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The Relevance of The Crucible Today
The Lottery vs. The Whacking Day
There´s a new tendency on taking source material and adapting it to a specific work. This is the case of The Lottery and The Wacking Day. The Lottery was a short narrative that tells the story of how in a small village, The Lottery takes place, and the "winner" is stoned to death. The Whackig Day on the other hand, is an episode of The Simpsosns based on The Lottery. On said episode Springfield gathers to stone sanckes to death. Both of them expose the senseless traditions a town follows without even knowing why.
The Diretor of The Simpsons did a very good job making the adaptation of The Lottery. I think that he took the most relevant facts and the main concept and transformed it so that it would make sense to incorpore it into The Simpsons. Although it is a very good Simpons episode, I prefer the short story becasue doesn´t it only make more sense, but also, exposes the theme better. Personally, I consider that the theme of both stories is the same, how we shouldn´t follow laid back traditions that we no longer understand.
George Santayana once said: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. I believe this quote is evidently related to the book written by Arthur Miller during the McCarthy Trials, The Crucible. As we all know the book is based on The Salem Witch Trials and how they were all a scam. We also know that Arthur Miller wrote the book to comment on the ridiculousness of the McCarthy Trails. In my opinion, The Crucible is a constant reminder of the mistakes and horrible acts human beings can be capable of. I think that The Crucible shows us that not so long ago, people were comitting unthinkable acts for personal benefits, this happens in both the book and in real life.
To put it in simpler words, I think that The Crucible is a reminder of the extents human being are capable of. By acknowledging our capabilities to do bad things, we can control our actions. And referring to the quote, it´s better to know our past so that we can prevent ourselves from commiting the same mistakes in the future. I know that the plot of the book seems absurd and very unlikely to ever happen again, but if we take a closer look, it isn´t as impossible as it sounds. Take as an example the Paramilitares in Colombia, they practically go door by door in some places looking for guerrilleros, many people in order to save themselves, accuse others of being guerrilleros, when they had no proof. To conclude, that´s what I believe the relevance of The Crucible is nowadays, to make us learn from our past so that we won´t ever commit such atrocities.
New Year, New Life
Starting a new year is always an interesting experience, it's a new opportunity to start over, to leaveeverything behind, and to be better. However, it can also be nostalgic, it means that a phase of your life is gone, that all the experiences are in the past, and that it's time to move on. Although I'm excited for 2015
and for what it holds, I am also grateful for everything 2014 offered. Laughing until my stomach hurt, the amazing trips, all the new experiences, the time I had with friends and family, and so much more.
Two thousand-fourteen started as good as any new year can, with one of the best experiences I've ever had.In April of 2014 I traveled with some friends to London, it gave me the opportunity to learn about a new culture and to become closer with my companions. Then, in August, I traveled to Canada for my exchange experience. It has been one of the hardest and coolest moments of my life. I met new people from all
around the world, tried new things, and overcame so many fears. Two thousand-fourteen was the best year I've ever had, and I can only hope that 2015 will be as good.
As for this year, 2015, I have some stuff that I want to improve about myself. What better opportunity tobegin doing something than a new year? For starters, I want to exercise more, have more discipline, and see the joy in working out. If I can master to do this, it will bring benefits for the rest of my life. The second thing I want to improve is my unhealthy eating. I want to start eating healthier, stop eating so much junk food. I hope 2015 is as fulfilling as last year was, I hope it bring as many amazing memories as 2014 did.
True love or just and impulse?
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare has been called a tragic love, a story of two crossed lovers, a story of true and deep love, the most romantic piece of literature ever, but is it really? Before reading Romeo and Juliet I had heard amazing things about this two characters, I had heard comparisons and similies using this two as an example of love. But now that I am in the process of reading it, I realize that everyone who said this about Romeo and Juliet hadn´t read the book or had a very different definition of love than mine.
But what is love exactly? Love is getting to know someone so much that you know every detail of their face, every quality they have, and also accepting their imperfections. That´s why for me what Romeo and Juliet had can´t be called love. For instance, Romeo saw Juliet one time and already was madly in love with her. When he sees her a couple of times more he decides to marry her. I dont think that is love, maybe there was attraction between them but not the big love everyone said they had.
Also, if we analize the situation that Juliet was going through, thinks might get a little interesting. Juliet was being pressured by her mom to marry Paris, someone she wasn´t slightly attracted to. Then she meets Romeo, a guy older than her and someone taht her parents didn´t approve, this was a whole new experience for her. Then she migh ahve seen the chance to get rid of marrying Paris by marrying Romeo and so she did. To conclude, I can say that their love (attraction) was rushed by the circumstances and they didn´t really loved each other.
