FALCNJZZ

Prompt #5 (April 3): Truth in __Of Mice and Men__ Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men explores themes of dreams, loneliness, equality and relationships that parallel many of the other texts we have read this year. Which theme do you think is most important? What is the "truth" about that theme revealed in the novel? In John Stienbeck’s novella, __Of Mice and Men,__ many main themes are discussed. Out of all of the themes I believe that the one on dreams is the most important because they keep us going and, because of the story(s), we see how fragile dreams really are. Throughout the story, Lennie is inspired to remember things so he can fulfill his dream of tending the rabbits, while George and Lennie’s dream offers Candy a home. As it turns out, most of the guys we meet in the plot have a dream of their own locked away in a “happy little corner” of their hearts. So what does this tell us about dreams? Dreams are the “thing” that keeps us going…they are our inspiration to try and to work hard because we want that dream so badly. Similarly though, there is the fact surrounding the fragility of dreams that is mentioned. Ultimately, Stienbeck would have it written that George and Lennie lose the opportunity of obtaining their dream after Lennie kills Curly’s wife. Charles Dickens’ __Great Expectations__ shows the same concept. Pip, the main character, has great expectations (higher aspirations) better off known as dreams, to become a gentleman and move to London. Eventually these dreams come true but then he realizes that his true dream all along was to be with people that he loved… including Estella. By following his dream of becoming a gentleman, he ignores those people that he holds dear and dearly regrets it. This proves that dreams are very fragile and can be broken by a mere choice. Out of all the themes displayed in John Stienbeck’s __Of Mice and Men__, dreams is the most important theme and they are the push that keeps us going and because of the story(s), we see how fragile dreams really are. Falcnjzz- Prompt #4 (March 30): Truth in __Great Expectations__ - Think about the different ways Dickens uses the idea of "expectations" in his novel. What is the truth about our expectations, either those we have for ourselves, those others have for us, or those we have for other people?

Charles Dickens, who wrote the novel __Great Expectations __, uses the idea of “expectations” throughout the entire plot of his story. This idea of great expectations or higher aspirations is used to display how people can get where their expectations take them (where they want to go) and how their expectations can change when they are not happy with where they have gone or in the process of getting there, something goes amiss. So the “truth” about expectations is that, when we get them, they decide where our life travels. We even have great expectations for others. We want them to go someplace in life… a place that often, we couldn’t reach ourselves. FalcnJzz- Prompt # 3: The truth of Truth in __To Kill a Mockingbird__ (3-4-2009) - Reflect on our reading from __To Kill a Mockingbird__. We looked at issues of education, growing up, justice, fairness, and others. In our writing, we looked for connections between our personal experiences and those of the characters in the novels. What "truths" can be found in this book that relate to our world today? Education, justice, fairness, and a few other facts of life that need to be learned can all be classified under the single theme of growing up. In __To Kill a Mockingbird__ by Harper Lee we follow the main character Scout as she grows up in Maycomb County. During the time period in which Scout is growing up she encounters all of the themes and facts of life that are listed above. Like Scout, all people have to grow up and will have to encounter a majority of the facts of life. Growing up, however, may not necessarily mean getting taller or heading on your way to adulthood but, to put it simple, maturing. Experiencing justice or fairness will allow you to attain that experience and will give you a better understanding of the systems that keep our lives together such as justice for crimes and the fairness of the punishment. So, does that mean that the same “truths” that Scout experiences in the novel are the same that most of us will experience in our lifetimes? Of course they are. The same systems that are analyzed in the novel are those that are built upon reality. The Justice of crimes, the punishments for them, and the education to understand them are all “truths” that are all evident in real life. -Falcnjzz-  FalcnJzz- Prompt # 2: The Truth of Lord of the Flies (11-21-08) - In our reading of William Golding's __Lord of the Flies__, we looked at issues of fear, evil, and the "beast within." What can we learn and apply from Golding's work, either on a personal or societal level? What truths did you find in this novel or in our discussions about it?

The __Lord of the Flies__ by William Golding can be looked at in different angles to display truth. In one way truth can be related to the logic of everything that happens in the novel. The boys in the story are confused by the beast’s mysteries and this arouses fear within them. As a result of the fear some of them turn into savages by releasing the “beast” within themselves. If they had actually known what the beast was, or in this case, known the “truth” about it then perhaps some lives would have been spared. This same “beast” can come from fear even today. Take fear in school for example. Some people are afraid of bullies, this fear lead to hate, and in order to fight this hateful feeling they resort to violence. Some of this violence can be as drastic as the tragedy of Columbine High School in Colorado or the shootings at Virginia Tech College. If you analyze this violence you will find that it is the same situation presented in __Lord of the Flies__ with the manhunt for Ralph. If we could, as people, see the mysteries of these fears and look at them more clearly then violence may be avoided. -FalcnJzz-

FalcnJzz- Prompt # 1: The Truth of Mythology (10-6-08) - The general term “mythology” encompasses the stories that a culture creates to understand the truth of the world they live in and their place within it. From a personal standpoint, it is about understanding who we are and where we fit in our world experience. What is the "truth" of mythology as we have studied it? What truth have you learned from our investigations? What personal truths have been revealed to you?

Mythology is so very important in society, old and new. Most people would agree that mythology is the study of what a culture invented to explain natural occurring events that couldn't be explained otherwise. However, an often-overlooked piece of mythology is the "truth" about it. What can mythological "truth" be defined as? How can it be displayed? These are some of the big questions. For starts, the truth of mythology is how the stories that they invented and told related to reality, at least as real to the point to where it can make sense. Now that we have defined "truth" what types have I learned? There are many stories out there from different ancient civilizations that attempt to explain creation, disease, and how the gods or spirits or whatever they called them, came to be. In the Plains Indian mythology they have a myth describing how mosquitoes came to be. It describes how a giant used to eat people until one day a man killed him. When the man burned the body and threw the ashes into the fire they turned into mosquitoes, which continued to eat men. This isn’t exactly the most evidence-supported myth but it does make sense (in a, well, primative belief way). Nobody REALLY knows how the world or the creatures in it came to be they can just believe and tell stories such as the myth above. Not only does the "truth" about myths help describe the past but it can also help draw out who I really am. Looking at all these myths of creation they are all unique but the have the same general point. Man was made by some super-natural being. What I find interesting is how all these cultures, spread so far apart, came up with the same general idea of an Earth Mother of Father Figure. To me these somewhat help me to prove what I believe in as well. -FalcnJzz-