The American Dream

I believe that the American Dream is something that everyone aspires to, even unknowingly. It is possible for this to be true because the American Dream is subjective. It carries different meaning for different people, but is usually contingent on the concepts of success and wealth. However, depending on a person's upbringing, how they define those two concepts alters their perception of the American Dream. The American Dream stems from the idea that for anyone, no matter where they come from, success is possible in America. Success can mean many things and I've always said that I've wanted to be successful. Coming from a family of successful people that made it on their own, I see that the American Dream is real, but only for some and just a literal dream for others.

The American Dream is usually a concept referenced by foreigners in old-timey movies who came to America in search of a better life. We still see this to be true and it seems that those who believe in the American Dream the most, immigrants, are the ones who it is least realistic for. America has not created a system that allows for people from other countries to succeed here, Americans can barely succeed here. America as a whole values wealth and looks down upon those who aren't wealthy. Although much of America would not be considered wealthy, we still manage to look down upon those who have less than average, American or not.

Poverty and wealth should not dictate a person's value to society, but just as I believe that the less fortunate should not be looked down on, neither should those who happen to be fortunate. There is a growing trend amongst my generation to dismiss the opinions of those who are wealthy and also to assume that no hard work went into their success, even if they came from money. For instance, just because someone went to a better school, got the same grades, and got into the same colleges as me doesn't mean that they didn't have to work as hard to get there. I've seen the American Dream first-hand and while it isn't achievable for everyone, it is still there.

Practice IOC

My Passage:

I don't think I ever got the packet with excerpts so I used this one from the IOC Reminders google slides.

My IOC audio

How I scored my self: 14/30

Criterion A: 5

• I think that I showed a good understanding of the text and I usually went back and talked about the greater significance in the text.

Criterion B: 5

• I talked about a few literary devices but I feel there could've been more, but I did talk about effect on the reader a lot.

Criterion C: 2

• This wasn't well organized at all, I started out with a plan but then things kept popping into my head that I thought I needed to say.

Criterion D: 2

• I said "um" and "uh" a lot and I kept taking pauses causing broken sentences, so overall my grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary just wasn't up to par. 

Exhausted Beyond Compare: Freebie

Hey there, this is my freebie for the 2nd semester.

Stay Icky :)

Pro-voice: listening and storytelling on the hard issues

Aspen Baker: A better way to talk about abortion

Aspen Baker starts out by talking about her first time talking to someone who willingly talked about their abortion. As a new college graduate she worked as a bartender, but one night at a point when she would normally have a drink she couldn't because she was pregnant. Aspen was raised in a vehemently christian community that was strictly pro-choice, she never thought that she would have an abortion. She was raised to see abortion as a very solemn issue that wasn't to be discussed, until it was possible that she would have one. Unsure of what to do about her pregnancy, she turned to her friend Polly who calmly said, "I've had an abortion."

Baker went on to have an abortion, but the night she spoke with Polly stuck with her. Polly made her realize that abortion and issues like it don't have to be something that we're afraid to talk about and that it's not simply pro-life or pro-choice. She discusses how since the issue has become so politicized we neglect talking with one another about abortion, which is fairly common for women in America, and instead talk at each other. This discovery prompted Baker to make it her life's focus to shift conflict over issues we can't talk about to a place of discussion through listening and storytelling.

Through an organization she founded Baker opened a talk-line for people to get emotional support about the real-life side abortion. In doing this she found many instances where it simply isn't possible for people to just pick a side in the abortion issue and thus pro-voice was created. Pro-voice aims to create a new perspective on issues that have been heavily debated for years like immigration, religious tolerance, and abortion, but also issues that are very personal. The keys to pro-voice are fairly simple: listening and storytelling, but it's not as simple as it seems. Issues seen from a pro-voice perspective are the one's that there is a lot of controversy over and that people don't want to discuss.

Baker then goes on to talk about how to be a good listener, an important trait to have in pro-voice activism. Her tips include simple things such as asking open-ended questions and using reflective language. On the flip side of listening there is storytelling and Baker goes on to talk about the potential danger in it. Baker talks about how empathy is created through storytelling and how it's not wrong for someone to have done something different or felt differently than you given the same set of circumstances. This illuminates the nature of pro-voice which doesn't try to push everyone into sameness concerning their views on the tough issues, but instead creating a culture where everyone's opinions are valid and their differences are respected. Baker concludes by saying that experiences aren't always right or wrong, but that they can exist on a spectrum.

The purpose of this Ted Talk was to inform people of the existence of another perspective on abortion that exists beyond pro-life and pro-choice, pro-voice. Baker is attempting to create interest in something that she has devoted her life's work to. The main way that Baker does this is by telling stories. Storytelling is one of the main concepts involved in pro-voice activism, so Baker uses this to her advantage to create an extremely pathos fueled Ted Talk. With every major point she brings up, she accompanies it with a story. In doing this, she further reinforces the ideals of pro-voice by using stories related to abortion, especially those concerning her own experiences with it. By giving various examples of times that pro-choice has impacted her outlook or others on the tough issues she is showing the audience it's practical application.

