Post 28

The best class blogger that I have read this semester would have to be Isaiah Williams. He is the first person that comes to mind, because he has consistently been one of the few students that actually post insightful content that allows readers to become more open to other view points in a simplistic way and its great how he finds ways to tie the class into other material a person may be more familiar with, "PS. Lion King is Hamlet. If you like Lion King you like Hamlet".
Not to mention all of his posts are coherent, which is a very important aspect to have when trying to inform a viewer of a specific topic.

Post 27

One work that we read during the semester that I would be willing to read again, is the poem "Quiet Night Thoughts" by Li Po (a.k.a Li Bo). Throughout the semester, we have read many compelling pieces that are great for discuss and debate; but its just something that resonated with me about the piece. 
The most appealing aspects to me in the piece are the imagery, relatability, and the simplistic style of writing i.e."Lifting my head I watch the bright moon"; this shows that not all great work has to be meticulously structured in order to deliver a message. I will continue to read this poem due to the fact that I like the authors work.

Post 26

Hamlet is more of a modern hero rather than an ancient, epic hero in multiple ways. Hamlet can be describes as a "Plain Jane" due to the fact that he does not posses any sort of supernatural power or ability, as compared to a god. Hamlet is dealing with a real world, human situation with the death of his father; he did not need to go on a physical journey, but had more of a spiritual, internal conflict within himself.

Post 25

Throughout all of the stories that we have read this semester, the King Oedipus is most like the character Hamlet. Both of these characters have similar but yet different story lines; each of their fathers have died (despite the fact that Oedipus unknowingly in the beginning was the person to do so), they both are over dramatic as evident from Hamlet contemplating life, "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer..." and when Oedipus gouges out his eyes, screaming, "You, you'll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused!" due to his previous actions and mistakes.

Post 24

The United States is currently in line with More's ideas and opinions in Utopia. More does not agree with Hythloday because he believes, "a country with communal property will have no prosperity." essentially meaning that the people would in a way become stagnant, being content with their situations. This has caused people to, "have no incentive to work, since they will be fed by the labor of others."
In the U.S. is true even still today, some people choose not to better themselves, because they know eventually someone will come along and help them. Through More's eyes the, "lack of  individual private property has the potential to eliminate respect for authority."

Post 23

According to Machiavelli, Donald Trump is a good leader, he follows the sentiment that; "one should rather be feared than loved". Trump has some of the characteristics that Machiavelli thought were needed in order for a ruler to be considered tough enough. 
Just like Machiavelli said, subjects are naturally well disposed towards listening to an influential person; “Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.”   Just like Machiavelli, trump dismisses the idea(s) of “political correctness”. Trump seems to be following one piece of critical advice from Machiavelli which is, “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”  

Post 22

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

Early on, Ed Sheeran makes the statement saying, 'darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70', meaning that he would still the person even as they both started to age. Near the end of the second verse, he says, 'Oh me I fall in love with you every single day' signifying that there are no other females in his life that he would rather be with, simply because he found the one he wants to be with. He further clarified that the both of them will always be with each other by saying, 'When my hair's all but gone & my memory fades & the crowds don't remember my name When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mm I know you will still love me the same'. Throughout the song he states how he wonders, '... how people fall in love in mysterious ways' and finally closes with to the conclusion that 'we found love right where we are'. The beauty in this song can be seen since he is honestly being genuine to a female about how he actually loves her and how there love will stand the test of time (ageing and finances).

Official Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA

Post 21

University Thoughts:

As I walk
I notice beauty all around,
with the sun's rays
over campus as if a park

without any sound
I feel a slight breeze,
inhaling a deep breath
appreciating what's here.

Post 20

Does Socrates belong in Hell? In my opinion, yes. In Dante's Inferno, there are seven different circles that a person could be categorized in Hell with. The first Circle of Hell, which Socrates should be in, is reserved for those in Limbo and who, "Sinned not; and if they merit had, ‘Tis not enough, because they had not baptism Which is the portal of the Faith thou holdest; And if they were before Christianity, In the right manner they adored not God ..."(72). The first Circle is for those who have not had a relationship with God in any way, shape or form.
            

