OFOTCN #3

1. Do you think McMurphy would have wanted the Chief to kill him?
        I believe that McMurphy would have rather died than be in the state that the Big Nurse left him in. He was so energetic and full of life that he was basically already dead before the Chief actually killed him. It was his nature to go against society and rebell and be an individual, and I believe that without this aspect of his personality he would not want to continue living. Being as competitive as he was, it became his ultimate goal to defeat the Big Nurse, and to live a life where his existence personified her terrible control over her patients would have been a living hell. I believe that he would have rather escaped into death than remain in his lobotomized prison.

2. What was the fog?
       I believe that the fog was what made the Chief truly insane. It was a combination of his own disorders and the medecine that was given to him. Throughout the story, he often mentions retreating into or coming out of his fog, which seems that the fog is his own universe that he regresses into during bouts of stress or insanity. This creation of a second reality or an extreme defense mechanism is common among schizophrenics, so it would make sense that the Chief would have one as well.

3. How evil is the Big Nurse?
      I saw that the Big Nurse was evil from the beginning. There was just something so insidious and malicious about her manner and system of control that I immediately disliked her. I could see how some people could see where she was coming from and how she might actually be trying to help the patients, but I believe that that persona was merely a guise for her true purpose, which is more sadistic and subtle. Through her unwavering routine and her obeying orderlies, she effectively destroyed what little humanity these poor men had left and created her own little totalitarian regime within the confines of her ward.

4. Why did Billy kill himself?
        Billy, one of the most likable characters in the story, has a revelation at the end of the book that causes him to kill himself. His death comes as such a shock to both the readers and the characters. I think that Billy killed himself because he realizes that the Big Nurse has more power over him than he could ever overcome and that she has abuse that power by making him one of her brainwashed patients. After experiencing a slice of real life, he realizes that the Big Nurse has destroyed almost everything that made such an experience possible. He comes to the conclusion that he would rather die than live in a world without these experiences, hence his suicide.

Cuckoo's Nest Blog 2

1. At the end of this section, the Big Nurse is definitely starting to crack under McMurphy's constant rebellion. His relentless attacks on here composure are beginning to take their tole on Nurse Ratchet. The clearest example of this is when McMurphy pretends to watch the World Series even though there is a blank TV screen (123). The nurse actually loses her temper and starts yelling at McMurphy in front of the rest of the patients. It is clear that McMurphy is starting to get at her.

2. The Chief still is a bit mysterious to me because he does not give very much insight about himself at this point in the book. He does seem to favor McMurphy in this conflict, and he adds to the story by giving an almost entirely removed and very observant perspective. McMurphy definitely gives the Chief confidence and makes him feel that he can stand up to the Big Nurse, such as when he raised his hand to watch the World Series.

3. I am definitely rooting for McMurphy. I not only like him, but I hate the nurse, so the fact that he opposes her and is a likable character makes me want him to win. I have disliked the Big Nurse since the first scene of the book where she reveals how mean she actually is by yelling at the orderlies and then immediately going back into that false passivity.  

OFOCN 1

I believe that, at this point in the story, we don't have quite enough characterization to acuratley identify characters as hero, anti-hero, or villain. However, I predict that R.P. McMurphy will develope into an anti-hero that is the archetype of the spirit of rebellion. It seems clear that the nurse is the authoritarian leader of this hospital and demands complete order within her ward. I am confident that she will develope into a clear villain, but, as of now, it is difficult to prove this claim because we don't know enough about the character. McMurphey, an obvious juxtaposition of the nurse, will most likely become her enemy whether or not we identify either of them as hero, anti-hero, or villain.

Great Gatsby 3

1. What is the purpose of the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg?
       The purpose of these eyes is probably  to symbolize the eyes of God watching with a disaproving glare over the valley of ashes. The eyes are compared to God at one point in the story, but the have a much greater impact than stated in the text. The positioning of the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg over the valley of ashes are a symbol that God is witness to the sadness and selfishness that surrounds the characters in the story. These eyes presided over the climax of this book as well, and that was probably a symbol for the negative outcome of Gatsby because his immoral act was witnessed by God.

2. Why does no one show up at Gatsby's funeral?
       The attendance at Gatsby's funeral is so pathetic that one cannot help but wonder what Fitzgerald meant by such it. I believe that it is a symbol that descirbes how no one really knew the James Gats that Nick and the other three or four attenders knew. This pushes the idea that the members of the upper class society falsely portray themselves to the outside world to such a degree that their true selves are completely masked. The lack of attendance at Gatsby's funeral shows how little people really know each other in this society that demands the adoption of such a rigid social image. The fact that it was a funeral also gives the impression that this is an extremely sad aspect of their lives.

