Cultural Changes??

If you just watched that, then you are probably as disturbed as I am.  As some of you may know weird product commercials like this are found on almost every channel in Japan, but I'm scared to say that this one is actually from the United States.  Do these kind of commercials intrigue you as a buyer? As freaked out as I was, I have found myself a couple times looking at this Philadelphia business's website.  These types of commercials seem more amusing, or latching.. to your mind.  I distinctly remember this commercial more then the one I saw ten seconds ago for some new kids toy, that I don't remember the name of.  Our nation  is becoming more and more overprotecting parents try to protect their little babies (no pun intended) which keep most marketing like this out of the States.  I personally believe that this should and will come to our nation, it will amuse the people for its entertainment value, but also the distinct, weirdness will draw them in as buyers.  What do you think about this possible culture change?

Poetry #1

1) The poem "The Laughing Heart" by Charles Bukowski was used in this Levi's commercial.

2) This is ironic because Bukowski was a rebellous, drunk, who believed in individualism over conforming.  So the fact that a large corporation is using his poems to intrigue potential buys to conform and buy their clothing is extremely ironic.

3) The poem is about living your life and trying to find the best, or the light, out of everything, which I think goes both ways when trying to relate to Bukowski.  Bukoswki chose to have a life of drinking and being with prostitutes, which is him choosing his life, but he drank because the pain he endured during his childhood and slept with prostitutes because he could not marry for about thirty years after his first marriage.

To find this information I used previous knowledge and imbd.com

Essay #1

Palestinian, Edward Said, wrote "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.  It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home; its essential sadness can never be surmounted." He is trying to say that isolation can be harmful to one, as well as a cultivating experience.  In The Poisonwood Bible the Price family must leave their home of the United States for a missionary trip to the Congo, but when they arrive the alienation is even firmer on Adah then the rest of her family.  She deals with isolation from the natives and her family, which has a multitude of effects on her.

Adah is one of the few white folks in the small village of the Congo.  When they arrive they feel out of place due to the clash of cultures that they struggle to keep up with, but once the hype of the arrival of the Price family dies down they realize they are family with no knowledge of how to live in their new environment, with their only help coming from Mama Tibata.  Adah having a major physical handicap looks like she could be one of the villager with white skin.  I felt like this led to her family looking past here, for example when Adah and Leah were sent to the river to get water, Leah impatiently left Adah behind on the trail where she was stalked by a lion and pronounced dead by the villagers.  When they told the Price family they believed she was attacked, everyone was shocked when Adah appeared off the hammock at the house because no one had any awareness of where she was.  As the story continues and Adah's sisters become closer to the natives or their family, she almost choose to exile herself from her family due to her unrelenting desire to not be affiliated with them.While her journey in the Congo was about to end she had lost her younger sister Ruth May to a snake bite, Leah got sick with malaria and stayed with Anatole's family, Rachel staying and marrying herself into enough money to satisfy her needs, Adah was surprised when her mother chose her over Leah.  Leah whom Adah always considered a family favorite.  When Adah returned to the states she overcame her disabilities and continued her education into college, where she later went on to study new cures for African diseases. These achievement of hers were possible from the experience she gain while she experienced the Congo "by herself".

Adah began her adventure to the Congo already semi-distant from her family, but once arriving they almost pay no attention to her and she grows on her own.  She continued to exile herself until the end where she came together with what was left of her family to leave for home.  After the rest of her sisters stayed behind, her mom and her made it home.  She became a new Adah and went back to Africa to try and save lives by producing cures to dieseases.

