English with Mr. Leon
1. No Exit–Read through page 19 (stop after Inez says, “Suppose I try to be your glass?” Extract everything from everything. Keep Sartre’s essay in mind. Additionally, we want to try and make sense of the author’s message. And perhaps more importantly, how does Sartre communicate that message?
2. Goodreads
1. Thesis Evaluation and Rewrite–Evaluate all four theses. Keep in mind all that we have discussed this year (i.e. Clarity/Concision, Pts. of Analysis, Argument, So What, Roadmap). Score each thesis as we have done throughout the year ((1-5). Be sure to write out your thoughts as well. Also, does it appear that both texts are given equal treatment in the thesis?
Then, choose two of the four and revise.
2. Abandon (Nearly) All Hope–Print out and read (annotate) the following article. It is an opinion piece! Before engaging it critically, be sure you understand Simon Critchley’s argument.
The Self: Our Modern Preoccupation
Life is not about living anymore; at least not for the vast majority of people. More than anything, life today is not about about living simply because it does not have to be. One need not travel back to the time of hunter-gatherers and the like to find a world where daily life was principally concerned with survival. Just two hundred years ago, though a multitude of fundamental technological changes had been made, much of the world lived an agriculture and trade-based lifestyle where everyday was devoted to preserving one’s own life and those of his or her family. This is not to say that people today do not work for the sake of preserving their and their family members’ lives. However there is a fundamental difference between the farm lifestyle of two or three centuries ago compared to the lives people live today, even if they are perhaps involved in farming. The fundamental difference has to do with the focus, the expectations, and perceptions of life as well as oneself in it. In earlier life, work was more directly, more fundamentally linked to survival. [Read more…]
What Are You Waiting For?
As grim as it sounds, we are all just waiting to die. We are born into this world with no explanation and die with no explanation. Most people seek out an eventful life full of happiness, adventures and wealth. From a purely scientific point of view, however, it cannot be argued that the fate of a man who never aspires nor reaches the greatness of another man is in any way different. Why, then, do we strive to be the wealthiest, most powerful and extraordinary human beings we can, all while knowing that we are all inevitably left to die? This question may lead us to the contemplation of suicide, the shortcut to our fate, which we are conditioned to look down upon. But what if suicide were not a sin and tragic, but on the contrary a praiseworthy act? What if what happens after death is unimaginably better than life on earth? What are we doing wasting our time waiting for this greatness? [Read more…]
Emojiless: Technology’s Detrimental Impact on the Human Lifestyle
As a whole, society lacks the one on one connections and relationships that once used to exist. The new modern day and age of technology has overwhelmed our younger generations straight to the point that we have nothing else to live for. People are so concerned with who likes this photo, who is commenting on this status, that everything else life has to offer is suddenly invisible to their eyes. In this day, moments are never just appreciated for what they are but always need to be captured and accelerated. Nor does anyone realize the fragility of life anymore because his or her individual relationship with technology is far more important. The sad aspect of all of this is that each and every one of us is guilty, no matter how in denial we are about it. [Read more…]
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