Q2 Outside Reading #3

Would life have been better for the McCourts, especially the young boys, had they stayed in America? I think life would have been all around if they had stayed where they were. Life in Ireland was even harder than their lives back in America, which were already pretty crappy. "That's less than four dollars in American money and how are we supposed to live on that?" (McCourt 63). In Ireland, Malachy was able to gets dole, only nineteen shillings. After they pay rent they will have practically no money left for coal, food and clothing. At least in America they had formed bonds with the grocers and were able to get food if they promised to pay them back. In Ireland that won't work.

 The Irish grew up very differently than Americans. The boys are introduces to bad habits. "She plants the brown stuff in our nostrils and we sneeze so hard the women stop crying and laugh..." (McCourt 64). The Irish women were giving these innocent little boys snuff. In America that would have been looked down upon, but here Angela says nothing about it because that's just how life is. Even though life was hard in America, living in Ireland the McCourt boys were shown new habits and the extreme poverty that the world contains. 

OTW #2

In the movie, there are three groupings of how people view a traitor vs. a whistle blower. One group is the Priest and Edy. They believe that if you know something that's going on that is illegal, then you should inform the authorities. This doesn't make you a traitor in their eyes, it's just doing the right thing. The second grouping is Terry and all the working people. They are the ones who want to tell on the mob, but are afraid for their lives. They don't really consider it being a traitor, but they know that's how the mob would take it and they don't want to anger the mob. The last group is obviously the mob. They think that telling the authorities automatically makes you a traitor. Their stance is that if you have info you better keep your mouth shut.

I believe that if someone, anyone not just the people I care about, are going to be harmed in anyway, then you should tell someone. It shouldn't matter what others think, it's what you think. Also, if your telling just for revenge, or to get someone in trouble, then it's tattle tale. If what the person is doing isn't harming anyone, but you know it would be looked down upon and you tell anyways, then I would consider that person a tattle tale.

AMS Question

Obviously Joe Keller thought the needs of his family took precedent over the needs of the society. Keller sent out faulty parts which ended up being put into planes and killing 21 pilots in the war. "For you, a business for you!"(Miller 70). Keller's reasoning for sending out the parts and killing those people was to make a future for his son. He thought that as long as he provided for his family and continued the business for his son, it didn't matter. In some ways, Chris put the needs of society before the needs of family. Although he worked at the factory, he wouldn't put his name on it. "Because sometimes I think you're... ashamed of the money"(Miller 38). Deep inside him, Chris knew what his father had done. He didn't want to be associated with that because he didn't believe what his father had done was right. 

I believe that family is very important. They are you support system and help you in your times of need. But, there is a limit to when you should support what they do. What Joe Keller did was wrong. His intentions, making a better life for his son, were good, but his actions were wrong. I would never kill people to save my family if there were other options. Keller didn't have to send out the parts, and although he believed he would lose everything he worked for, he could start over somewhere else instead of killing innocent people. But, when you believe that the society is wrong and it's not harming anyone, I would side with my family if I believed they were right.

Q2 Outside Reading #2

The beginning really goes into detail on Frank's life.He and his brothers spend most of their days at the park across the street. His mother is always taking care of Margaret, his little sister, and doesn't have time for him and his brothers. They go to the park to play and are yelled at if they come back before she tells them. We also see another side of Frank; he beats up his neighbor, Freddie. Before this I always thought of him as a scrawny, pathetic little boy but here he is beating up kids. Another tragedy hits them and Margaret dies. Margaret had brought many good changes to the family- Malachy had stopped drinking and the family got along better. Once she died, Malachy was gone for days drinking and Angela lost it mentally. She spent her days laying in bed not talking. Angela's cousins come and help her out and end up shipping her off to Ireland with her family.

The family arrives in Ireland with practically nothing and no money. They go to Malachy's parents house in Northern Ireland and spent the night, but his parents don't want them staying. Then they travel to Dublin to see if Malachy can collect his money he's owed for having served in teh army. They won't give him the money and so they are stranded. Finally they make it to Angela's mother's house. It's very crowded there and her mom makes it clear they aren't very welcomed.

Outside Reading Post #1

I am reading the book Angela's Ashes. It's a memoir of Frank McCourt, a little Irish boy that grew up in poverty. His life was a constant struggle. Frank's life was harder than it would have been had his parents not been forced into their marriage. The McCourt's grew up in a poor neighborhood. Because his father was a drunk, his siblings and he suffered. His father, Malachy, was never able to hold a job. Angela questions, "Are you coming home so that we can have a bit of supper or will it be  midnight  with no money in your pocket...?" (McCourt 26). When Malachy knocked Angela up, he was not prepared to be a father or husband. He was constantly drunk and knew he wouldn't be able to support his family. Angela's cousins forced him to marry her when she could have done better. She could have married someone else who held a steady job and would bring his wages home. Malachy spent all his wages in the pubs and as a consequence his family never had enough food to eat or even clothes to wear. 

