LDBlog

In our CTW we defined hero as someone who puts himself in harms way for the benefit of others because its the right thing to do (not for glory). a hero does something to inspire. A hero will not be afraid to walk on the path less traveled and will bring about changes irrespective of the circumstance. Going through the quarter we further fine tuned this idea and learned other aspects of a hero. A hero has different aspects as well. Their is the christ figure:  messianic person, destined to save society and someone who sacrifices for the greater good with strong morals, as well as the warrior christ figure: who is active in the actions they take. We also discussed how medieval literature does not depict a real hero, but instead a knight who puts heroic values aside for chivalrous virtues. Another big part of our heroic lesson was the hero circle. Something every movie, novel, youtube video about heroes has. Everything we have discussed is important in the formation of a hero. As we have seen in the shows we watched, and even the examples we have given all these elements make up the heroes we see in media around us. Katniss Everdeen is seen as a hero, as well as Peta In the Hunger games because they fit into our definition of a hero as well as follow thecycle. Although they aren’t real, they are a good example of how the elements we discussed can fit any type of character whether it be book, movie, or real life.

Overall the most important thing we’ve learned about heroes, is when someone asks is this person really a hero?, we already know the answer. 

Deforestation: the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. A word commonly known with lots of people, but what is not commonly known are the huge prices the environment is taking.

My group decided to present on deforestation. We posted on Instagram and used snapchat to bring people together for a lengthy presentation. Our presentation included the issues, what deforestation is, how to help, an optional 45 minute silent film about deforestation and orangutan, and a Q & A session that followed. We had a good amount of people attend, about 13 people took part. The outcome of our presentation shocked me. When first starting the presentation, we realized that some people understood things without us explaining them. Which meant that they had heard pitches like this before and knew that this crisis was an issue, but had  done nothing to change their ways. As we kept going through and got to the part in our presentation that explained how one could help in this situation, there came another surprising discovery. Most people knew that the foods and products they purchased had trace amounts of palm oil, which plays a big part in deforestation, yet they didn’t care. Or more like they weren’t willing to take the extra step and do something to change their behavior. Olivia had pointed out that although we can not completely stop using paper, there are other solutions like recyclable notebooks or eco friendly paper products. The options are there for those who can go out of their way to look for it. Overall my group realized that people might take that extra step if it was easier and more accessible. If food products with palm oil were more expensive then those that did not contain palm oil, people would be more likely to settle for something different as long as its cheaper and more convenient.

Another interesting thing was watching the reaction from the crowd as we showed a slide of companies that did and did not support environmental efforts. It seemed that most people were prone to shop at places that were under the “bad” column, even if they were aware of the companies existing status. We saw this by shocked reactions from the crowd and questions like “there isno way *insert company* isn’t environmentally friendly”. Some food companies did take people by surprise, like Taco Bell. Who would’ve thought Taco Bell isn’t environmentally conscious? I don’t think we changed anyones mind enough for them to completely give up products that hurt the forest and go al natural, but we did plant that seed of interest in their minds. When they see things with certain hurtful products or go to certain shops, hopefully that little seed well remind them of what we talked about. They’ll understand by just one person putting a product down or boycotting a harmful company, they will be making a difference. People will be set in their ways unless something drastic happens for them to change their minds. The people in the Sanfillippodormhowever or going to be more environmentally conscious after our presentation whether  they are aware of it or not.

          Picture the last book you read. What kind of characters were in it? What did the main character look like? Every book we read we have a simple image in our head that helps us relate to the characters at hand.

