Spring Raiding

For my spring reading book, I read The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak. The book takes place in Nazi Germany, during WWII, and follows a little girl living with a foster family, all the while being narrated by Death. As the little girl, Liesel, grows, she learns to read and write, and starts amassing a collection of books. She starts to steal them from book burnings, and saving them from fires.
Personally, I liked this book, and found the premise interesting. It was great to read it from Death's perspective, something I had not expected to find. The story touches on a very interesting subject, that of knowledge control and information transferal. In Nazi Germany, like many other totalitarian regimes, books were burned to keep the population in the dark, or to prevent the spreading of unwanted information. Censorship was rampant, and people would be none the wiser to what was being kept from them. Liesel makes a statement to go against this grain, to try and prevent those books from being destroyed. She shares a hunger for knowledge and the preservation of it, a trait which I admire and share as well. I heavily encourage others to read this book as well.

Civil Lefts

How did black power differ from mainstream civil rights?

Black power, while not different from mainstream civil rights, took it to a whole new degree. There were never before seen numbers of movements and protesters, and the black power movements took the country by storm. There has never been another movement in America that took racial equality to the degree that black power did. Eventually, it even broke off and formed its own genre of protesting. While mainstream civil rights typically was aimed towards gaining equality among races and having everyone being treated equally, regardless of skin color, black power instilled a sense of pride in African-Americans, and created a culture. They were not simply trying to achieve equality, they were proud of their race, and wanted to show everyone else that they should be as well. The slogan "Black is Beautiful" spread around quickly too, and in arts and culture of the time, black pride shone through. Soul music embodied the beliefs of black power, and spread it as well. While mainstream civil rights was concerned with the equality of all peoples, black power instilled a sense of pride among African-Americans, and united them to a degree that mainstream civil rights could not, while having a significant and lasting impact on today's culture.

CafEd

Based on the Ed Café we did in class, it's surprising the true amount of items that one can research about World War II. There are so many elements from all over the world, it's surprising to think that anyone can really call themselves an expert or claim that they have studied all of it. It was, truly, a world war, with people living on the southernmost tip of South America still inadvertently contributing to the war effort. Between the topics discussed, such as the Aleutian Island Campaign, the role of women on the home front, or my personal favorite topic: the Manhattan Project, it surprises me that we barely even began to scratch the surface of the war effort. The Manhattan Project, a massive campaign of innovation and engineering, had hundreds of thousands of people working on it, and took place in over 30 locations across the United States and Canada, while using research from the British Tube Alloys program. All of this, however, only amounts to a mere fraction of what was even discussed, not to mention all that is there to discuss in the first place. It really puts into perspective the true scale of the World War.

Prop-O-Ganda

Propaganda. It has permeated the society of wartime nations for centuries, and has provided a useful role in the morale of troops and citizens alike during difficult times. There is both positive and negative propaganda, and it has had a huge effect, especially in the 20th century onward. World War II has some of the most well-known and widespread propaganda. The Keep Calm and Carry On poster, shown below, was made by the British government at the beginning of World War II. It's a very well known quote and image, and is prevalent in popular culture today, namely due to its popularity among graphic designers.

The iconic Keep Calm and Carry On image promotes nationalism and attempts to quell the fear that is rising in its citizens. This is part of a whole category of propaganda, which encourages its citizens to pitch in however they can, and to support their troops. They instill feelings of pride and nationalism, and try to create a stronger, more united nation. Not all propaganda is about nationalism, however. There are other kinds of propaganda that paint the "enemy" in an evil light and try to instill anger and contempt in the citizens of one's own nation, spurring them to support the war effort. These kinda of propaganda would depict the enemy as pigs or animals or even demons, or simply state the horrible things they have done to try and push people towards a stronger opposition. A derivative of this kind, there is a third type of wartime propaganda, which attempts to instill fear in the citizens, and tries to guilt them into supporting the war effort. These have images reminding them to be more conservative in their use of food and resources, or telling them that if they do not help our troops, they are supporting the enemy.

However, these can raise the question of just how morally just is propaganda? To what extent can a government go with it before they've gone too far? Is it just in peacetime as well or only during war? Oftentimes propaganda is seen as a bad thing, and is considered to be manipulative and deceitful, even. Governments spread messages and tell their people what to do and even what to think. They ostracize those that don't follow what they say, and some societies can even reject them altogether for disagreeing with it. A common trope of a dystopian society is widespread and invasive propaganda.

George Orwell's 1984 proves the effect that widespread propaganda can have. Many dictators and fascist governments use constant propaganda to keep people in line or promote their own public image. How can we, then, as a supposed "free nation" use the very same methods to condemn others for doing it?

Greatest Depression?

The Great Depression, as we all know, was a tragic incident that greatly affected all of America's, as well as the world's economy. It was a simple chain reaction from one man to another, going across the stock market and eventually resulting in a huge crash of the country's economy. This raises the question, however, could it happen again? The short answer is yes, it could. The very same events or similar ones could happen, resulting in a very plausible Greater Depression. A different series of events could transpire, with the same outcome. While both of these situations are very possible, it seems rather unlikely. We, as humans, and as a society, learn from our mistakes. New infrastructure is set in place to prevent another crash from happening. We know more about the economy and how it works. We know what caused the Great Depression and how it can be prevented, just like we know what resolved it. We know what worked and what didn't, and in the event that another crash like it happens, we are prepared and know what to do. We are currently in an economic recession, and not a small one either, but the likelihood of it eventually becoming one on the same scale as the Great Depression is very low. The reason the Great Depression reached the point that it did and had the effect that it did is because we as a nation did not see it coming, and had absolutely no idea how to handle it or what to do. Equipped with this knowledge, we have grown and are more prepared for similar situations in the future. 