I chose this Ted Talk because abortion is an issue that I am very passionate about, I even did my ToK presentation on it. When I first saw the title of this Ted Talk I thought it would be interesting, but the small possibility that it could be someone who was pro-choice lingered in my mind. I always groan a little (ok, a lot) when I hear abortion being discussed from a pro-choice perspective, but I chose to watch this talk anyways. This talk caused me to change the way that I view pro-choice perspectives and talking about tough issues in general.      

She Ain't Nothin' but a Gold Digger

3. Double Indemnity has been called “a film without a single trace of pity or love.” Do you agree with this statement? Think about the motivations that lie behind the actions of Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson when you consider your response.

Double Indemnity has many intriguing elements; murder, drama, and deceit. But I agree that it does lack both love and pity. The plot of Double Indemnity is formed off of lust and greed. Instead of the main characters falling madly in love with each other and committing a criminal act out of love, the main characters use each other for their own personal gain. Phyllis is portrayed as the ultimate femme fatal and it is blatantly obvious that she only cares about herself from the moment she first interacts with who we believe to be a clueless love stricken pawn. It is easy for us to see Walter in this light because his motives aren't so obvious from the beginning, but as the story progresses he turns into a much darker character. They were each able to hide their motives under the ruse of love and pity until we see them as they are in the very end.

At first Walter Neff is seen as one of the only lovable characters in the film, he appears to be an unlucky man who just got caught up in trouble with a woman he loved, but we see this facade crumble as the story goes on. Ultimately, Walter is in it for the money, he finds himself more attracted to it than Phyllis. If he did truly love her or even pity her a little he wouldn't have ended up killing her. As we see this happen we find out his true motives greed and the small amount of lust he felt towards Phyllis.  The same is true for Phyllis. She never loved Walter, despite her saying so moments before she is killed. She is introduced as a trophy wife and we see almost immediately that she is a stereotypical gold-digger. She uses her sexual appeal to draw Walter into her evil scheme and acts as if she loves him in order to get him to stay involved. If she had truly loved him she would have never insisted that he commit such a terrible act, but she couldn't do otherwise, she was indifferent and incapable of feeling emotions. She was in it truly for herself and saw her incapability to feel as a means to exploit and manipulate the feelings of others.

Lady Macbuffy: A Netflix Queue

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

No one loves a powerful female lead more than Lady Macbeth so when she heard about Buffy she immediately added it and Angel to her list. As with anyone who watches the show, it became an instant favorite of hers. She came for Buffy, but stayed for Willow. In Willow she saw a younger version of herself, a strong, powerful woman who takes crap from no man.

2. Charmed

Three sisters, who are witches. Sound familiar to anyone else? Of course Lady M is down for a prophecy anytime, anywhere, but she'd like to know a little more about this whole magic thing she's getting herself into. When the 4th sister was introduced in Charmed Lady Macbeth couldn't help but wonder if she was a little weird herself.

   

3. Grey's Anatomy

Crazy didn't just hit Lady Macbeth like a train, there was a period before she went bonkers where she knew she was going insane. So in an attempt to self-diagnose she started watching Grey's. If she wasn't crazy before all of the blood and the drama might just have pushed her over the edge.

4. Marco Polo

While stumbling through the many options on Netflix Lady M stumbled upon this Netflix original gem. Marco Polo a historical drama about Marco Polo in the Mongolian empire in the court of Kublai Khan the founder of the Yuan dynasty. While watching this 1 season hit Lady Macbeth noticed something intriguing, it was her life. The most interesting character was not a man but instead Empress Chabi, the wife to the Khan. Not only was she just as demanding as Lady Macbeth she also uses the power of suggestion to "encourage" her husband to maintain the crown through murder. 

Witch-slapped: Macbeth's fall from grace

2. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton To what extent would Shakespeare agree with this statement? Use the play and your own experience as your support.

I feel that Shakespeare would completely agree with Lord Acton's words, especially in the context of Macbeth. Although most of the plot is based around the theme of the supernatural, there is much to be said about power and the role corruption plays in how it is gained and used in Macbeth. Macbeth's initial power is gained through his own choices when he becomes the Thane of Cawdor by defeating the man who previously held that title when he was revealed as a traitor. But after he hears the prophecy given by the weird sisters and hears of the power that he will have he is changed. In having been given even a little power Macbeth is influenced to kill King Duncan, this is the first evidence of corruption. He is influenced by Lady Macbeth who is the one being corrupt when she hears of the power she can gain through her husband (herein lies another argument about whether women are more easily corrupted than men). 

Once Macbeth has murdered Duncan there is no turning back for him. As the King Macbeth has absolute power and it is evident that he is willing to do anything to keep it. This is the exact type of absolute corruption that Lord Acton speaks of. Macbeth goes so far as to kill his best friend and uses his power to rationalize doing so. Before talking to the murderers he will convince to execute his plan, Macbeth says to himself "Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown/And put a barren scepter in my grip/.../For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind/For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered/ Put rancors in the vessel of my peace/ Only for them; and mine eternal jewel/ Given to the common enemy of man,/ To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!/ Rather than so, come fate into the list/ And champion me to th' utterance." Because Macbeth knows that he will not keep his power and pass it on to a child he fears that everything that he has done has been for Banquo and his children. He knows that fate is playing a role and that it is Banquo's sons destiny to become Kings just as it was his he is willing to challenge it to keep his power for himself even if that means killing Banquo and Fleance.