Week 3.1

          Lifeboat Ethics: the Case Against Helping the Poor by Garrett Hardin. Hardin argues that the earth can only supply a finite number of resources rather than an infinite number of resources. He uses the example of World Food Banks and Immigration as evidence to support his argument.

          The argument that Hardin makes is true because he says that when a developed country helps an undeveloped country it causes more harm than good. He uses the analogy of a lifeboat to represent a developed country and when a lifeboat helps more people than it can hold, it causes more destruction than it should of. This is just like how it works for a developed country. For examples the World Food Banks are meant to help countries especially third world country in cause of a crisis. Hardin explains that if a country like the United States was to help a country like India during a time of need India would not learn how to fend for themselves. India would be banking on the World Food Bank to help them and they would not learn to prepare for a disastrous event and they would be dependent on outside resources rather than their own resources.

          The World Food Banks would also cause an increase in population. An increase in food causes an increase in population growth. If there is a shortage of food like a famine population tends to go down, so if a well industrialized country participates in the World Food Bank they are just causing more harm than good because they are creating more people to help and that would cause more food to be donated. This idea goes back to the lifeboat because when a lifeboat helps more people than it could hold it just caused more destruction. To back up the argument of more food causing more people to be born Hardin uses the statics to say that United States of America has a population increase at rate of 0.8 percent while a country like Thailand or Morocco has a population increase of 3.3 percent. In the end a country like the United States will not be able to keep up the all the country that need help because the population in Thailand or Morocco would be increasing faster than the United States of America. Many people who are for the Food Banks argue that we should help people in need because as Hardin puts it is the “Christian ideal of being  Our brother’s keeper”.

          With immigration Hardin states that many Americans are guilty of “bigotry “ because many say that immigrates should leave, but they forget that if someone is not Native American decent they are immigrants as well because immigrants took the land from Native Americans. He uses the chain reaction of since America is really Native America land the money that Americans make on land really belongs to Native Americans.

          In the End the Lifeboat Ethics: the Case Against Helping the Poor causes one to think if it is really necessary to help other countries than your own because one might be doing more harm than good.

Week 2.4 The Great Gatsby Chapter 8-9

“-heard the shots-afterward he could only say that he hadn’t thought anything much about them”

This quote is important because at this very moment the great Jay Gatsby is brutally killed. Everything he has worked for has been put to an end just because he accidently killed Mrs. Wilson and her husband Mr. Wilson thought he was the one Mrs. Wilson was cheating on him with. The constructive and well plot out plan Gatsby had thought of to get his long lost love Daisy back does not even matter anymore. Fitzgerald is making the point that a lot of time in life what someone works so hard for can be put to an end by a simple mistake or accident. (105 Words)

 “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning ——So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

This quote is significant because summarize the life and goals Gatsby wanted to accomplish. All Gatsby wanted was to get Daisy back. That is all he thought of. No matter how much time passed between him and Daisy he still was madly in love with her and was determine to get her back .He was determine to bring this dream into reality, but unfortunately it was put to an end when Mr. Wilson killed him. Fitzgerald is making the point that in life sometimes no matter how hard someone works to reach a particular goal they don’t always reach it. (100 Words)

“She wanted her life shaped now”

            Fitzgerald is making the argument of how important the rich and wealthy lifestyle was important to Daisy. Daisy picked the rich and wealthy lifestyle over true love with Gatsby by marrying Tom. Daisy is not truly in love with Tom. However, she is in love with the life Tom can provide and give toher. She just does not want to not have the lifestyle she is has been accustom to and if she would have picked Gatsby over Tom she would be rolling the dice of how stably wealthy her lifestyle would be.(93 Words)

“I’ll get somebody for you, Gatsby. Don’t worry. Just trust me and I’ll get somebody for you-”

            Nick desperately wanted Gatsby to get over Daisy because he knew that no matter how much Daisy truly loved Gatsby she was never going to leave Tom. Unfortunately, Gatsby had this false optimism that maybe the love between him and Daisy can bring them together no matter how different their lives were. This quote shows how desperately Gatsby love Daisy and how selfish Daisy was being because she was leading Gatsby on and giving him this false hope that maybe one day in the future they can be together forever.(90 Words)

“Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money”

            This quote summarizes the theme of the story. Tom and Daisy are selfish people. Daisy is married to a man she does not love and instead she could be with Gatsby who loved her so much. Tom is jerk who cheats on his wife and can get any girl he wants because of his wealth. They both just care about themselves and their wealth. Daisy was involved with Gatsby and Tom was involved with Mrs. Wilson. The irony in this that the two people they were involved with are killed while they both live and continue with their lives. This quote shows that in life the “good guy” does not always win. (112 Words)

Week 2.3 Best in Class

In the “Best in Class” article Margaret Talbot is addressing the issue if valedictorians should be something kept in high schools or something that should be gotten rid of. The author gives stories of the controversy over becoming a valedictorian. She points out examples of the pros and cons of having valedictorians and not having them. The pro is that the hardest working high school students gets the satisfaction in becoming valedictorian, however she also points out that in some cases  this is not always true. Getting rid of valedictorian will cause many high school students to not be as motivated as they could be, cause students to stop trying as hard as they could, and kill the dreams of many young children.

Consider being a student in high school and being the hardest working student in your class and you end up being at the top of your class, but then since your high school does not have valedictorian you do not get the respect that you have earned from your classmate on graduation day. This is exactly what would happen in school if high schools got rid of valedictorians. Students would not have that extra push and drive to work harder in their class because they would not be looking forward to the sweet satisfaction of becoming their class’ valedictorian. Talbot points out that many students take extra class in order to give them that extra edge over someone who may be their competition in becoming valedictorian. Many people see this as unfair because what if a student did not have room in their schedule to take these extras classes or have the time. However, this is just good old competition because in life there will always be someone that has an extra edge over you and you just have to learn to beat them at their own games.

Not having a valedictorian will also cause many students to not try as hard in class because many students especially AP students work so hard to possibly become their class’ valedictorian. They spend hours studying and pay for these special study books just so one day they can stand there on the stage and know that all the hard work they put in was worth it.

Valedictorians are seen as the shining example in their class and every high school student should get the opportunity to possibly be that shining example in their class. Taking it away is taking away American tradition because many little children have a dream of becoming the valedictorian and giving a speech in front of their class and having that extra ribbon around their neck because they worked so hard to become valedictorian. Taking away valedictorian is like taking the dream away from a little kid and that is just not right.

                Valedictorians are shining examples of their high schools and they should receive the respect they deserve on their graduation day. Taking away valedictorian is not right and will kill the goal that many students work hard for in high schools.

Week 2.2 -The Great Gatsby Chapter 6-7

1.   “The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself.”

Here Nick explains how Gatsby became Gatsby. There are so many rumors going around in West Egg about Gatsby and his enormous wealth. No one understands why Gatsby is so wealthy and throws extravagant parties. However, Nick starts to know and understand Gatsby’s history of how he obtains his wealth and why he calls himself Jay Gatsby. Nick starts to see that Gatsby is not just this man that throws parties, but actually was a regular guy that happen to walk into wealth. This quote shows how everyone has an idea of how someone really is but never knows who they really are until they get to know them. (109)

2.   “Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so, and now I was looking at it again, through Daisy’s eyes.”

Here Nick is starting to become familiar with the lavish lifestyle of West Egg which is ironic because at the begin of the book this is the lifestyle Nick made stereotypes of. Nick now fits into this social clique so he no longer sees this clique as this upper class. This quote shows the hypocrisy of human beings because many of us say that we will never be like that person or group for whatever reason. But secretly we envy what they have and desperately want to be accepted into their upper social class. (94)

3.   “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t gossip”

The gossip about Gatsby in West Egg has started to affect Gatsby’s life. Gatsby finally has Daisy back in his life and he will not let anyone ruin that for him. Gatsby fires all his staff and replaces them with people who he feels will not talk and spread rumors about his personal life. This quote shows how rumors and gossip can cause unnecessary problems in people’s lives, because it was not necessary for Gatsby to just fire all his staff if people could just mind their business. (90)

4.   “She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw.”

