Journal 37: Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience sometimes is better than non-violent rebellion. Che Guevara for example rebelled through violence for what he think is right, a Marxist society where everyone is equal and where unfair and unjust treatments don't exist. I believe in his cause but I don't believe in his action. I believe that although he fights for a good reason and that inequality is a really depressing and serious issue, violence should not be condoned. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Violence should be condoned if the tyrannical government slaughters more people than the revolution itself and the people that died for the cause are people that would equally kill people for the opposite rule. Another exception is that if the movement is for the establishment of a democracy. Although many people would argue that democracy is the most unfair system in the world but democracy's upside and the most valuable advantage is that although it might be unjust to some people, it doesn't give anyone absolute ruling rights that can prevent a total control by government. Also, through democracy, everyday citizens have a chance, even if it is only a slight chance if the democracy is a bad democracy, to change the country into a better place and to solve unjust little by little through amendments and legislatures.

Journal 36: Red Badge Film

The mental pictures in my mind were not really different form the movie. However, the atmosphere were kind of different. To me, I imagined the scenes to be always dark and gloomy and an awful lot of rain because Henry is always depressed and scared in the book and I feel that rain and dark sky would really portray the atmosphere and set the mood. Also, a dark atmosphere can really let us in Henry's feeling and really feel his depression and his dilemma. The actor for Henry were kind of older then I expected because I expected a 16 year old barely able to join the war effort with small arms, short, and an over-sized jacket and helmet.  I think the movie did a good job in remaking of the novel because the movie uses narration to tell the audience about Henry's feeling and basically the novel is about the mental struggle that Henry experiences throughout the film. However, I feel like the movie should make Henry look more like a coward by constantly showing him trying to hide or run away or showing a scene of him getting caught while trying to run away. The movie did not show about Henry leaving his mom which I think is a crucial event in the movie because while he was trying to convince his mom he wants to join the war effort we see that he didn't join for the war but for his own fantasy.

Journal 35: Government

*DISCLAIMER: I DIDNT DO THIS JOURNAL ON DECEMBER 13, 2011 I CHANGED THE DATE SO IT CAN BE IN ORDER.
I don't think it's true that government is the best where it doesn't govern anything. There is a reason why there are governments in the world and it is not because greedy politics with overpowering military force wants to have control over people. There is a reason people conform to government; it is because government works. Government works whatever the purpose it was served to do and that is why all countries have a government. We see a nation as corrupted when the government of the country is corrupted because a corrupted country can never prosper. Take Somalia for example, even North Korea has a more stable economy and better welfare than Somalia because although the North Korean government is not serving the purpose of taking care of the people but it is still doing a better job than the anarchy system in Somalia. We urge for a better government in which the government helps more people. One way the government can reach out to more people and help the general welfare of people is that the government needs to listen to people and that the government needs to be for the people rather than for the little group of elite in control of the government.

Entry 34: Theme of Self-Reliance

The theme of Emerson's essay is first related to nature but the grand message and teaching of the writing is not focus on nature. Self-reliance is the theme of the literary work. Nature is a complimentary element that's create a background and also a symbol for the writing. The theme is developed through figure of speech. Basically self-reliance is the essence of independence. When a person is self-sufficient, able to live on its own, is a rugged individual, can support all the living essentials of oneself, and is independent, then one is considered an adult and out of adolescence. Adolescence begins with puberty, however, everyone has a different time they end adolescence. Different individual ends adolescence at different time and different generations of people end their adolescence at different time too. At rural areas or a few centuries ago people are forced to leave adolescence early and some even had to send money back home to support their family. For people like them they almost don't have adolescence because by the time they hit puberty and enters adolescence they probably had to begin working to support themselves because if they are not independent and be able to support themselves they would probably starve to death along with their families.

Journal 33: Imagery in Nature

Nature can be a very helpful too in describing and portraying emotions because in nature there are different atmosphere and different mood. Nature is a type of imagery and figurative element on its own and this unique category can express and touch on many different human emotions and many aspects of life. It is also very sensitive because nature is all around us and when we think of a particular phenomena of nature or one particular side of nature we link to one of our emotions or we link it to one of our memories. We are so close to nature and so connected to nature that it takes no education to feel the atmosphere nature is trying to create and with no education necessary we can understand what the writer is trying to imply through the imagery of nature. Emerson uses nature as a mean to translate emotion to imagery and metaphor for people to further understand the meaning of it. Emerson was exhilarated by nature's beauty and grandeur. In the presence of nature, Emerson felt he was in tune with his better self and in harmony with eternal things. Emerson shows the reader scenes of nature that have moved him; he doesn't tell how he feels about the emotions but shows through imagery in nature and leaves it for the reader's interpretation.

Journal 32: The Saddest of All Prisons

The heart can be a very cruel prison because you can be bail out of jail through money and you can live on probational grounds. However, you are your heart and you can't fool your heart with faked good behaviors and you can't pay your heart lots of money to let you off the hook. Once your heart imprison you with guilt, hatred, love, or any kind of binding emotion you are imprisoned by your heart and unless you really feel that way you will never come out of your sentence. You can't fool yourself like you fool the jury with a very articulate lawyer because your heart knows what you're thinking. Keep telling yourself how you did not kill the person because you only pull the trigger; the bullet is the thing that killed it. However, you might fool your blind and maybe fooling a lie detector. If you have shame or guilt in you you can never fool your heart and you will forever live with that shame, sleep with that shame, wake up with that shame, enjoy life with that shame and it will be a tumor in your heart that you can't hide. Your guilt might change your behavior and the behavior might change your personality. All in all you are your heart's slave because you cannot fool your heart and your heart binds you with emotion that makes you act in certain ways. You can fool your mind, or other people but not your heart.