Education System
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid" This quote was said by the man who changed the way we viewed the world, he changed our way of thinking, Albert Einstein. I think this is a very meaningful and a powerful phrase especially in the time period we live in. This quote means that everyone has different talents and capacities, and you can´t just judge or test anyone in only one of these abilities, because if she or he doesn´t possess the capacity you are testing them on, they might feel dumb or stupid.
I think this is a very big problem with the education system nowdays. Some teachers, not all of them, look for certain abilities they believe are the most important and grade you only upon them. For example, many teachers believe that intelligence is only about memorizing stuff, they believe taht memorizing is understanding which is not always true. So how is it fair to grade or judge someone who can´t memorize things easily on a kind of memorizing contest, which is school, against others who have mastered this ability?
I believe that schools should focus more on individualism, knowing that everyone is different and has special traits of their own. Nevertheless, I accept that there are some basic skills that everyone should be graded on, but not ONLY and exclussively on those principles. I think the former education system is good but it has a lot to improve, I hope it does with time.
The World We Live In
Do we know the world we live in? Or are we just familiar with the small bubble of information and people that surround us? Do we know what is happening on the other side of the world or are we simply ignorant to it? These is why I am going to write about a contry in Africa I´m pretty sure no one has heard about; The Gambia. A lot of things have happened in The Gambia and the world hasn´t even noticed.
The Gambia is a country located in West Africa. This country has boundaries with Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean. Even though it has a river that crosses the country, its land is very dry and water´s price is very high, also because of this, not many crops can be cultivated here. The country is ruled by Yayha Jammeh, who took power in 1994 in a militar coup, he has been elected ever since as president.
Sadly, The Gambia hasn´t prosper a lot. The president follows the Islamist religion and accepts no one who goes against this rules, for example, he said that whoever was gay must flee the country or he/she will be judged and could face 14 years of prison. This however, isn´t the worst this president has done, he has been accussed of multiple charges of "dissappearing" some people, and the government has been accused of killing its own citizens. Did yoy know that this kind of atrocities were happening? I bet you didnt, its time for us to learn what is happening in our world.
What happens after we die?
Many of us have wondered what happens after we die. There are many possible answers but we can´t be certain of which oneis the righteous. There are many theories, they can be as complex as reincarnation or as simple as us just dying and nothing else happens. Theories are different according to each person and the philosophy or religion they follow. For Catholics there is only one possible answer to this question; there is heaven and there is hell. For Buddhists and those who follow Hinduism, reincarnation is absolutely possible. In the case of Hinduism, reincarnation is governed by Karma; everybody gets what they deserve. There are many different beliefs that make reference to this question.
There are many stoies that take our breath away relating to the topic. Some of them don´t have a logical explanation yet, this makes them really interesting. Certainly, this stories might influence your opinion at life after we die. Like stories about people who have been at the verge of dying and swear to have seen heaven. Or stories about people who can recall events from their past life. But if both of those stories are real, it means that there is more than jusr one possibility of what life is like after death, or it also might mean that they are made up and contradict each other, meaning that there is no life after death. But who knows, everything is possible, isn´t it?
In my opinion there is no life after death. I think once we die there is anything else, we born and we die, as simple as that. I wonde why people believe in this kind of stuff, and I have drawn a conclusion. I think people WANT to believe, they dream of a place where they can meet again with their loved ones, a place where they can see each other again. It terrifies us the idea of our lives being so simple, so short, just one chance to have it right. I would like to believe that there is a place where I will see all the people that have left me but I can´t. People believe because they have faith that they can see each other again, in a place without suffering where they will be rewarded.
Social Classes
We live in a world where the social classes are very important and very notorious. Wherever you go you see very rich people but also people who don't even have anything to eat. We live in a place where the things you own say more about yourself than the personality you've got. Society is divided into six castes, six being the highest or richest. All around the world people are struggling to get money, to provide a decent life to themselves and family. But sadly not all of them succeed, some, are forced to live in the streets in unbearable conditions. Next , I am going to talk a little bit more of social classes and how they are connected.
About 99% of the world population belongs to a social level approximate to two and three. And only 1% of it belongs to the level 5 and six. As you can probably see there is a lot of inequality in the world. Those people who are in the level 5 are always trying to get to the 6, and how do they do that? Taking away from the poor, false advertising, campaigns that will attract a public from lower social classes. So is it worth it to guarantee yourself a spot in the highest social level if it causes other people to become more miserable or to have to struggle more in order to live their lives with dignity.
