No Strings Attached

In class while reading Romeo and Juliet, we discussed whether or not friends should date.  I think if the situation is right, you could.  However, if it doesn’t work out it can possibly ruin your friendship.  It can be risky.                       

If best friends want to date they should.  Best friends know each other very well.   Since you were best friends first, you will know how the other person likes to be treated.  You will know one another’s likes and dislikes.  If everything works out, you could have a great relationship.  If the relationship doesn’t work, it could possibly ruin your friendship forever. 

It could also be very weird if you like your best friend of the opposite sex, and they don’t know you like them, or they don’t have the same feelings for you.  I think if the opportunity comes up, you should date your best friend of the opposite sex.   You will never know if the relationship will work out if you never try.  You have to remember you only live once.  You might have feelings towards your best friend that you will never get for another person again.  

Captain Honors

        Last week there were videos released of Captain Owen Honors, commander of the USS Enterprise, in which he made inappropriate comments that made fun of homosexuals.  I think what he did was completely uncalled for and unprofessional.  As a Navy commander, he should be a leader and focus on running his ship and set a good example for his crew.  Acting the way he did was not a good example for younger and more inexperienced co-workers.  He should be more focused on trying to make the Navy stronger and more efficient—not poking fun at people.  I also think that this incident is a good example that everyone should think before they act. 

          Because of Captain Owen Honors’ actions, I think he should lose his position as commander of the USS Enterprise.  He should be fired for many reasons.  First, he should lose his job because people in the future will think they can also make fun of gays and lesbians serving in the military.  If people see that he lost his job because of these stupid videos, they will think twice before doing it.  Also considering that the military’s policy of “Don’t Ask--Don’t Tell” was recently repealed makes this incident worse.  Honors’ should have known better since there has been talk of changing this policy for a long time.  President Barack Obama said, “As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known.”  This shows how important this policy change is.  Knowing this change could happen, Captain Owen Honors should have never have done what he did.  Also even if the law didn’t change, Honors’ actions were unprofessional, inappropriate, and showed disrespect to gays and lesbians in and out of the military.   Captain Owen Honors received his salary from taxes and some taxpayers are homosexual, and this is an insult to them.  Finally, in a country constantly trying to get rid of bullying, he should have never done this.

          In the news I saw that Captain Owen Honors lost his job.  I agree with this decision because what he did was unprofessional and uncalled for.  Because of his position as Captain of the USS Enterprise, he received a lot of respect.  But now because of these videos, many people have lost respect for him.  This might make it difficult for him to lead a ship.  Although I do agree with him being fired, I don’t agree with the way the Navy did it.  I believe the crew of the ship should have decided if he should lose his position, not the head of the Navy.  His crew should have taken a vote, and if the majority thought he should be fired then he would lose his job.  I believe this because the crew probably knew and respected him the most.  They would know if he could still be their leader.  I think Captain Owen Honors might be a good guy, but he made some bad choices. 

Love

While reading the play “Romeo and Juliet,” our class talked about love and what love is.  According to the Merriam and Webster Dictionary, love is feeling affection for another person that we have become close to.  Being attracted to someone sexually may also be another sign of love.  People in love may also share common interests.  It also says that love is unselfish and relates to concern for others.  According to the Corinthians, love can be described using virtues like patience, kindness, trust, and perseverance.  It says that love does not dishonor.  This means that if you love someone you will respect them and not do anything to hurt them.  Corinthians also says that love does not end. 

The dictionary and Corinthians definitions are very different.  The dictionary definition says that love is based upon affection which is strong feelings for another person.  It is also based upon a sexual attraction or desire.  People who fall in love may also have common interests.  According to the Corinthains, love is based on virtues like patience, kindness, trust, and perseverance.   Compared with the dictionary definition, the Corinthians definition is more religious or moral.  It doesn’t refer sex, and it is not self-centered.  The Corinthians definition also makes us think that some work is involved with love.  The dictionary definition makes us think that love is a feeling.

          Many people might think that these two definitions of love are the same, but I think the Corinthians definition is a better way to describe it.  I believe this because the virtues in the definition help people have good relationships.  If you are patient with people, you don’t get angry with them easily.  If you are kind to people, you treat people with respect.  It also says that love does not dishonor people.  Corinthians tells us that it is not all about us.  It is about how we treat each other.  Corinthians tells us that love sometimes involves work.