This quote is important because Tom finally comes to the realization that Daisy and Gatsby are still in love with each other. Tom had been speculating that Daisy and Gatsby were not just ordinary friends, but something more ever since Gatsby’s party. Tom can’t believe that his wife has feelings for another guy especially Gatsby who he sees as a “bootlegger” because he is mysteriously wealthy. However, the irony to this situation is that Tom is cheating on Daisy with Mrs. Wilson and his behavior is even more disgraceful because he is just using Mrs. Wilson because he knows that he can get any woman because he is wealthy. (111)

5.   “His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own.”

This quote shows how Daisy and Gatsby have this unspoken love that could not have be broken no matter how much time had passed between them. Gatsby and Daisy are madly in love with each other even though Daisy is married to Tom. He moved to West Egg to rekindle their love and he throws lavish parties in hopes of impressing her. This quote shows Gatsby’s commit to getting Daisy back and makes him a more relatable character because throughout the book Gatsby is not usually portrayed as a man with emotions unless it has something to do with Daisy. (101)

Week 2.1 Commencement Speech

Commencement Speech

                In the “Commencement Speech” the author’s argument is that in society everyone is expected to meet a certain expectation given to them by their friends and family. She explains that these high expectations can never be met. Everyone must accept that and learn to accept themselves and their imperfections.

                In today’s world there are many high expectations that are expected for boys and girls. Girls want a guy that can make them feel secure because they want to know they are loved. While boys want an attractive girl that doesn’t make them feel inferior. Girls know that they are expected to look pretty and attractive. These high expectations for girls are constantly shown on billboard, TV, and magazines. However, it is not realistic for every girl to be attractive and meet the expectations portrayed in the media , so they have to accept their imperfection because there will always be a girl that will be prettier than them. Boys know that girls want to feel secure and have an attractive boyfriend. However, not every boy is attractive, so boys have to accept their imperfections also.

Accepting imperfections causes many problems with someone’s self-esteem. When girls realize that they can’t meet a guy’s expectation of them they start to feel unworthy. This unworthy feels makes them compare themselves to other and girls causing them to feel unworthy again. Some girls will try to fix their imperfection by changing the way they look. They change the way they look by doing things like plastic surgery, putting on makeup, dieting to lose weight and etc. All these things are done in the hopes that they can finally meet this false high expectation. When a guy knows that they can’t meet a girl’s expectation they start to do things like go to the gym and take better care of themselves. They do this also in hopes to meet this false expectation.

Not all imperfections can be fixed. In life someone has to come to the realization that they are not perfect no matter how hard they try. The author talks about how she strived to be the perfect student and lawyer. She tried to fit in with her peers by acting the way she thought they expected her to act. However, she later gave up her persona of being a perfect student and lawyer for her children. At the end of the day she no longer strived for being perfect because she became secure in herself and her imperfections. Her imperfections no longer held her back and she embraced them. She abandon the thinking of being perfect because she didn’t want her children to think that they had to be perfect as well. This way of thinking must be realized because if not an individual will always try to strive for something that is not achievable.

Imperfections are not easy to accept because everyone wants to be perfect. However, being perfect is not possible so everyone must learn that they are not perfect, but they can be perfect at being themselves.

1.4 The Great Gatsby (Chapter 4-5)

1.       I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life.

In this quote, Fitzgerald makes the argument of how money can buy things, but cannot fulfill an individual. Gatsby is a wealthy man who went to Oxford and the son of a family in the Middle West.  However, he is still not emotionally fulfilled. The reader would think that since Gatsby is so wealthy that he would have an easy life without struggle. When Fitzgerald uses word “tried” it just shows the emptiness inside Gatsby and how he is going through the motions of life and not enjoying it. The quote then ends with “enchanted”, because that is the life Gatsby should be living. (Words 104)

2.       “When I said you were a particular friend of Tom’s, he started to abandon the whole idea.”