3. Did Fitsgerald use Gatsby as a reflection of his own experiences?
       With a bit of knowledge about the life of Fitzgerald, it could be argued that Fitzgerald wrote himself into this book as both Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. Nick is obviously Fitzgerald because he is so far removed from the story that he seems almost to become an aparation observing these events rather than a person. However, the resemblance between Gatsby and Fitzgerald's past are so striking that it is easy to see how it coudl have been purposful. Gatsby, like Fitzgerald, was spurned by a wealthy girl because he had no money of his own. He desperately tried to get her back through guady displays of grandeur (Fitzgerald had many delusions of grandeur throughout his early adulthood), but he, just like Fitzgerald, eventually fails. The fact that Gatsby not only fails but is killed in the process shows Fitzgerald admitting that his chance of ever getting that girl that he loved is forever gone.

4. What is the purpose of the title "The Great Gatsby"?
       I believe that the title Great gives the reader a glimpse into Fitzgerald's values and why he belives that Gatsby is great despite his failure and morally questionable actions. Gatsby, despite hardshipa and endless oposition, managed to do what Fitzgerald could not, which is rise above his lower class origins to reach an extremely high social status. He also, against all odds, opposed one of the more powerful members of that society, Tom, and fought for Daisy with all his heart. I believe that Fitzgerald valued this about Gatsby and gave him the title of great to recognize his accomplishment and perserverence. Gatsby, even as he died, continued to "beat on ... against the current", and, therefore, deserves his title.

Great Gatsby 2

1. The purpose of Meyer Wolfsheim is to give us another view of Jay Gatsby. He is not a very good character who is probably involved in illegal activity. Wolfsheim allows us a glimpse at the not so great side of Jay Gatsby and keeps us interested in what more we ahve to discover about this character.
2. The backstory of Jay and Daisy allows us to see Gatsby in a more realistic light. Without this backstory, he would remian the wealthy and mysterious man we met in the beginning of the book, but this backstory gives him a more human relatability and gives us greater insight into Gatsby as a person.
3. The rest of Gatsby's backstory again is a more in depth characterization than what we have previously seen. Through the backstory, we see how Gatsby reacts and handles different situations as well as a deeper look into his personality. It also lets the reader connect with Gatsby more than they could have before because, despite some of the negative aspects of his past, the backstory ultimately lets us simpathize with this character.
4. In my opinion, I still find Gatsby a bit mysterious and am not quite sure what to think of him. However, the bakstory of Jay Gatsby does make me like the character a bit more because it promotes the idea that he usually has good intentions, despite the fact that some of the things that he did were a bit questionable. I feel as if I know the character much more than I did at the beginning of the book, yet I am still unsure if I like hime or not.

Great Gatsby 1

I believe that a fairely clear hero that can be identified at this point in the book is Nick. He is the character that we all relate to and he is very likable and has similar values to us. He is "inclined to reserve all judgements "(1), and this description catagorizes him as a person who we wish to succed, and, therefore, the hero. Tom is almost definitetly a villain because he has values that go against what the audience values. He cheats on his wife and abuses his mistress. He is descibed as "hulking"(12) and with a cruel body. It is clear that the author wants the audience to dislike this character. A possible anithero that could be identified at this point in the book is Daisy. She is quiet yet "pretty synical about everything"(16). She has a haughty air about her, yet she is also stragnely likable with her synical comments about the reality of the society that she live in. She is a character who I belive Fitzgerald would want us to like, but her ambitions give her values that would contradict our own. This makes her an antihero.

Artists style

The artist uses a darker range of colors. His paintings are also warped and distorted with some unnatural visual effect. He seems to paint mostly about African American culture.

Contrast of Mencken and Kroll

These two essays, although they adressed that same issue, were extremely different in their argumentative techniques. Mencken's essay was not as effective as Kroll's depsite the fact that he primarily used a logos based argument, which is generally better than ethos or pathos. This is because Mencken's argument simply wasn't as easy to accept as Kroll's, and he didn't develope his idea enough to get his audience to buy into this unpleasant reasoning. His main point, the claim that we need the death penalty to satisfy our primal need for katharsis, is not one that people will readily accept. People don't like to consider themselves as savage or unevolved, and to convince them that they are such would require much more persuasive skill than Mencken displayed. Kroll, on the other hand, appealled to a much more agreeable mentality that most people generally like to think they have. His deeply emotional appeal subtly antagonizes the supporters of capital punishment while somehow allowing us to sympathize with a convicted murderer. As he told the story of his friend's execution, he presented in a way that transformed it into a murder of a fellow human being. Very few people would be in support of cold-blooded killing, and, by describing an execution to make it seem like just that, he makes his argument much easier to swallow. The persuasive skills are much more effective in Kroll's essay than in Mencken's because we are morally obligated to agree with Kroll, and Mencken just doesn't have the development to get us to buy his idea. Also, being a moral issue, a pathos appeal was probably a more apt choice than a logos appeal. All in all, these two very different essays had two very different levels of success.