Post 19

Dante's concept of Hell was all constructed within his imagination.
The modern age appeal of punishment and suffering is becoming a common reoccurrence through television, If you look at the average of what is shown during the course of a week; you'll notice there are many violent, shows that earn ratings by consumers watching and or enjoying the pain of others (scripted or not).
These two elements are shown so frequently, that we in a way become numb to the actual depth of the situation that is occurring. In my opinion, our society is on the verge of becoming an even more destructive society.  

Post 18

Jesus is a prominent figure in the Quran. He has been given a number of honorable titles ranging from Messiah, Son of Mary, Messenger, Prophet, Servant, Word of God, and a Spirit from God.
According to the Quran, the only reason Jesus was able to perform miracles while here on the earth, was because Allah allowed it (Surah 5:110).

During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles.  God tells us that Jesus said: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord.  I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission.  I heal the blind from birth and the leper.  And I bring the dead to life by God’s permission.  And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses....” (Quran, 3:49).

Muslims believe that it was only the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, and God saved him and raised him up to join him. It is believed that another was put in Jesus' place and Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus. As evident by the Quran "...They said, “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)..." (4:157).

Post 17

Only from comparing and contrasting the Qur'an to the New Testament will a person be able to see that these two books are similar yet also completely different at the same time. Through the group activity in class, I could tell that some of my colleagues were having more of an open mind for other religions and a greater respect toward other religions customs.

One thing that they both have in common, is the confession that Jesus Christ was only a messenger, and not God. As evident from the scriptures John 17:3 ‘This is eternal life, so that you may know there is one true God, and Jesus Christ, who Thou has sent.’ and Holy Quran 4:157 ‘That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah,”.

The New Testament describes the spiritual connection of those who accept salvation on the basis of faith in Christ. While also discussing God's undeserved favor toward sinners (Ephesians 2:8&9). Salvation is thought to be assured in this life and finally actualized in the next life (John 5:24). While the Quran seems to be missing in the grace department, aside from some references of God being gracious. For Muhammad, salvation is strictly a "quid pro quo."  meaning that if you're "good" you might make it to see Paradise, depending on your faithfulness and if Allah thinks you measure up (Surah 7:42,43; 40:40; 39:73; 43:73).

Post 16

In my opinion I believe that high ranking government officials should lead by personal example.  When a person leads by example, it shows that they actually care and respect there platform; using there status as a model figure. Thanks to the internet, it is far more frequently broadcasted when officials say or do one thing, but then lie or do the opposite of there plans, it creates a wall between them and there transparency. The mentality of "Do as I say and not as I do" creates a barrier of trust between people who are in high positions which is hard to break once started.
In a sense, a person of high ranking can't be just any ordinary person with a title behind them; they need to prove themselves and show that they are working for the benefit of everyone and not for selfish gain. Leading by personal example is more of a way of life, connecting and being more relatable with others. As opposed to someone who only leads by example because they know the cameras are watching and not because they actually want to.

Post 15

Even though all of his ideas were not ideal or accepted by every American, former President John F. Kennedy was more influenced by the teachings of Socrates than that of Confucius. During one of Kennedys speeches on education he said, "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource." which falls in line with Socrates' idea that in order to acquire knowledge you have to admit that there are questions that you don't know the answers to and strive to better yourself.
Socrates believed that the best way to enhance a persons life was through education and questioning. President JFK to an extent believed this also to be true, as he (along with the help of others) created the  Higher Education Act of 1963; which helped initiate more college aid for students while also creating more higher level institutions of various degrees to feed students thirst for knowledge.

Post 14

Ancient gods were more figure heads that were identifies as having some sort of magical abilities that separated them from regular humans. Most come from mythological stories that people have changed throughout the years to make ancient gods seem as all powerful beings. Most of the time, a persons goal was to try and make a certain god pleased with them or there work/ contributions.

Our modern day gods tend to be identified as celebrities and super heroes; super heroes are looked upon as gods because they always put others above themselves in life threatening situations, Captain America for example puts the country above himself and makes sure he protects the country with all his energy. Some people consider celebrities to be gods because of all of the power, wealth and financial freedom they have. An extreme example is when a person decided to devote there life to a certain celebrity building a shrine to them, can tell you all about that celebrities favorite activities, food, etc. and believes them to be a higher being.

