch. Her husband is alive. She has to live with him now and her independence and her freedom have been taken away from her as easily as they came. She dies not only from her existing heart problem but she dies because her freedom has died along with her. She can’t get it back unless he dies. But she died instead. Now she is free in another place.
Louise Malard has a hard life. She lives in 1894 and she has no respect because she is a woman. Women were not respected in that time period. She has lost her individuality when she got married to Brently Malard. He supposedly died in a horrible train wreck. She is free of him and she is glad to be away from the torture of the ways of that time. But he’s alive and her happiness is gone as quickly as it came. She dies because the pain of living with him is just too much to bare. She is not a strong woman but she should be respected as all women should be. The times were hard then but that’s what happens when you live in a society run all by men. She is brave and strong but in the end she just falls apart because of the tragic return of her husband in her life.
The way that the author describes the way that Louise thinks is different from what other writers do. Symbolism that is used in this story is kind of like others but the meaning of them if different. The patches of blue sky and the distant song which someone is singing is described on what is happening around her. The sky is clearing up because she is happy again and the distant song is the way that she is feeling. Her heart is singing to her because she is free. Her heart may have a problem with it but it is almost fully healed of the pain that she had received when her husband was alive.
Women in the 1800’s were not as free and open as they are today. Over the years they have progressed in achieving the goals of independence. But sometimes their independence is taken away from them as quickly as it came.