      This is guided by not only our imagination, but the authors description as well. In the Hunger Games we are presented with the character Rue. Her description is such” And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that’s she’s very like Prim in size and demeanor…”(Suzanne Collins). From this description we can assume that Rue is a young black child. Fans reading her books had no problem accepting this, but when the movie aired Rue was immediately met with backlash and criticism. People even go as far to call her a “Black B****” or the N word just because of her color in the movie. My shock to hear and reading these things was prominent. How could a whole fan base fall so deeply in love with this innocent little girl and then savagely rip her apart as soon as they learn her skin color doesn’t match the picture they had in their head. This unfortunately shows just where we are in our society today. It is incredibly eye opening to sit back and see these reactions all to a Childs skin color. Suzanna Collins provokes her readers to see the similarities between her writing and the world we live in. This instance shows that her work and the reactions it gets truly is mirrored to our society. 

Katniss Everdeen, a star in the series the hunger games is revered as a hero in her world. She selflessly volunteers herself, keeps heroic morals in times of trouble, and uses her good qualities to stand up to the evil that is the capitol. Seen as a hero among her peers, one can question if she can be seen as a modern day hero to her readers as well.

Although her world is on paper and her actions are chronicled in ink, she reminds me of the powerful women that thrive in  society today. Her actions are on a much grander scale but they mirror those female idols like Ellen, Micheal Obama, and even Rihanna are a few women who come to mind when I think of powerful women. Each using their own platform differently to help those who need it. Much like Katniss using her platform in the game to communicate a message to those controlling the game.

Not only do I think Katniss models some of the female idols in our society, I think she can be considered heroic because she is inspirational for the young women reading her tale. Books can give powerful messages and this book screams independent female that can take the world by storm. Every female that reads this can feel the same courageousness and heroines as the main characters they are reading about and take some inspiration away from it.  Because of this she can be considered heroic out of her fictional world.

Eminem, also known as the rap God, and as of recently the best Trump diss track. Many are claiming how heroic he is to have stood up for the people  and give them a voice. While others argue the rapper is old and washed up. Interesting as those topics are, I would like to discuss, in this blog, the motivations behind writing such a targeted track.

To say the least, Trump is not widely liked. Because of this he is an easy target to rocket oneself into the lime light. One smart comment about how Trump isn’t doing this or that you are given a platform among the masses who believe the same. My question is whether Eminem truly believes what he is rapping about, or is he using the attention that this message draws to promote himself and his new album. Eminem has rapped before about homophobia and anti feminism, all things believed to be related to Trump. It is hard to believe someone with such strong opinions can make a verse declaring the opposite of what he originally believed. In a quote from the New York Times in 2015 he says “Sometimes I think that if I get comfortable or set in my ways of doing something, maybe I should step back for a minute and figure out how to mix it up a little bit”. Sounds like something most rappers and musicians do, but looking at Eminem’s record with music it seems he is always rapping about some kind of problem when it is relevant.  In past he has aimed at Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush always taking a political stance and then disappearing into the shadows. Personally his motivations seem to sway more self centered nature rather than noble and courageous for the people. 

Hero: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Knight: a man who served his sovereign or lord as a mounted soldier in armor

Heroes vs. Knights. Often thought to be similar, yet incredibly unalike. Many people love glorifying the a knights “heroic” actions because they think the two are the same. In this blog I will be discussing the main differences between the two. Lets first talk about the journey. For both parties there is a very specified journey that individually suits the two. A hero embarks on a hero’s journey where they are called unknowingly called to adventure and travel to the unknown, often facing great challenges, but coming back in the end with an altered perception of reality. A Knight on the other hand, will take on his adventure alone, without a map, and only his morals to guide him. His journey will not take him through as many steps, rather he will make it to his target, and turn around and come back.  A hero is a civilian unprepared for the trials ahead, while a Knight has been trained his whole life to set off on a quest.Both individuals are rather polar opposites when it comes to the adventures they face and how they face them.

Not only do they differ in journey style, their own personal mentality differs as well. Knights are groomed from a young age to grow into the armor that has been given to them. They are instilled with courtly values that help them to stay on the guided path and succumb to deadly virtues. A hero, on the other hand, is any human willing to be courageous when a situation calls for it. They may not have intended to fall on this path, but they will continue on their heroic journey because thats what their own character tells them to do. They are not directed by a higher up, but rather what their gut says.