The Posionwood Bible

• the Price family flies to Africa
• they go to a small village called Kilanga
• there for a religious mission
• Nathan Price, the father, is the new minister of the village
• they underestimate what they needed
• Adah, being handicapped, fits in with the natives
• Rachel hates it because she thinks of herself as a beauty queen who doesn't like to work for anything
• Leah believes in God's will and takes the bad things as God saying "you aren't doing it right"
• Ruth May expends all of her energy exploring the surrounding jungle
• Nathan tries to baptize the people many times but they refuse
• after awhile Mama Tataba leaves telling him that they are afraid of the river because of a recent crocodile attack
• with threat of communist take over Belgium pulls out of Congo and lets them set up their own government
• Mrs. Price begs to leave for the safety of her daughters
• Mr. Price refuses to let them leave, believing it is just a challenge from God
• Ruth May breaks and arm climbing a tree
• Anatole tells Mr. Price that the villagers don't want to leave their traditions for Christianity
• Anatole brings Pascal to help the Price family
• Pascal helps the girls learn African culture
• Leah and Pascal become great friends
• Ruth May get Malaria
• Leah gets lessons from Anatole
• Ruth May survives but isn't the same
• Leah falls in love with Anatole
• Ruth May is bitten by a snake and dies
• Mrs. Price and the remaining daughters leave Mr. Price to go home
• They are forced to walk through the jungle
• Leah gets malaria and is left at Anatole's family's house
• Rachel tells Mr. Axelroot to fly her out of there and she'll marry him
• Leah marries Anatole
• Adah and Mrs. Price go home
• Rachel moves on from marriage to marriage until she obtains a vast hotel company in Africa
• Leah lives the African way with Anatole and their four kids
• Adah overcomes her disabilities and goes to an university, where she studies African diseases for cures
• Mrs. Price falls to depression due to the guilt of Ruth May's death
• Ruth May watches over her sisters as they grow up and her mom grows old, describing life and death

Pride and Prejudice

• Charles Bingley comes to town
• Bennet family happy of his arrival because of five unmarried daughters
• Mr. Bennet meets Mr. Bingley, who meets the girls
• at the ball Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter, dances with Charles
• the Bennets meet Mr. Darcy at the ball
• Darcy is rich and single
• Elizabeth Bennet immediately dislikes him
• Jane meets Charles's sisters in hope to be friends because she has fallen in love with him
• Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth
• Sir William ask Elizabeth to dance with Darcy, but she refuses
• Darcy says Elizabeth is the object of his desires
• Jane visits Charles, but falls ill and Elizabeth goes to help
• Mr. Collin is entitled to Bennet property
• He visits Bennets to find a wife
• Collins first wants Jane, but was told she was soon to be engaged, so he tries for Elizabeth
• the day after he arrived Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham who she likes
• Mr. Wickham and Darcy hate each other
• Wickham says Darcy used a loophole to take his inheritance money
• Wickham doesn't attend ball so Elizabeth dances with Darcy
• Collins proposes to Elizabeth who says no
• Bingley tells Jane he is going back to London
• Elizabeth's closest friend, Charlotte, knows this Elizabeth's only chance to live a comfortable life
• Elizabeth and Wickham get closer, but her aunt doesn't approve due to his low social status
• Elizabeth visits Charlotte after seeing Mr. Collins
• Jane goes to London in hope of seeing Mr. Bingley
• Elizabeth meets Lady de Bourgh who interrogates her
• Darcy visits alone
• Fitzwillaim says Darcy stopped Jane's marriage
• Darcy tells Elizabeth he loves her and proposes, but she says no and questions him
• Elizabeth thought Darcy hated her
• Darcy's ego (pride) makes him jaded, while Elizabeth judges him off rumors(prejudice)
• he writes Elizabeth a letter saying he did stop the wedding because he didn't think Jade felt the same way, and that Wickham tried to marry Darcy's sister for money
• Elizabeth sees darcy as a compassionate, caring man 
• Elizabeth leaves for home and meets up with her sister where she tells them about Wickham and the decide to tell everyone
• Elizabeth goes on a tour through Darcy's house
• Darcy returns home early and runs into Elizabeth
• they talk and Darcy introduces her to his sister
• Elizabeth meets the Bingleys again
• Miss Bingley makes rude comments about Elizabeth, but Darcy defends her
• Jane sends Elizabeth a letter saying Lydia, their younger sister, had eloped with Wickham
• Elizabeth goes home to find her
• Elizabeth's father goes to London to find her
• Mr. Collins bashes the Bennets
• Mr. Bennet returns home without Lydia
• Mr. Gardiner finds her
• they hadn't married, but Wickham would if he got money
• Bennets care more about reputation then who their daughter married
• Bennets think the Gardiners gave Wickham a lot of money to marry Lydia
• Elizabeth confesses her love for Darcy
• Wickham agrees for marriage and visits the Bennets
• Lydia says Darcy was at her wedding
• Elizabeth confused writes to the Gardiners to figure out what is going on
• Gardiners say Darcy paid for wedding
• Bingley comes back and Lydia leaves
• Bingley has a small conversation with the Bennets
• Bingley and Darcy go for dinner, Bingley tries to win Jane's heart
• Elizabeth doesn't think Darcy will propose again
• Bingley proposes, Jane says yes
• Lady Bourgh questions Elizabeth's relationship with Darcy because her daughter is supposed to marry him
• Elizabeth said they weren't engaged, but she'd say yes if he asked
• Lady Bourgh says she can't marry him
• Elizabeth doesn't car
• Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane go for a walk
• Darcy and Elizabeth let the others go ahead
• Elizabeth thanks him for Lydia
• he proposes and she says yes
• they live happily ever after

