Ayn Rand Ecology Quote

Ayn Rand is very critical on the subject of ecology, or any subject really. She wants men to return to caveman days, "grunting subanimals digging the soil with their bare hands". I do agree with this, technology has distracted us too much. Technology is great, but it is getting a little ridiculous. I think it would do us all good to step away from technology and return to nature. Not to completely get rid of all technology, but to put down our phones and laptops for a minute. It's gotten a bit crazy when we can wear computer glasses.

The Council of Scholars said that they know everything that exists, so anything they do not know does not exist. This mostly pertains to Ayn Rand's dystopian world, but in some ways it is a mentality people have today. Not in the sense of science, but in religion. Atheists believe that there is not God because there is no proof that He exists. Extremest do not believe there are other gods besides the one in their religion.  Some people  believe that it is all one God, He is just celebrated in different ways, but others hate people of other religions because they believe in a God that is different from their own.

Element

The setting of And the Mountains Echoed plays a big part in moving the plot along. It is set in Kabul, Afghanistan during. During this time and in this country, families struggle to get by. It can be difficult for a man to provide for his family, especially when winter comes. This is why Pari is sold to Nabi's bosses, Saboor simply needs the money. Nabi says that it was the worst thing he has ever witnessed, watching Pari and Abdullah be torn away from each other. If the  novel was set in a different country or perhaps in a different time period, Saboor would not have had to sell Pari, and Abdullah would not have lost his beloved little sister.

2nd Quarter Reflection

I cannot even believe that this year is half over. I've been here for six years, I can't believe I won't be coming back next year. Hopefully the next semester will be a lot easier. This class is not what I expected it to be when I signed up last year, obviously. It's been difficult to get my homework done, for these reasons:

This picture was taken the other day while I was trying to finish my dialectic journal 

This was last year when I was trying to finish my AP Lang research paper. Obviously, Bowie doesn't like English

It's the same as the last three years. But lucky you, you got me for three straight years! Congratulations! Not many teachers are lucky enough to say they've taught me for three years. Instead of writing an evaluation of you and this class, I would like to hear your evaluation of me. I expect it e-mailed to me by no later than February 1st at 11:59 pm. Your grade depends on it.


If I had one minute left to live I would want to spend it in this class, because every time I'm in here it feels like forever. (OMG LOL JKJK)

The Effects the Past has on a Character (I'm Using Harry Potter)

In J.K. Rowling's seven book series, Harry Potter, Harry's present and future are defined by his past. When he was one year old, his parents were murdered by Voldemort, but because of their sacrifice, Harry was not only able to survive Voldemort's attack, but he also destroyed him, leaving him less than human. Voldemort was not killed, however, and this effects Harry for the rest of his life. He is destined to either kill Voldemort completely, or be killed by him. Because of the sacrifice his parents made, and how he grew up in the Muggle world with a hateful family, Harry learned the importance of love and friendship. He is a loyal friend and a truly good person. Every hateful comment from his aunt and uncle, and every punch thrown by his cousin, only teaches him patience and control.

Let it Go!

Let it Go written by Kristen Anderson Lopzen and Robert Lopez

             performed by Idina Menzel 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk 

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I’m the Queen

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door

I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all

It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry

Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back,
The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

This song has been on replay on my iPod for the last few weeks. The second you assigned this I thought of Let it God. It's from the Disney movie, Frozen. In the context of the movie, Elsa, and queen, has accidentally frozen her kingdom. She runs away because she can't control her powers, and isolates herself in the mountains. She leaves society, just as Thoreau did, to isolate herself from the rest of the world and be completely on her own. 

Throughout the song she sings "the perfect girl is gone", "let the storm rage on", and "I don't care what they're going to say". She is leaving her old self behind. She used to have to conceal her powers and stay quiet, but now she is letting herself be free. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks, she's ignoring the "rules" of society.  She can definitely relate to Emerson's quote, "To be great is to be misunderstood". She has great powers and an infinite amount of potential, but after one mistake the village turns against her. She isn't evil, she is just misunderstood. She can also relate to Emerson's quote, "The world begins to the energetic". For her entire life she was stuck in her room, having to hide her powers from everyone. Once she is free she becomes alive. She can do whatever she wants, she owns the world. 

Emerson & Thoreau

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson

To achieve any big goals, you must work hard and enjoy working for it. Nothing in life is free. If you do not enjoy what you are doing, you won't do it well, and if you don't work hard it will not be well done.

"Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify" Henry David Thoreau

This is basically my excuse for my terrible case of senioritis. I've been saying all year not to stress over the little things. If you get a bad grade on a quiz, don't cry about it. If you forget to do homework one day it isn't a big deal. Don't freak out over little things in life that don't actually matter in the long run. That doesn't mean always do bad on quizzes and never do you homework. Don't focus on the details, look at the big picture.