Philosophy

In class we are studying philosophy.  It's pretty interesting to learn about the way people approach life.  We are doing some project about philosophy where we analyze a philosopher.  My philosopher is pretty interesting.  It's nice to see the contrast between people's viewpoints and strategies when it comes to approaching life.  My philosopher has several quotes that share his perspective on life and the way he lives.  I'm glad we are learning about philosophy it really sits well with me.  I think it's good that we are learning about something other than literature and analysis of texts and expanding our knowledge to worldly topics.

Social Class: Jane Eyre

Underprivileged and disrespected as she was, Jane was in a lower class.  She was looked down upon not only by the male-dominated society of England, but also by anyone whose social class was above her own.  An example is found even in Chapter One of Jane Eyre where, as she was reading “Goldsmith’s History of Rome” on the window, her high and mighty cousin John harassed her to the point of grabbing her “hair and... shoulder.”  By the end of the quarrel Jane was the one to be scolded by Miss Abbott, not John, which puts Jane’s social standing at fault.  However, Jane would not let this hinder her drive to be an independent woman.  She even had doubts with the first marriage proposal with Mr. Rochester that she would be giving up to much of her independence to be under both a man and a person of a higher social class and financial status.  After the first wedding is broken off, however, Jane becomes a headmistress at a school, a relatively high position for a person of her age and sex.  This levels out the hierarchical gap between her and Mr. Rochester for their second and successful marriage proposal.  Ultimately, Jane is able to overcome the obstacle of social class by both working hard and being presented with the right opportunities at the right time.

This was my portion of the team essay we had to do in our english class.  I decided to post it because I thought it reflected what we have been doing in our class.  Basically we learned how to write a very long essay without actually writing the whole thing.  With my portion of the essay, I tried to stick to just pointing out the social class stuggle from the novel and stay away from how gender made an impact.  I wouldnt say it was difficult to pick out what parts were gender related and which were socially related but i also wouldnt say it was easy.

A Will to Eradicate the Epidemic of Senioritis

Senioritis, the dreadful "disease" that infects the mind of many teenagers, has made itself evident among many student, causing them to procrastinate on school assignments. Even worse, not only school assignments are being neglected, but Senioritis has progressed so far to disable its victim from completing club and social duties. In sense, Senioritis is the invisible chain that wraps themselves around a victim, rendering them to a standstill.

However, I believe there is a way to conquer Senioritis. And that's the key to victory: believe. If you believe that Senioritis does not exists, if you believe that chains of Senioritis are not strong enough to stop you, if you believe that you will not allow anything stop you in your path, then Senioritis cannot hurt you. Essentially, believing is taking the responsibilities that present themselves into your life and making them yours, not Senioritis's. I chose to think Senioritis as a test to prove to myself that I am worthy of controlling my own life and I can pull any weights strapped around my feet to become a stronger and better person legitamately.

--A. Chang