The Golden Compass (12)

The movie, "The Golden Compass", was originally a book before it was a film. The author Philip Pullman was an atheist man who basically attacked Christianity in his book. In the film, the Magisterium controlls the people and the world, and everybody had to obey what they said. In order for the Magisterium to control the entire universe and all of it's worlds, they wanted to destroy the authority. This relates to Christianity because it goes back to the original sin that Adam and Eve committed. They disobeyed the authority and created room for people to sin and disobey for the rest of the generations of humans to come. The room for sinfulness behavior is referred to as dust in the film which was created by the authority through their daemons. The Magisterium decided that it was time for them to take charge and rid children of their daemons, so that they could destroy the Authority and take control. Lord Asriel, another important character in the film, figures out the meaning of dust, and tries to find it. The Magisterium feared that if Lord Asriel found the dust, he would create a pathway for the entire world to be subject to Authority, and they wouldn't have any power.

Philip Pullman tries to create the impression that Christianity is mistaken when using the idea that religion can be used for the good and can be forgiven for the sins they committed. In an interview with the Today Show, Pullman says, "Sometimes people think that if something is done in the name of faith or religion, it must be good. Unfortunately, that isn’t true; some things done in the name of religion are very bad. That was what I was trying to describe in my story." His atheist opinoin gives audiences the impression that he doesn't think Christianity is a decent religion because the people who follow that faith decide that if they disobey the law or the rules, if they apologize to their god, all is forgiven, and that impression is a false one.

The next 10 years. (11)

The next ten years will be a vital part of my life. I will hopefully continute my education, start my career, and start a family. After I graduate next year, I look forward to attending Southeastern Louisiana University where I will major in education. Yes, that's right. I want to be just like my mother and become a second grade teacher. I would love to stay in Louisiana and teach in Ascension Parish under the supervision of my mommy. After teaching for a few years, if I have a steady boyfriend, I will think about getting married. Then, after a few years of marriage, I want to start having children. I can't wait to be on my own, and I can't wait to have my own life.

Although I have many things to look forward to, there are some major downers that I am dreading. Being on your own can be a great thing, but that means no help from your parents anymore. Paying bills, providing food for yourself, washing your own dirty clothes, and paying for all your necessities become your repsoniblity. I am a very reponsible person, but I really have had nothing to be that responsible for. I will miss the comfort of my parents home. Having a career excited me in some ways, but I really wish I could get by in life and never have to work. I do love teaching, so it should be amazing. In ten years, I will be 27, and hopefully I will have an amazing life.

Outfoxed (10)

The documentary, Outfoxed, is basically an anti-Fox news video. The argument basically contains questionable acts made by Fox news, and explains how the news channel has faulty information. The director, Robert Greenwald, does not try to hide his views on the subject. In his documentary, he interviews many people who worked for Fox news and media watchdogs. The people who created Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism claims that their views are "fair and unbalanced", but many people disagree. They use people who were employed by Fox and may have a bone to pick with their former bosses.(Haro-Online) They do however, reveal shocking truths about Fox news.
Some people say that Robert Greenwald presented the truth about Fox News while others say the truth was a tad distorted. Greenwald interviewed people who formally worked for Fox News, and wouldn't that give them a bone to pick with their old employer? Rupert Murdoch is a very conservative person, and therefore ordered his news anchors to report about Republicans and not as much about Democrats. It kept citizens in the dark about the politics happening in the United States. Greenwald tried to show the people through his documentary, that Fox news uses biased opinion and mocked other liberal commentators. The phrase "some people say" is used often in the broadcasting of Fox News. Greenwald makes it appear as though "some people say" is just a way for news anchors to enter their opinions in to the news. Opinions are not facts. We are taught in school to distinguish between the two. Fox news was revealed as a biased news station, and the claims against the documentary make it that much more true.

http://lessig.org/blog/2004/07/outfoxed.html

http://www.haro-online.com/movies/outfoxed.html

Free Write (9)

Goth. Prep. Slut. Jock. Punk. Popular. Loner. Nerd. Do any of these labels matter in the real world? The answer, NO! No matter who you are, when you enter the world of high school, a label is automatically thrown your way. In middle school I was considered a nerd or a loner. Then, in eighth grade I made Spartanettes and my whole life basically changed. I entered high school with already having a reputation. I was supposedly popular and preppy. I felt like somehow I had to change myself to fit the image I was given. I went from wearing my glasses everyday, wearing my hair in a pony tail, and wearing no make-up to not wearing my glasses at all, fixing my hair everyday, and waking up extra early to do my make-up. As the years pass in high school, I have realized how completely ridiculous changing myself was. I decided that I was going to change myself back to how I was, or just back to my actual self. I was so much happier when I felt like I could be my true self and my friends loved me for me. My most fun time in high school was this year when I was playing taboo in a friend’s living room. When you get in to college none of that matters. People in college are on a mission to get an education, graduate, and start a career. They don’t care who you were in high school. They don’t care if you were one of the most popular people. Chances are, the people that the “popular” kids looked down upon are going to be more successful and have a better life than they could ever imagine. Labels are stupid. I’m tired of everybody judging each other. If you judge somebody before you get to know him or her, how can you be sure the person they are? I have met the sweetest people in high school because I love to give them a chance. So, basically what I’m trying to say to everybody is, grow up.