The hero cycle, something that seems to be used in every single film or book in existence. Spanning from 1987 to present day, it seems that the Hero’s Journey is more that just a simple template we learn in grade school. Since this is the case, there has to be a reason this cycle is so important in literature and story writing, and that is what I would like to discuss.

The first part of why the journey is so important, is the simplicity. This is a template that anyone can follow. Take a look at any major action or adventure film, for the most part, the hero closely follows the journey’s cycle . This easily accessible cycle has paved the way to many well written stories that are still prevalent today.Many people can say that it’s overdone, but human kind as a whole enjoys the oddly relatable way the cycle works. It is an almost hopeful idea people try to sympathize with. If this man can start at nothing and go through a whole journey to be better than he started, why can’t I? Most of our journeys will be less dramatic but we can still experience some sort of cycle.

Joseph Campbells “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” want his readers to understand that the reasons so many stories have the same guidelines is because it brings magic and hope to those that read it.” It has always been the prime function of mythology and rite to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those other constanthuman fantasies that tend to tie it back. In fact, it may well be that the very high incidence of neuroticism among ourselves follows from the decline among us of such effective spiritual aid”(Joseph Campbell). His final analysis of why this cycle was so over used is because it brings meaning into our lives from the story telling we read. This cycle has been around for so long, in mythology and continues to be in our lives now, is because it works so well and gives the readers sense of purpose.

In recent news, the NFL has come under mass scrutiny for the various teams and players who reuse to take part in the Pledge of Allegiance. Many are quick to criticize, pointing out that the individuals  are disrespectful to the flag and those who fought for it. One indiviual even goes as far as to say that anyone who sits through the Pledge is a “son of a bitch”. In response to the backlash the teams are receiving a good majority call the players  “heroes” and applauded them as idols.   But are these men really heroes? Or are they simply people, like you and me, expressing their beliefs on a grander scale. The term hero often conquers up images of Superman swooping in at just the right time to save the damsel in distress, or the Avengers all working together to save whatever city is in peril in that movie. We often associate hero with such big achievements, that when something along those lines happens in front of us, it is hard to know how to truly define what we are seeing . The players who are taking a stand are certainly showing heroic qualities, but the extent of their heroicness ends there. Sure they put a lot on the line by expressing their beliefs and putting  money, public viewer ship, and their career on the line, but does that truly make them a modern day hero? While they are bringing great attention to the important topic at hand, there is so much for they could be doing with their status. Being highly paid, and well known, they have a greater opportunity and platform to take action rather than just call attention. So no, they are not considered heroes, because heroes would take the extra step with no hesitation to preserve what they are fighting for. Although they have many heroic values, it is not enough of a separation from us average joe’s to be considered a hero.

Every person in this world has a voice. “They say/ I say” seems to be designed around amplifying the voices of those in college. Since college is last stop before the real world, it is most important to develop correct writing skills. Templates have often received a bad rep, with many teachers believing it can stifle a students creative thought process. “that some instructors  may have reservations about templates. Some, for instance, may object that some formulaic devices represent a return to prescriptive forms of instruction that encourage passive learning or lead students to put their writing on automatic pilot”(Birkenstein xxii). In some ways these teachers may be correct, but to most students subconsciously it is harder to pick out the intellectual writing moves without a template provided. Templates are not meant to mask a writers creative side, rather instead it is to help guide it along in the correct parameters. Since they are also changeable, it encourages students to use their own ideas and urges them to think harder about the subject they are writing about.

Another subject to consider is templates are not only found papers, they can also be found in the real world. When you talk to someone you are going off the conversation topic, much like a student would write a paper going off of a template. ” Too often, however, academic writing is taught as a process of saying “true” or “smart” things in a vacuum, as if it were possible to argue effectively without being in conversation with someone else” (3). Most students crush it when it comes to academic writing, they follow the template and bam they’re done. To learn to speak I not only academically but also following a template is a skill.

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