He also suffers because his mother is weak. She's not physically weak, but emotionally. Angela grew up poor in Limerick, Ireland, and traveled to America in hopes of a better life. Angela's cousins chides, "That's what you get for being such a fool" (McCourt 19). Angela hooked up with Malachy right after arriving in New York. She let the excitement of being in a new city, being around new people, and being free from her old life, influence her to do something rash. She ended up paying for it dearly and it affected her children too.  Angela resented being tied down to a drunk and having five children on top of it. She was never really a caring, loving mother that young children need. Had Frank grown up with a mother that truly cared for him, he would not have been so self-conscience. Both his parents made poor ethical choices; he drank himself stupid and she was too weak to say no.

Outside Reading for Visual Literacy Unit (Fourth Outside Reading)

"Recalling a Mission to Capture an Era's Misery" New York Times. 17 October 2008. nytimes.com. 22 October 2008

This article is about the photographers helped shaped a nation. During the Great Depression, Roy Stryker was working with the government to show the poverty going on. He turned these photographes into something monumental. His photos showed the rest of America the hardships everyone was going through, especially the farmers. Today, most of these pictures are in the Library of Congress. They helped define a generation and also photography. This relates to what we're studying in visual literacy because Roy Stryker helped advance photography. A lot of what we study today, he expanded upon.

Neighbor and Sister in Leaves

Third Outside Reading

"The NFL Thrives on Mayhem, and the Brutality has Increased" Star Tribune. 9 October 2008. startribune.com 9 October 2008

This article is about the growing violence in the NFL. More and more these days, players are sacrificing their bodies to win and end up badly injured. It explores how the game has changed from when it started and how much more physical it is. One theory was expressed that people today love to watch because of the violence. This relates to The Iliad because the whole story takes place during the Trojan War. It's all about killing, and blood and guts. 

Second Outside Reading

"Tot Called 911 to Slaying Scene, Cop Testifies." CNN. 3 October 2008. CNN.com. 5 October 2008

This article is about the murder of the Steven and Michelle Andrews. Three years ago they were brutally murdered. Their son, two years old at the times, called the police. They know it was him because when the police showed up the boy had a phone in his hand and because they can hear his voice calling out to his mom in the 911 recording. They caught the killer and he's now in court. If convicted guilty he faces life sentence or death. He killed them because his girlfriend was cheating on him with Steven Andrews. This relates to The Odyssey in several ways. The little Andrews boy could be compared to Telemachus. Telemachus is trying to watch out for his mother and help her. The little Andrews boy was the one to call the police to inform them of the murder. Also, in The Odyssey, Agamemnon is killed by his wife for having cheat on her. While Steven's wife didn't kill him, there were still tragic consequences from the situation.

Is Homer sexist or feminist?

I believe that Homer is a sexist. While it is true that some women, such as Pallas Athena, held some power, the majority of women from The Odyssey didn't have any power. In the Odyssey, Calypso is viewed as the temptress or in modern day terms, the "house wrecker". Calypso kept Odysseus on her island, preventing him from getting home. We place blame on Calypso for keeping Odysseus, but some part of him wanted to stay. He claimed passionately he wanted to return home and see his family, yet he still slept with Calypso. Another example of Homer's sexism is how most of the powerful immortals are men. Yes, there's Athena and Aphrodite and Hera, but none of them have the supreme power. Zeus holds all the power, then his two brothers Poseidon and Hades come next. Hera is also the child of Cronus, so why doesn't she have just as much power? It's because she's a female. 

Another way that Homer presents himself as sexist is how he portrays Penelope. While she stays faithful to Odysseus, there are suitors lined up wishing to marry her. Homer doesn't have her stand up to the suitors and tell them to go home. He doesn't write that Penelope defends herself. Odysseus has to come home and save her from the suitors because she's just a helpless woman. Throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey men were warriors ransacking cities. They took home troves of treasures such as jewels and gold. They also took home women. These men treated women as slaves. It didn't matter that they were already married, they were possessions now. The women were forced into slavery, treated badly, and were usually raped. 

First Outside Reading

Byrnes, Brian. "Argentine Mom Seeks Daughter Forced Into Prostitution." CNN. 18 September, 2008. CNN.com. 18 Sept. 2008 

This article is about the mother of Marita Veron. Marita was kidnapped when she was 23 which was six and half years ago. Right now her mother is still looking for her and believes she was forced into prostitution. I chose this article for several reasons. First of all this is a terrible situation, but I greatly respect Marita's mother, Susana. She has already made a law past in Argentina about human trafficking, the first one ever. Also she has set up a foundation in honor of her daughter which has already saved 360 women and children. Also, inspired by her story, there's a new tv show in Argentina called "Stolen Lives" which is about how bad human trafficking has become. Susana has done the most in her power and is helping others with the same situation which is highly commendable. Although not nearly severe, Helen (from the Iliad) was in a similar situation. Aphrodite tricked her into leaving her husband and home to go with Paris. She most likely didn't want to go and is now forced to live her life with another man.

First Post

Hey! I'm Shannon or Shanown either one works. This is my blog and if you can see this then it's obviously working right. Hope you like it.