It depends on us, the most priviliged and next generation to break free of those social walls. To let other people in and to try to improve the situation of the less fortunate tha us. Certainly social classes stablish an order but that doesn´t mean that some people have to live in catastrophic and horrible conditions. We all need to be aware of everyone and try to help them. Because the change starts with ourselves.
The end does not justify the means
"The end justifies the means". But does it really? Does it mean that if you want to achieve world peace, it isokay to kill half the worlds population? If I want to be rich so I can have many foundations, is it okay if I doit by stealing? The end does not justify the means. I think that if someone wanted to achieve something good,the path to achieve it should be as good as the end itself. In order to accomplish great stuff, you must realizethat nothing can turn to be good if you did bad things to achieve it.
Many people believe this statement to be true, or they agree with it. I think that's a very big problem nowdays, for example, a lot of politicians do whatever it takes to be elected. Or a lot of people suffer so agovernment can stay in power, for example, the situation in Venezuela. Fortunately not everyone believesthis, think about it, how would the world be if everyone lived by this motto. Certainly there would be a lot ofpowerful people, but around them would be a thick layer of lies, and people who have suffered because of them.
To conclude, I disagree with this statement. Not only means that you can do anything to achieve something, but it also means that morals are put aside when we have a goal. No matter how important and big the goal or end is, nothing justifies doing something immoral in order to achieve it. I would never do something bad to achieve something I really wanted.
What impact does technology have on today´s generations?
Have you ever thought about the impact technology has on our social skills and relationships? Have you ever been in a restaurant and looked around and realize everyone is staring at their phones instead of talking? Maybe our cell phones, whose objective is to draws us together to other people, to keep contact with people who are in other places, and to maintain us in constant communication, maybe they’re doing the opposite of their main purpose. Not only technology has an impact on us and older people, but also in the ones younger than ourselves. Small kids that have an iPhone, iPad, Xbox, PS3 and many other gadgets that deprive them from a childhood which used to be spent outdoors and not inside of a room.
We use our cell phones on a daily basis, but might it be that we use them way too much. Technology (has clearly its perks, has made our life a whole lot easier), but is it (really helping us interact with other people?) When you are bored somewhere or with someone you start checking your phone, most of the time in those awkward situations you don’t even try to talk with the person you have in front of you, you just stare at your phone. The problem is that many people have developed the ability to speak freely through social networks or messages but have lost the capacity of talking face to face to other people. Technology can be very helpful but can also isolate you from the people that surround you, it’s up to you and the use you give it.
Also we can see the difference between today´s kids and the ones from twenty or ten years ago. Today, kids rather staying inside playing with their gadgets than going outside to play the games that we so much enjoyed. In the past they punished the kids by not letting them out, now they´re punished by taking away their gadgets. Everything has its pros and cons, technology is not the exception. It’s up to us how to manage technology, we can make it the most useful tool in the world, or the end of human interaction at all.
Is life as a teenager simply difficult or is it society that makes it that way?
Since we were little we have been told that teenage years are tough and complicated, but have you ever asked yourself what makes them that way? We live in a period of time in which society plays an important role. Society has already defined what´s important and what isn´t. They tell us that we need to succeed in life, that we must earn money, that this phase of our lives will define the rest of it. As if it weren´t enough, today´s society puts a lot of preasure on women and men and the way they should look. Maybe what makes teenage life hard isn´t the age itself but the pressure that comes with it.
As teenagers everyone has some kind of expectatios on us, they can be good or negative. Our parents expect us to be perfect, perfect grades, perfect mood and perfect relationships. Our friends also expect us to be there all the time, without realizing that we are not always available. Society itself has expectations on us, they expect us to be extremely smart, to not make mistakes and to be a perfect representation of the ideals of beauty it has. Maybe we are just overwhelmed because everyone expects so much of us.
We have some difficult stuff to overcome, but being a teenager has also its perks. We are young, even if we don´t believe it, the is time for mistakes and to learn from them. We need to understand that every stage of life comes with difficulties, the pressure and anxiety we sometimes feel is just one of the many obstacle this stage has.l This is a phase to enjoy but without whidrawing from our responsibilities. This is the time to realize that we shouldn´t live to please our family, friends or society but ourselves, because in the end, the only judgement that has any kind of power is the one we make on ourselves.
New Year's Resolutions
