THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois, like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it would feel to live there endlessly, night and day:

My personal hell would be somewhere I can not be happy. No matter what I did, there would be no way that I could achieve happiness. My hell would be a place people are meant to be happy but I can not. I think that hell can be found even in the most beautiful place in the world. "Hell" is different for each one of us. If a person has a strong mentality, it is possible for them to endure a hellish physical environment. 

Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?

I think if you have too much of something, you will eventually stop wanting it and since you can not stop having it, it will become hell.

How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue? Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? How does GARCIN react to this hell? How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell? Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell?

Sartre creates a sense of place when the characters find that they are there to torture each other. I think that staying awake all the time with the lights on is kind of when you are trying to sleep but the lights are on or when the sun is hitting your face. Garcin is surprised by the room and feels like he needs to gain Inez' approval(?)

 compare how Plato and Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking and imply solutions to the problem.  Be sure to analyze their literary techniques, especially their use of allegory and extended metaphor.

Plato shows that a student is limited by the way they think. If a person wanted to be intellectually free, they could be. Sartre shows the limit to our thinking lays on the information we have and whether or not we accept it. 

ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE SONNET

intellectual freedom is never easy.

in a dark cave we life most of our lives.

not being able to see the real truth can be uneasy.

scholars say ignorance are like knifes.

Intellectual freedom is not common.

most people do not value mental freedom.

people missing the world is not uncommon.

ignorance can rule the world like a demon.

how can people terminate ignorance?

the decision must come from within to stop.

intelligence has a very strong fragrance.

intelligence always makes you the top.

a mind can never be kept inside a cave.

a person who gets out of the cave is brave.

BRAIN WITH 6 LEGS

Marisol, Elisia and I decided to read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. In order to collaborate regarding our reading, we plan on discussing our readings during class and creating a Facebook group message to continue discussing our book online. We also plan to meet up at one of our houses' during the break in order to clarify any confusion and discuss our understanding of the readings. We will start reading our book on November 21 and read about 37 pages each day.

PLATO STUDY QUESTIONS

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
the concept of reality and knowledge
2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
prisoners= humans
shadows=appearances (what we think is right/real)
the outside: new ideas/knowledge
prisoner that escapes= teacher
3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
it's a struggle and that if you have completely different views on something, people might be react in a negative way to you.
4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
the cave suggests that people are cut of from knowledge and the shackles are what's keeping them restrained.
5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
laziness and the fear of the unknown
6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
the freed prisoner is enlightened and the cave prisoners are reluctant to go outside because they are used to being in there
7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
when they are enclosed and can't know the truth or when they don't want to know
8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
by going outside and learning the truth. Intellectual freedom is as essential as physical freedom
9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
yes because what you may perceive as real might be something else.
10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
that people just assume is real if they can see it even though it might not be true.

WE HANG TOGETHER

HAMLET REMIX---in progress--

I havent quite figured out where I'm going with this so its not perfect yet

http://prezi.com/_tiz7wsjunhq/hamlet/

SONNET ANALYSIS #1

This are my notes on sonnets

A POETIC INQUIRY

big question: Why is world peace sooooo hard to obtain? I mean, if EVERYONE took in consideration other people and stopped being selfish, world peace would not be so hard to obtain!
Why can't ALL humans cooperate with each other and make the Earth a better planet to live in? without any violence, corruption, or misery? How can languge help reach world peace?

I have not changed my question. But now I am a bit more focused on the linguistics concept of it because I would like to be a translator.

Finding a sonnet was difficult. Were we supposed to choose a sonnet by Shakespeare or Petrarchan? or it didn't matter who the author was?

The sonnet that I found doesn't have a big relationship with the language component of my question but it does talk about peace.

"Lasting Peace on Earth"

The peace that’s found on earth lasts not for long, 

As leaders break their promises often; 

The peace that wars bring serves to just prolong

The rivalries, when differences soften.

Man needs the peace of mind, of heart and soul, 

Apart from peace surrounding his earth’s space; 

Progress in fields occurs when peace is goal, 

And keeps the health and wealth of human race.

The peace that wars unleash is quite futile; 

The peace that dialogues bring, much better; 

The peace that world bodies give is fragile; 

The Maker is the final peace-setter! 

The peace that man bestows on earth is short; 

The peace that God ushers, none can abort! 

PERFORMATIVE UTTERANCE + HAMLET---ESSAY

     Throughout the play, Hamlet gives a few soliloquies that allow the reader know what Hamlet thinks and feels. Throughout the play, the impact of performative utterance on Hamlet and his sense of self was seen by his actions and the way he spoke to other characters. By using locutionary force, illocutionary force, and perlocutionary force through out the play, Shakespear shows how when Hamlet speaks, his words constitute actions in their self.
     The importance of performative utterance on Hamlet is shown when he says his soliloquies. For example, when Hamlet gives his first soliloquy during act 1 scene 2, the audience knows how he feels about his mother marring his uncle. In act 1 scene 5, Hamlet learns that his father was poisoned and he uses illocutionary force to order himself to kill hi uncle to avenge his father's death. By Hamlet commanding himself to "remember and obey" his father's ghost, he is condemning his uncle to his death. When Hamlet says that he will remember his father, his speech constitutes actions because that means that he will kill Claudius.
     Austin's idea is that languae describes and does. This idea can be backed up by Hamlet's actions. For example, when Hamlet gives his soliloquies, he is describing the way he feels and he is also describing how he is going to avenge his father's death. In other words, Hamlet uses his soliloquies to give himself a push in killing Claudious. By Hamlet "motivating" himself to kill his uncle, he shows that even though he doesn't know how to kill his uncle, he is sure that he needs to kill his uncle.
     In my opinion, "self overhearing" means that someone says their feelings, what and how they feel out loud in order to help them self make decisions or to clarify their ideas and feelings.  Another use of self overhearing is that it helps to memorize. When I was memorizing To Be Or Not To Be, I read the lines out loud and after a few repetitions, I had memorized that line.
     In conclusion,  Austin's idea of language can be seen through out the play by Hamlet's actions. In the play, self-overhearing has a big impact on the plot and the characters because by over hearing himself, Hamlet was able to decide what to do in order to take revenge against his uncle.