Theme

• True Love Prevails
• true love broke the social status barriers and prevailed through its ups and downs, leaving them with true happiness

Symbolism
Lady Catherine- Greed and negative effects from money
Mr. Collin- desire to move up the social ladder

Montaigne Essays

• linked old to the new world
• father died when he was thirty five years old
• only one daughter survived
• use essays to release his demons
• essays divided into two books with the third being added
• supported his ideas with evidence and facts
• he questioned other's opinions to learn more about himself
• he believed men and women were cast in same mold
• wrote in french for people to be able to read later
• didn't use religion to discuss death to leave it as an open discussion
• theology and philosophy sometimes overlap
• translated Natural Theology for his father
• wrote important ideas in italics
• believes God is a hidden god
• thinks pride is the sin of sins
• opinion is not knowledge
• to explain why, you must provide evidence to validate your point
• renaissance allowed him to expand his knowledge with foreign scripture
• Montaigne influenced by Protgoras
• wanted to know
• thyself
• understand man and you'll understand the universe
• man is always changing,shifting, and becoming
• all men desire knowledge
• wisdom comes from experience not schooling
• writing brought him to terms with his hard ships and faults

Book One-That our deeds are judged by the intention

• wrote this to come to peace with his life and death
• death settles all obligations or issues of life
• we can't be held to promises beyond our power or means
• says some iniquitous judges postpone their judgement until the can't anymore

Book One- On idleness

• uses this to deal with his depression, delusions and illness
• souls without goals can get lost and lose themselves
• trying to branch out since he is so focused on himself

Book Two- That we should not be deemed happy til' after our death

• almost becomes obsessed with death 
• death is the act of dying, not the state of the soul in afterlife
• more philosophical then religious
• describes happiness as notions of blessedness and of good fortune
• never can be happy until death
• good fortune is key to happiness
• death shows the reality of life and who the person truly was
• the last day of life, one looks back on the life they lived

Book One- On the power of imagination

• imagination evokes mental images of thoughts, concepts, ideas, opinions as well as mental pictures
• religion sometimes dashed with imagination
• imagination brings new ideas and events
• it can take over the mind
• may be in your mind, but is real
• some people escape to their imagination, which makes them lose sight of reality
• miracles, random events, visions, etc. give fuel to the craving of imagination
• imagination can be used as bait to make someone think it is possible or the perfect thing to do
• men imagine women which ruins expectations
• mind and body are one, which imagination powerful
• magicians take advantage of imaginations in order to make audiences believe