Here Nick starts to understand why Gatsby has been particularly nice to him. Fitzgerald makes the point how everyone in the world uses other people to get what they want. Gatsby wants to be involved in Daisy’s new life. He knows that he can’t just freely go to her house and talk to her. Instead he comes up with this clever plan to get Nick to invite Daisy to his house, so he can speak with his long last love Daisy. This quote just reinforces that everyone in this world is only interested in their selfish desires and not others. (Words 100)

3.       Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes.

            Here Fitzgerald makes the argument of how money does not always provide confidence. Gatsby has all the money in the world, but he still gets nervous when talking to Daisy. He does not know how to impress her. The history between them makes him feel uncomfortable, because Daisy is married to another man and he has not seen her in years. The reader no longer sees Gatsby as this confident wealthy man, but instead as a nervous man .This quote shows how Gatsby is just as human as anyone else. He still gets nervous when talking to someone he likes, and money cannot change this nervous feeling. (Words 107)

4.       So my first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded.

In this quote the author makes the point of how once someone gets to know someone they start to lose their immediate impression of them. Nick’s impression of Gatsby is changing. He used to see Gatsby as a mysterious man who was wealthy without a reason. However, he has started to get to know Gatsby and has started to understand that he does fit the rumors that other people say about him.  He is instead a man of knowledge and not just a man who throws lavish parties. Nick starts to see that although Gatsby is wealthy he is still not happy. (Words 102)

5.       “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before.”

Nick makes the point of how humans hide their real emotion. Daisy is still in love with Gatsby and when Gatsby is showing them around she starts to remember all of the memories her and Gatsby enjoyed. However, she can’t express this emotion, because she lives a completely different life now. She is married to Tom and has a daughter, so her expressing this emotion would be totally inappropriate. In the quote the reader can tell that she makes a hesitation. This hesitation just shows how she is covering up what she really feels by ending the quote with “such beautiful shirts before”. (Word 103)

Week 1.3: Let Teenagers Try Adulthood

Let Teenagers Try Adulthood

                In “Let Teenagers Try adulthood” Leon Botstein’s argument is that the education system is corrupt, especially in high schools because it misguides, rather than guides teenagers to adulthood. Botstein explains that due to the cliques in high school teenagers assume that this is how the real world operates.  This argument is correct because cliques do give teenagers a false impression on the real world and high school does not prepare teenagers for adulthood, but rather focuses on the importance of popularity and cliques.

Today’s high school gives more attention to sports than grades or academics. Botstein focuses on the corruption of high school by giving the example of the football clique receiving more attention than academic achievements. High school athletes are given a higher social status than an outsider which is why teenagers rather fit in with a group than be by themselves. This emphasis on sports is shown throughout the community, because athletes receive more praise than the students who work hard academically. However, these hard-working students or outsiders are more likely to succeed in the future. Teenagers do not look at the future instead they focus on the present  which  is why being  captain of the varsity football team is more important than being an academic successful student who becomes successful later on in life. This gives teenagers the false oppression that it is better to be popular and fit in, than be an individual who stands out from the crowd. Giving teenagers this false impression makes them give in to peer pressure and lose sight of their goals for the future. This false impression will continue on when a teenager reaches adulthood, so instead of having knowledge of how the real world works they will go around clueless. They will be trying to fit in and not really understanding how the real world operates.

To fix the corruption of high school, Botstein suggest that the eleventh and twelfth grade should be removed and replaced with students either joining the workforce or going to junior college. He also suggests that middle school should be abolished because it is a waste of time and does not prepare students for high school .Allowing teenagers graduate at 16 instead of 18 can be very beneficial because in eleventh and twelfth grade, students take classes that do not pertain to their career goal. Giving teenagers an earlier opportunity to start on their career path will give them a better idea of the real world and adulthood. Leaving high school earlier will introduce teenagers to the real world at an earlier age, so they will learn that the high school is not the way adulthood operates.

Today’s world is rapidly changing, there needs to be change in the educational system, because the current one is not working successfully. Teenagers are going into adulthood with a flawed view of the world instead of having the knowledge about how the real world is operated and run. However, entering the world at 16 might fix it.