Post 13

In my opinion the US wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are unjustified and have resulted in being a waste of taxpayers money. The total amount that the U.S. has spent on national security related to the post-9/11 war on terror has reached $3.6 trillion, with the U.S. owing $7.9 trillion alone in interests by 2053 (US Spending). The interest payment alone is more than what we initially even spent and we have not gained any benefit from this spending.

 The truth is majority of Americans did not know/ still do not know who is exactly to blame for the 9/11 attacks or know the exact reason why we went to war with Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan (as evident during class discussion). Former President Bush used the Art of War technique, in which they chose to believe that violence is the only answer in order to succeed against your enemies; when the executive order was sent out, the U.S. was angry and wanted to retaliate and act fast before actually having all of the information.

Did something need to be done? Yes. But the U.S. was not justified in the measures and actions that it took.

                                       Works Cited:

"US Spending on Middle East Wars, Homeland Security Will Reach $4.79 Trillion in 2017." US Spending on Middle East Wars. Brown University, 9 Sept. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

Post 12

The tragic public figure that I chose to write about is how Donald Trump became the president of the United States; Remnick has stated, "... this is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism." Trump has turned the white house into a tabloid magazine and now always want to accuse and "has branded such reputable media outlets such as the The New York Times, CNN, NBC and others "Fake news"(Lavender) even though he's one of the main people who broadcast in-credible sources when the information aligns with his agenda.   Even Trumps own advisor said, "Trump's war with the media is going to get worse". As the President, there are more important events going on than what the media says about you.

In my opinion the U.S. has never had a presidential candidate mocked and ridiculed almost on a daily basis end up winning the presidency, which is a modern tragedy. The tragedy is if the American people are subjected to subliminal messages that the media is always lying and never telling the truth, then that places doubts in the American Peoples minds in the future whether or not they are able to trust the news media with the information that they publish.

Today modern tragedy is similar to a classical tragedy, in the sense that reversal of fortunes is set in action.


Sources:
Lavender, Paige. “Donald Trump: The First Amendment Gives Me The Right To Criticize ‘Fake News.’” The Huffington Post, 24 Feb. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-cpac-2017_us_58b04a86e4b0780bac288743. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.           

Remnick, David. “Presidential Election 2016: An American Tragedy.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2016, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-american-tragedy-2. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.           

Post 11

When my family relocated to a new neighborhood being built I met my friend Axel*, we became best friends rather quickly. Over the course of the years we drifted with how much we communicated, because we had different paths in life; we were both dealing with family issues, while he was also focusing on ensuring his baseball scholarship(s). During the last two years before I moved to Georgia his parents divorced and he and his other siblings were forced to decide who they'd rather live with.

I believe this is the trigger that sent him on his downward Spiral; to cop with the adjustment, Axel* started getting involved with the wrong group of people, and taking drugs. Eventually it all caught up with him and he ended up losing his full ride scholarship to the University he wanted to attend; that was the last information I knew before I had moved. When I went back to visit my old neighborhood and asked about him, I found out that his dad lost his job and sub-sequentially their home, so they had to move.

Name changed*

Post 10

From the posts that I've read, everyone generally seems to have the same idea of what a modern epic hero reflects and stands for; a few characteristics from other posts that have frequently popped up are hope, strength, and bravery. In Ashley's post, she chose to discuss Superman as a hero; in my opinion Some people would classify Soldiers and Superman in the same category. Even though soldiers don't have the same capabilities as Superman, they both had the option whether or not they want to defend/ save a person or not. Our modern heroes reflect classical heroes in almost every way, it's just a new age in which we live that causes our "new" heroes to reflect more in line with our current society.

Post 9

Most modern epic heroes possess at least one of the six general characteristics commonly associated with them; a heroes traits can consist of: some sort of nobility, actions performed being well above and beyond what commoners are able to do, physically buff and attractive, can authentically be recognized by his or her people as a hero, humble (not always), or could have been effected by some sort of supernatural force. These six characteristics can help you decide if a character is an epic hero.

In my opinion, Veterans are a primary example of modern epic heroes, because they possess four of the six traits I previously mentioned. It takes a special person to leave everything they are accustomed to, with the potential threat of never being able to return to their loved ones. ,I have had the opportunity to speak with many veterans, and majority of them prefer for people not to call them heroes; providing clear evidence of just how humble veterans are, showing modesty in their value to the country.