Amaerican Draeme - Revisited

In my previous post, I talked about the American Dream. In my opinion, the American dream is equal opportunity for all, to achieve and accomplish their goals. Anyone, regardless of age, class, race, immigration status, or gender can achieve their goals. Everyone has a chance to expand, grow out, go from rags to riches. The thing to note, however, is that not everyone can do this. If everyone were able to do it, society would fall apart. That does not change what I've written in the past, it expands upon it. The American Dream may not be equal success, but it certainly is equal opportunity.

Amærican Dræme

What is the American dream? In my opinion, the American dream is equal opportunity. The American dream is giving everyone a chance to succeed. Anyone can become a success story. Anyone can go from rags to riches, if they try. The American dream is that anyone can come from all over to get a new start, to live a different life. Anyone can change who they were, and can achieve great things. That, in my opinion, is the American dream. Equal opportunity for all, regardless of where they come from.

Fresh Princes of Celt Air

Druidism was commonly practiced throughout Celtic Europe and Galatia up until the 3rd Century AD. Druids were very important members of Celtic society, ranking as high priests and soothsayers. they were often counsels for the village leaders, or were elders and made executive decisions in a community. Very little is known about the druids, as they left few writings, only accounts from the Greek, Roman and local authors remain. Druids believed greatly in the healing power of nature. They gathered herbs and made potions and remedies, believing that they would heal or grant special abilities. They worshiped the nature gods and sacrificed animals according to the moon. They believed in reincarnation, and often held secretive, cult-like practices. The Romans attempted to suppress the druidic beliefs, as did christians when christianity spread into Gaul and Celtic lands. They believed that through practice and belief, mystical powers could be used, such as transmutation, teleportation, healing, fertility, strength and communication with the afterlife. They served as judges often, and observed the stars. Once a year they would all gather together in a very secretive ritual. The sources that we have on druids however, are few and far between, and their credibility has been greatly questioned and criticized. All in all, druids are a very mysterious and oft-forgotten sect.

Réligion Modèrne

How is religion today characterized? Religion is quite the concept. To some it is merely a moral code to live by, a set of rules and examples. To others it is a place to be saved, a place to go to clear one's mind and cleanse one's soul. To others, it is a way of life. They live and breathe religion. This can lead to conflicts, of people disagreeing about religion. Which religion is the right one? The world has many different religions today, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Wicca, Druidism and Pastafarianism, just to name a few. Religion, though seen by many to be a way of saving yourself and living peacefully, causes conflicts. There is great religious tension in the world today. Why is this? Certain people are so passionate about their religion that they feel the need to force it onto others. If these people have different beliefs, then they will clash. There also exist certain people that scoff at the notion of religion, and abhor religious people. They cannot stand their believing in a deity and hate those that preach it to others. Ironically enough, many of the conflicts presented today in society are by these very same people, protesting religion altogether, and becoming those that they advocate against. Religious groups and extremists are often what people see when they think of religion today, but really it plays a much smaller role in the world today than it used to. It's merely another aspect of a person, and often not that big of a deal. Religion has taken a bit of a back seat role and plays a smaller part in people's lives than it used to, for the majority of the developed world.

Hamiltonian Country; Jeffersonian Ideals?

There is nothing that Jefferson liked more than a good old fashioned Cuisinart Cordless Immersion Blender (Google Affiliate Ad). Jefferson had an ideal for America. He had a dream, a concept, an image in mind. He wanted a country that was agricultural and internal, that supported itself and deeply held the original wants and intentions of the country at heart. Jefferson was greatly against the changing of the constitution and the foundation of new laws to accomplish something. Hamilton, however, was different. He liked the idea of monarchy, and respected England for it. The french revolution frightened him, and he preferred the power to be in the government. Hamilton wanted a country to be founded on a strong federal government that could lead it ad protect it, and create a strong, developed, industrial nation. He created a new economic system and set the foundation for all the nation's banks, and is immortalized on the $10 bill. These two men have completely conflicting, opposing views. How is it, then, that they both have such an effect on our nation? Simply put, we look at Jefferson's ideals but carry out Hamilton's plans. Hamilton, often regarded as "the father of capitalism" in America, has clearly succeeded in his goals. America is a strong, very developed, industrial nation. We are not independent economically whatsoever, making trade with foreign nations commonplace and necessary. We rely greatly on banks and our economy, as seen during any recession. American society, however, still ideals Jefferson's society. We look at America as a free country, and idolize the image of America as a free, independent nation, not relying on the rest of the world. We look at everything from a constitutional standpoint, and are strongly against anything that would violate or change the constitution as put forth by great men in America's history. While both of these men had completely conflicting views on the future of our country, they both manage to still live on today.