Dancing is a sport! (8)

Many people consider dancing a competitive hobby, and although that may be true, dancing can also be classified as a sport. A sport can be defined as a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Judges at a dance competition use rules to score a dancer and rank them by that score. Many sets of muscles are always used while dancing. When people are asked for their opinions on dancing, they had many different responses. Dancing is a sport because it uses physical abilities and dancers compete against others.

Dancing is not a competitive hobby, it is a competitive sport. As like in a sport, practice makes perfect. Most dancers begin lessons at the age of five and practice almost eight hours a day. (Competitive Dance, Wikipedia) Dancing also uses many of the same muscles as sports like baseball, basketball or soccer. It uses a dancer’s entire set of leg muscles, as well as back muscles, the glottal, and the arm muscles. (The Legs of a Female Dancer, Peak Performance) Calories are burned rapidly while dancing, as well as in a regular “athletic”. Every sport has a set of rules they must abide by, and of course dancing is no exception to that rule. Judges look for and score on turns, leaps, flexibility, uniformity/precision, formations/spacing, music interpretation, technique, showmanship, choreography, and overall impression. (Scoring Philosophy and Score Sheets/ All Star Challenge) Judges will then rank the dancer and place them in certain brackets such as: gold, silver, or bronze. When exerting muscles, burning calories, and being judged and scored, the classification of a competitive sport prevails.

Dancing should definitely be considered a sport. People who have been dancing for years and own their own studio were asked to give their opinions on dancing as a sport. An anonymous dancer of 15 years says, “Dancing is a form of exercise, so I would consider it a sport.” An owner of a dance studio says, “ Sport is just more than one person playing a certain game or activity against another person with governed rules. There are tons of dance leagues and competitions around the world.” (Competitive dance, Wikipedia) Someone with a lot of experience and training can fully explain why dancing is a sport. When a dancer moves her body with such elegance and grace, one must experience it to truly understand how hard it is and why dancing is a sport.

The classification of dancing is a very complicated process. It is considered a fine art because of the things it is judged on such as: creativity and performance. Being judged on the energy you put forth in a dance and the exercise you get at the same time do help others consider dancing as a competitive sport.












Pittman, Daniel. "Social Dancing: Art or Sport?" Central Home. 5 Apr. 2008
< http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/social_dancing.htm >.

"Scoring Philsophy/Score Sheets." All Star Challenge. 6 Apr. 2008
< http://www.allstarchallenge.com/pdfs/scoring.pdf >.

"Competitive Dance." Wikipedia. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_dance >.

"The Legs of a Female Dancer." Peak Performance. 4 Apr. 2008
< http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0382.htm >.

"Inaudible Melodies" by Jack Johnson(7)

In the song “Inaudible Melodies” by Jack Johnson, he speaks to the audience with a sense of remorse in the words he uses. He feels that his life has slipped away from him and he wasn’t able to hold on to the memories long enough to realize the impact they would make on his life. He uses many stylistic devices to persuade the audience to hold on to not rush life and enjoy every minute of it. It is packed with personification, alliteration, and so many oxymorons.

The title in itself uses a stylistic device. An oxymoron is the combination of two contradictory terms. Inaudible melodies are clearly an oxymoron. Melodies normally refer to pieces of music that you can hear, and of course inaudible means you can’t hear it at all. “Frame-lines tell me what to see, chopping like an ax”. The comparison of frame-lines to an ax implies that each part of a person’s life makes them who they are, and the people who are trying to get to know you better can understand you through that. Alliteration is used when Jack Johnson wrote the lyrics “solar powered plastic prints.” An anastrophe is basically when an author or in this case songwriter switches around words. In the first verse he writes, “to rebound off of we” instead of we rebound off of. “Frames can’t catch you when you’re moving like that.” How are frames supposed to catch you exactly? This is a simple act of putting human characteristics on inanimate objects. He Is stating that if his audience is moving to quickly throughout life, you will miss out on things that are most important to your plan God has for your life. So many stylistic devices in one song helps Jack Johnson reach out to his audience and make them understand what he means.

Jack Johnson is a poet with his words. With all of the devices he used, he clearly persuades people that life should be a journey, not just something to hurry and get through. Every aspect of your life needs to be prolonged somehow. By hurrying through life, you may become someone you have hatred for. Everyone needs time to relax and enjoy the good things in life.

"Jeremy" by Pearl Jam(6)

Pearl Jam’s portrayal of a troubled youth in “Jeremy” touches our emotions in a way no out song could. The person writing expresses his resentment and remorse for all he did. As Jeremy stares at the screen with fire burning deeply in his eyes, we all know he is thinking of the effect he will have on all his classmates if he does something drastic. Jeremy had been tease and ridiculed all throughout his life. His peers thought he was harmless. They should have known that it is always possible for someone to retaliate.

Jeremy was a very disturbed young man who grew numb with no sense of reality. Jeremy’s home life was a factor nobody understood. Although his parents were together, his mom didn’t care and his daddy didn’t give him attention of affection. He had already gone mental once by gnashing his teeth and biting the breast of a woman at recess. Using the past the students should have realized could “unleash the lion” in Jeremy at any moment. “Jeremy spoke in class today…” was a line of depression and remorse for those students in the classroom. He took the grandest step and the worst step. He shot himself. Jeremy ended his depression and hopefully taught those who taunted him a lesson. Nothing is every worth ending your life over. “Sticks and stones…”