SIM1*'12

Mice and Men Truth 4/5//09

I believe that the theme of equality is the most important. I think this because without equality, several other themes may not exist. Take, for example, Lennie. If was treated like the other men in the novel, and was included in their activities, he would not have suffered from loneliness. If he had taken a larger role among the men, he may not also have suffered from mixed relationships with some of the other characters. We also see equality in stories like Great Expectations and The Necklace that center around social class instead of mental ability, I think that equality reveals the truth of human nature. It shows how people can act when someone is different, or unlike themselves. It is a sad truth, really. That us as humans are weak when it comes to accepting people that are different from us. However heartbreaking it may be, it does truly exist in today's culture.

Great Expectations Truth 4/5/09

Dickens shows us several expectations, and shows us several truths. The truth about expectations that we have for others is that we hold them accountable to achieve their expectations. If others tell us about their goals, we except them to achieve them, and be serious about what they want. I think it is the same through process for what others think of us, as well. It makes no sense just to dream if you are never going to put your goals into action. I think we are more lenient when we consider our own dreams. I know that I personally have a "back-up" plan if reality shatters my goals, but someone else may truly expect me to get my dreams accomplished. Having expectations is a very essential part of life, however. Without expectations, no one would have a desire to be successful and achieve great things in life.

Lord of the Flies Truth 11/6/08

After reading the LOTF, I can see how what the author thinks about truth, and how it was revealed to us. The story was about children deserted on a island for days, weeks, maybe even months. After they has lost their connections to civilization, they lost what it meant to be a human being, and forgot what it meant to act properly. I think the LOTF reveals the truth that structured civilization is needed for all human beings to keep a high level of sophistication. In the book, we saw how Jack and his "tribe" lost their common sense. This would happen to all humans if we didn't have some source of civilization that we looked to as a model. When some of the key items in the story that originally represented peace and leadership were no longer present, we saw how the boys themselves lost their sense of peace and leadership. Humans have to understand that if we are ever in a place where there is no sense of an ordered society, we will lose our knowledge of that eventually, since we ARE only human.

Mythology Unit Truths 10/6/08

I think that many true characteristics of human nature have been revealed in the myths we have studied in class. In the Greek myths we read, each and every one had some part of it that had a theme or SOMETHING that suggested how humans really are, and usually how they are punished for it. For example, in the myth Narcissus, the main character is very self-absorbed. He is in love with his own reflection. In the end, he is punished for his trait by dying of thirst. The trait of self-absorption is found in people today. The Greeks, Romans, and other cultures knew these truths and traits and wanted to find a way to explain them. Not only do myths explain human truths, but they also can explain natural phenomena ("natural truths"). The myth of Pandora's Box, for example, explains how the world became infested with evils (diseases, natural disasters, etc.) Different cultures had different ways of explaining "truths" of the world, but all the same, they needed a way to interpret how things "happen", since all the "scientific evidence" we have today was not accessible to the ancient peoples.