Nothing Like the Sun

Over the sixteen years of my existence, I have become aware of the human tendency to exaggerate. There is something about human nature that makes us want to portray things as something better than they are. It is difficult for us to accept things as they are, and be content with reality. In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare criticizes this behavior, emphasizing that people should take things as they are, nothing more. Love is a beauty enough itself, and doesn't need to be glorified by hyperboles. Thus the poet who says his mistress' eyes are like the sun doesn't necessarily hold his love in higher regard than Shakespeare who doesn't hold his to any false comparison.

This philosophy applies to aspects of life besides love as well. People who take life as it is, and accept the beauty in it are usually able to be much happier than those who try and set their lives to unattainable standards. Thus, I'll try and be content with life on Earth, even though its nothing like the sun.

I, Being a Senior and Distressed

I, being a Senior and distressed,
By all the commitments and work of my kind,
Am urged by your website to find,
Your campus fair, and feel a certain zest
To bear your course load upon my breast:
So subtly is the application of yours designed,
To clarify the pulse and cloud the mind,
And leave me once again undone, possessed.
Think not for this, however, the poor treason,
Of my stout blood against my staggering brain,
I shall attempt you with fear, or season
My insecurity with doubt - let me make it plan:
I find this frenzy insufficient reason
For hesitancy when we meet again.

Swinging in the Mist

As I have progressed through my various levels of education, I have noticed a definite shift in the last few years. While I once learned solid facts, now I am being taught the skill of trapping abstract ideas and applying them. As we are focusing on law, justice, leadership, and morality, all of these subjects seem increasingly abstract. Completely wrapping my head around one subject seems nearly impossible, as situations are presented which contradict each other entirely. It takes a human mind, the human spirit perhaps, to decipher each situation.

Oedipus and Creon do what they believe is right for society and the protection of their people. It is only for their lapses in judgment and emotional undercurrents that sway their decision that ends up being their downfall.

This presents the question, can we blame a leader for being human?
In economics, we have learned the most typical answer for difficult questions such as these is as simple as, it depends. Oedipus has the gods working against him from before his conception, while Creon crafts his own downfall through his actions. Is one leader better than the other? Perhaps. One may try and answer this question, but they are truly swinging in the mist, looking for something solid through the philosophical concepts that we focus on.

An Eternal Search

This week focused on Law, and featured an attempt to define and relate law to society and ourselves. With moral, civil, and religious law all existing at once, it proved impossible to come up with a single set or definition of the law. After reading "Before the Law", I realized that it is impossible to truly know what is right. One can follow law to the letter, and still not be sure of the morality of their actions. Do United States interrogators feel immoral water boarding prisoners, even though our government deems it legal?



As I grow and evolve as a person, my idea of what is right is constantly shifting and changing. Trying to pinpoint who I am and what my own moral laws are leaves me feeling lost and bewildered. Therefore, in order to avoid the fate of the narrator in "Before the Law" I must not strive to attain perfection and attempt to get past the gatekeeper I create in my mind, instead I should accept the ambiguous nature of the Law and make decisions as they are presented to me. I am the ultimate decider of what is wrong and right in my mind, and although societal laws influence my decision-making process, I must ultimately look to myself for the answer. My quest of truth and what is right will last my entire life, just like the narrator in the parable, however I hope I will not be as alone and insatiable as he.

You Can't Fight Fate

There are those who believe a person's destiny is set in stone, that their fate has been predestined by some higher power. Despite this beliefs preserverance throughout history and different societies, it is truly just an ideology created by man to let himself have an excuse for the way his life turns out. If there was a fate, and it is carved in stone, it is not carved by a God, but rather by men. The combined actions of all people, or all concious beings capable of free will set the course for all future events. In Grapes of Wraith, the Great Depression and the dust bowl were not events that had to happen in some higher power's eyes, however they were caused by acts of man. It was the farmers who drained the life from the topsoil and didn't guard their plantations from the wind who helped lead to the Dust Bowl, and it was the risky lending practices held by bankers and investors that helped lead to the Great Depression. One would like to believe that man has no personable responsibility for those actions, but that is simply not true. Although there are such things as coincidence, a random occuring of events that seem unexplainable, our entire existence is a coincidence.

Now while looking towards my future, I hold my own fate in my hands. My actions this year, and over my entire life, will decide where I go to college, what I major in, where I live, who I marry, and possibly even how I die. Knowing that there is no puppetmaster making decisions for me, I am empowered to make the best use of this year to start engraving the fate of my own choosing in stone. Although I know there will be unpredictable events that will throw my path off course, I know I won't go anywhere unless I point myself in the right direction.

My Personal Quest

Thomas C. Foster defines certain rules that pertain to literature in How to Read Literature like a Professor . One of the most important ideas illustrated is that every trip is a quest, no matter how big or how small. While reading Grapes of Wraith, it is obvious that the Jones' expedition on Highway 66 to California is a quest with its own struggles and a goal to achieve. Currently, my family is remodeling our house so we can put in on the market. Due to the forced nature of the situation with litte other options at hand, it has been increasingly difficult and frustrating to deal with. We were able to stay with a generous family friend for a few days while our floors were being redone, and now our house is little more than empty rooms. Although we haven't technically left our house yet, I realize now that this journey is a quest. It has had its own trials and tribulations, with more to come, and our goal sometimes seems farther away every day.
While defining literature this week, I realized it was a study of not just reading and writing, but a study of humanity. I see Grapes of Wraith more than a window into insight about what it means to be human, but as a mirror I see myself in. I can see myself in Granpa, and his attatchment to his land, as I have lived in my house my entire sixteen years of existence, and I hope to be as strong as Al, who rises to the occasion to ensure the Joads' truck makes the journey.With so much on my plate this year, and my own families quest at hand, I hope for the best for the Joad family as I continue my way through the novel, for if they fail it will be difficult to have hope for myself.

I'd Prefer Not To

"Theren't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do. It's all part of the same thing." - Grapes of Wraith

While reading Bartleby, The Scrivener, I remembered a thought I had 9 years ago during the third grade. I felt my teacher was treating me unfairly, and when faced with adversary I immediately felt like giving up. I wondered how my teacher would react if I responded "No." to any request she asked of me. How would she react in the face of a defiant 8 year old? I knew I would be sent to the principals office, but how could she force me to go if I refused? Fortunately, I decided not to follow up on my plan, but I saw a bit of myself in Bartleby as he refused the Lawyers requests. It solidified the vague idea in my mind that no one can make anyone do anything else. Every individual is fully in control of how they react in every situation, and have full control of where they take their lives, even if they choose not to do anything. With my senior year starting up, and college applications steadily approaching, I am taking every opportunity to boost my application to gain a competitive edge over my peers. Fortunately, I have realized my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and I have limited my activities as there are only 24 hours in a day. However, many of my peers have not yet realized this fact, and have decided to accept every opportunity presented to them, even if they would rather not. So even though Bartleby's phrase ended up being his downfall, I know that it will also be some over-achieving seniors savior as well.