Sixteen Military Wives by The Decembrists

This song is about how we have a very even keeled response to most of the events that we see in the media. As a society, we tend to be generally unaffected by events that should evoke an emotional response, whether that responce should be happy or sad. The song is specifically talking different events that would appear on the media that should cause us to feel some sort of emotion, such as soldiers dying or celebraties winning awards. At the end of each verse, the singer says that the anchorman just says la la la and has no real reaction at all. Even more, the reaction is almost identical for each scenario, and this continues to push the theme of our society having a very minimal emotional reaction to what we see in the media.

"Race for the Prize" The Flaming Lips

The theme for this song is that ambition can consume you. On the surface, the song is about two scientists who are looking for the cure to a disease or make a big discovery. It is clear that they are competing to see who can develop the best cure the fastest. The lyrics suggest that in the beginning of this race, their goal was to better humanity and not necessarily to defeat each other. However, as their race progresses, they are not as concerned with how much good their discovery will do as much as defeating their opponent. Their ambition to win the prize of the discovery consumes their lives. The lyrics constantly mention the scientists' wives and children, and this suggests that their ambition prevents them from fulfilling their roles as husband and father. The will to win has overcome the desire to do good, which distorts the purpose of their research and corrupts their mentality. Near the end of the song, the lyrics suggest that this discovery could consume the lives of one or both scientists, and it is clear that they press on without any regard for themselves or others, only their prize. The ambition has consumed their minds and bodies as well as their relationships with their families and altogether destroyed who they were as people.

Fallacies in Famous Speeches

Patrick Henry Speech
"For my part, I consider it nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery."

Excluded Middle- He fails to see, or address, any alternatives to this situation other than the most absolute extremes.

"Duck and Cover" Propaganda

1. The overt message of this video is that, if an atomic bomb strikes, the thing you should do is duck and cover. You should also listen to civil service officers and other adults because they know what to do.
2. The covert message of this video was that if an atomic bomb does hit, you will probably be fine. It also pushed the message that the government is responsible and has qualified officials who know what they are doing. The video is trying to convince people to trust the government.
3. I believe that this video was propaganda because the government knew that, in the event of an atomic bomb, it does absolutely nothing to duk down and cover your head. Despite this, they released this video to promote the mentality that the government knew exactly what to do at all times and that they were incredibly qualified and capable to warn the citizens well before a bomb struck. I believe that the covert purpose of this video was to promote a feeling of safety around the county and increase the citizens trust in the government.

"Destination Earth" Propaganda

1. The overt message in this film was incredibly clear. They came right out and said that oil and competition allow America to have the highest standard of living.
2. The covert message is also pretty blatant. This video was trying to instill a pro-oil mentality by giving the credit to oil companies for all of the luxuries that we have. It also said that through oil and competition we are better and happier than communist states, such as Mars.
3. We know that this is propaganda because there was both an overt and a covert message in this video. The video was saying that oil was good while pushing the more powerful message that oil and competition are the reasons why we are not communist.

Propaganda poster

This poster's overt message is to eat less bread to support the troops. The covert message is that sacrafice must be made by everyone to ensure victory, and if you don't sacrifice then you are a bad American. This makes the poster propaganda due to the underlying mentality that it promotes on top of its obvious message.

Clash "Clampdown"

I think that this song is talking about the vicious cycle of the working class that forces them to be submissive and give up their humanity. I believe that the clampdown is the social pressure to follow this cycle. Some lyrical proof is that the speaker starts off as a rebellious individual who attempts to resist this pressure, but by the end of the song he has given in and become part of the clampdown. Some musical evidence of this is the monotonous and almost battery-like tempo that is present throughout the song. A propaganda connection that this song has is the line where it says that they will sell their twisted words to the young. This says that the clampdown pressure is twisted and disguised to deceive people about what it really is.

Propaganda quote

The quote that I chose for this blog was number 365, "When you would persuade, speak of interest, not of reason." BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706-1790), 1732. I think that this quote is very interesting because it claims that people are more likely to listen to what they will enjoy than to what is right. This is prevalent in many forms of advertising when they appeal to the consumers desires despite the fact that their product is not in the consumers best interest to purchase. This is a form of propaganda by leaving out certain information in order to affect the audience's decision.