The Rules of the Game

In the story “The Rules of the Game”  the mother and daughter have a relationship that I think relates to a roller coaster.  In my life I also believe I have relationships that resemble a roller coaster.  My relationships with some of my friends can be like a roller coaster ride.  Most of the time my friends and I get along.  But there are sometimes that we don`t agree on things, and we argue.  When we are getting along, it is similar to going up the big hills.  We are laughing and talking to one another just like on a roller coaster.  When we aren`t getting along, it is similar to the huge drops on a roller coaster.  We can't talk easily, and sometimes it is nerve racking.   All relationships have their ups and downs.

Checkouts

In the story Checkouts a girl who is shopping likes this boy who works in a grocery store.  Eventually, the boy starts to like the girl as well.  They both continue to appear to have feelings for one another, but they never talk to each other.  As the story goes on, they see each other less and less.  After a while, they run into one another on dates with different people.  Since they didn’t see one another in a while, it was very awkward.  I have had a situation similar to this happen to me. 

            A couple of years ago I played on the Ringtown All Star team for Little League.  During our practices and games, I asked my coach over and over if I could pitch.  My teammates and friends thought I should pitch too because during the regular season I pitched very well.  Finally in our last all star game, my coach decided to put me in to pitch.  It didn’t go well at all.  I walked three batters, and then let go two hits.  I felt like a fool.  My coach took me out.  This relates to the situation in Checkouts because I felt very awkward after the game.  I was embarrassed over how I pitched because I asked over and over to pitch.  My teammates and friends talked me up, but I felt like I let everyone down.  For me this was a really awkward situation.  I felt uncomfortable around everyone.  I didn’t want to look at anyone or talk to them either.  In Checkouts, when the bag boy and the girl meet at the movies with their dates it was really awkward as well.

The Birds

           Relating "The Birds" to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Speech

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that he believes that everyone should be free.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was speaking out against what other people thought at the time.  He was a rebel.  In the story “The Birds,” the birds are rebelling against humans.  In the video a lot of people came together to fill the mall in Washington D.C. to listen to Dr. King’s historical speech.  In the book “The Birds” many kinds of birds came together to fight humans.  In “The Birds” you can hear all kinds of birds yelling and ramming into walls and buildings.  During Dr. King’s speech, you could hear people on the mall in Washington, D.C. cheering him on.  This is how “The Birds” and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. `s speech are related. 

           Relating "The Birds" to the 70's Energy Crisis

During the 70’s Energy Crisis, many people were frightened and filled with panic.  Would our country run out of the oil which allows us to live like we do?  In the video I selected, it shows cars lined up waiting to get gas, and people pushing cars into gas stations.  All of these people are panicking.  In the book “The Birds” most of the people panic and try to board up their houses to protect themselves from the attacking birds.  In the video many people may have put off getting their gas until the last minute. These people were stuck pushing their cars into gas stations.  Some people may have had gas, but they were too afraid to use it.  The people in the book didn’t really believe the birds were attacking and didn’t board up their windows.   They ended up trying to board up their windows and doors while birds were attacking them—at the last minute like some people at gas stations.  There was also a feeling a chaos during the energy crisis and in the book.  The birds swarming people’s houses was similar to the chaos of people lined up waiting for gas.  That is how the ‘70’s Energy Crisis relates to “The Birds."

Relating "The Birds" to the LA Riots

In 1992 the LA Riots caused many problems.  This riot that lasted over six days caused thousands of injuries, fifty-three deaths and destruction costing nearly one billion dollars.  The 1992 LA Riots relate to “The Birds” in several ways.  First, in “The Birds” and during the riots there was a lot of destruction and injuries.  In the book many people were killed and injured due to bird attacks.  During the riots, the same thing happened.  Another thing that connects “The Birds” and the LA Riots is that during the riots people were randomly attacked similar to people being randomly attacked in “The Birds.”  In the videos you can see people just randomly attacking people and destroying property similar to the birds in the story.  In both the book and the LA Riots there was a lot of chaos and confusion.  A lot of the people never saw the riots coming and in “The Birds” people did not expect the birds to attack the humans.  Both events caught some people by surprise.  That is how the LA Riots and “The Birds” are related. 

The Most Dangerous Game

I do think that Rainsford should kill General Zaroff.  I believe this because it would be revenge for all the people General Zaroff killed.  The fact that General Zaroff killed people for fun shows that he is a deranged person.   If Rainsford killed General Zaroff, that would be the ultimate lesson.  I think that Rainsford should feed General Zaroff to the same dogs that he used to help hunt the people.   This story relates to modernism because there is no actual ending.  The reader never knows if Rainsford kills General Zaroff.  Today in the world there are many conflicts and wars and we don`t know how they are going to end--just like this story.  Also the idea of killing people for sport is totally unacceptable and hopefully not realistic which also connects this story to modernism.