Journal #10 - Insight

In Shakespearean tragedies, the tragic heroes have a moment of insight, where they realize what they have done. Othello’s insight at the end of the play is when he realizes that he has unjustly killed the love of his life. He decides to kill himself because that will make it better for all parties involved. Iago will go to jail, Cassio gets the job he deserves, Othello still has a high standing reputation, and he can be with Desdemona forever. Othello realizes that he has made a major mistake, but is trying to rise above it and make everyone’s lives better.

Journal #9 - Free Will

Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.

Free will and determinism are very large aspects of human life and Othello. Free will is when a person chooses freely in their life and is not confined by outside forces. Determinism is that, when people make a decision, there are inevitable consequences that will affect people, not just the one who made the decision, for many years after the decision is made. Desdemona uses free will to choose to be with Othello in the beginning of the play. This has nothing to do with outside forces because not many people actually wanted them to be together to begin with. Othello choosing to marry Desdemona, a woman that he barely knew, so quickly is an example of Determinism because that decision brought on consequences for him, Desdemona, and many other people. This decision resulted in Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo’s death, Cassio being wounded, and Iago’s demise. Free will and determinism were driving points in Othello, and often in everyday life.

Journal #8 - Emerson's Aphorisms

Society acquires new arts, and loses old instincts.

This aphorism is explaining how, when society takes on new ideals and ways of life, they lose the old traditions. This isolates them from the culture and their ancestors. Modern day people, for example, wear less modest clothing and listen to more risqué music than people from the 19th century or even the 20th century. Most people now do not go to church every Sunday for fear of missing a sports game, though in earlier centuries mass and God were part of everyday life and culture. These are the negative effects of losing those traditions, but the aphorism can also be taken in a positive light. In the current time, most societies do not use guillotines or crucify people. They have found less gruesome ways to kill the guilty.

We boil at different degrees.

Emerson is explaining that we all have things in life that make us angry or upset, and some people anger faster than others. To some, what may be a petty joke is a cruel gibe to others. This would make some people irritated, but make others enraged. Emerson is saying in this aphorism is that we, as people, should be more in tune to others feelings and watch what we say, because it may mean much more to someone else.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

Emerson is stating that what has happened in our past and what is going to happen in our future are practically non-existent compared to what we feel and what we are doing in this moment. Many people look back on the past in regret or worry about what trials they may face in the future, when they should be focusing on doing what they feel right now. They do not feel like they have the strength to change their future or their present. The past has already been done and the only way that you can change your own future is by bettering yourself now. Emerson realizes this and also that, when people spend time worrying about the future or looking back on the past, they cannot better themselves now and be a contributing human to society now or in the future. These people will never be able to live because they do not focus on the present and the strength inside of themselves.

Journal #7 - To a Waterfowl and The Raven

To a Waterfowl and The Raven are very different poems. Though they both talk about evening and nighttime, To a Waterfowl, has a much more hopeful and bright connotation, while The Raven is very dark and brings up the eerie connotation that the night, and the witching hour, or midnight.
To a Waterfowl is about the narrator of the poem seeing a waterfowl and wondering why and where the waterfowl is flying. The narrator also warns the waterfowl that the path that it is taking may not be a safe path, but the narrator realizes that God has guided the waterfowl to where it is now, and He will continue to guide it. This makes the narrator wonder about their own life and realize that God is also guiding them throughout their life. It is a much more positive poem than The Raven.
The Raven is a much darker poem. It is about a man who has lost his love, Lenore, and hears a tapping at his door and window. What he sees outside is a raven. The raven starts to speak to him, saying “nevermore.” The narrator ends the poem by saying that his soul will never be lifted again, because his love, Lenore, is dead. He realizes that he will not be able to see her ever again, which makes him very upset and is very different from To a Waterfowl.
These two poems are very different. One is about realizing that God is with you, while the other is about being completely alone.

Journal #6 - Virtues

Name: Ashley Beyer

Journal #6

From Ben Franklin’s The Autobiography (p. 80 – 83)

Write a well-developed paragraph in response to the following questions.

1. Explain what was involved in Franklin’s plan for self-perfection? What conclusion did Franklin come to regarding the effectiveness of this plan?

Franklin’s plan for self-perfection included thirteen virtues; temperance, silence, order, resolution frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, humility. These virtues, he believed, would bring him to full self-perfection. In his conclusion, Franklin states that he lived a happier life because of these virtues. He also credits the virtues to helping him live a long, healthy life, helping him create a fortune, and helping him restore his confidence in the country. He ends by saying that he hopes posterity will listen and reap the benefits of what he has said.


2. Do you feel that a plan such as Franklin’s would improve you as a person? Why or why not? What would be your top five virtues?

I think that it could improve me if I stuck with it throughout my entire life. It would be a very hard thing to do, but eventually I would get used to it. My top five virtues would be temperance, humility, justice, moderation, and tranquility.

Journal #5 - Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

1. Identify the specific argument that Paine is making in each paragraph. For each of the arguments, identify whether Paine is making an emotional, ethical, or logical appeal and suggest an effective counterargument.

#1 He said that the revolution would be hard, but it will have been worth it in the end. The British did not have the power to tax and enslave them. Paine is making an emotional and logical appeal. The counter argument could be that the Americans owe the English because they supported them while they were in their country. The fallacies are faulty analogy and sentimental appeal.

#2 God won’t let us lose; he wants us to win; dogmatic – no proof. Logical appeal; king = murderer. King has no support from God. He is wrong, they are right; ethical appeal. Not focusing on legit arguments. Counter: God is not on any side or on England’s side.

#3 The argument he is trying to make is that they should fight now and not later. The appeals are logical, emotional, and ethical. A counter argument would be that things might work themselves out or America could lose the war and life would get worse.

#4 America wouldn’t fight offense of war, fought defensive war. needed to defend ourselves. Argument by analogy. King a thief and took things so need to fight emotional appeal (angry, inspired, passionate)

2. Can you identify any of the logical fallacies that we discussed in Paine’s arguments? If so, which ones? Overall, what do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of Paine’s arguments?

The logical fallacies are Faulty Analogy, Sentimental Appeal, Begging the Question, Ad Hominem. He has a few strengths; he is an important historical figure and persuades people without using logic. He uses emotion and ethics to draw people in. His arguments’ weakness is that he doesn’t make a convincing logical argument, which makes some people not listen to him. He never really lays out why they should fight. It is only emotional.

Journal #4 - Food Narrative

The cafeteria sells great food, so I decided to eat the crab cake sandwich. Saying that it was delicious would not do it justice. The crab cake had big chunks of meat and was deliciously breaded. It was like biting into crab meat, but I didn’t have to pull apart the shell and it was way more delicious. It smelled fresh and reminded me of eating crab cakes in the fancy restaurant. The cafeteria workers made it look amazing too. It was big, plump and had fixings such as lettuce. The crab cake was so delicious that I was practically drooling. It was by far the most delectable meal I have ever had.