My Ishmeal Questions

1. What are Ishmael’s two general rules on how to identify people from our culture? Do you agree with Ishmael when he says that people from all over the world are part of the same culture? Why or why not?

His two general ways of recognition to their culture is first, The food is always under a key and a lock... And second, they perceive themselves to be part of a race that is fundamentally flawed, and that wisdom is a rare commodity, and because they are flawed they are not surprised to be living in a world with poverty and corruption. This culture is only one of many cultures across the world, states Ishmael. I agree with his statement because still today after millions of year you can find tribes in the middle of the forest who treat the earth and their bodies as blessings rather than junk. I felt very strongly about when he says we accept that we are not fundamentally flawed. I felt strongly because my whole life I have been accepting that fact that we were just born wrong, but Ishmael brings it to a whole new perspective when he says that we are not fundamentally flawed, we just point the finger at anything but ourselves and because of this, we cannot save ourselves because we are too lazy.

2. Ishmael disagrees with Mother Culture’s voice that says that humans are inherently flawed. After reading through page 66 of My Ishmael do agree or disagree with him? Why?

I agree that humans are not inherently flawed, but that mother culture is teaching us to accept our mistakes and point the blame towards anything but ourselves. The reason why I agree with Ishmael's reasoning is because I believe that humans are capable beyond much more than we claim. I KNOW for a fact that we could do something to change the world and possibly save it, but it is our culture to be lazy and not do anything about our problems. In fact, we are so lazy that we would rather except our failure than try to fix it while there is still time.

3. Ishmael uses a parable of Tunes and Dancers to explain his idea of Takers and Leavers. Who are these Takers and Leavers and how do they relate to American culture?

Takers and Leavers represent dancers. The Dancers were happy with only a little dance each month and they worked with what they had rather than trying to perfect dance; just like the leavers were happy with what they had, and they left everything to the Gods and Nature to take care of them. On the other hand the more serious dancers wanted to devote all of their time to learning the best dances and doing things humans shouldn't naturally be able to do; just like the Takers wanted to devote their time to growing food. By doing this they took their fate into their own hands, making them takers. When the more serious "Dancers" got with the less serious "Dancers" they used their culture to persuade them to let the more serious dancers show them how its done.

Sustainable

What does it mean to live sustainably?

To live a sustainable life mean to keep order and consistency in ones life. I think that in order to live a sustainable life you must lead one. For example, you will not be stable if you go around creating drama or making bad decisions in your life. You must act with responsibility rather than stupidity. "With freedom, comes responsibility" a popular quote from spider man states. I believe that sustainability comes from your characteristics. Another popular quote states "Watch you thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. And watch your character, for it will decide your destiny." I think that this quote has a lot to do with sustaining a healthy life style.

How much freedom do you have at age 14-16?

At the age of fourteen, freedom comes with trust, and trust will only come through strong character and good decision making. I think that at age fourteen, in our society we are not trusted. It is not to blame on parents for being paranoid, the only ones to blame is ourselves. In teenage ages, wisdom is not part of us... therefore we must be molded into responsible beings and learn how to be wise as it comes.

As a fourteen-sixteen year old how can you live your life more sustainably?

As a kid, sometimes it can be hard to live sustainably. Most children lack in motivation and responsibility, because they don't understand its importance. One way that I could live more sustainably is to prove myself responcible by continuing to make good grades. If I continue to prove that I am able to be independent, then I will be given more independence.

Dialectic Journal: Book 7& 8

The picture above is of The actual place the sparatan wrote the passage "tell the spartan passing by, that here obidient to their laws we lie,"

book seven: page 318- "Let the raid succeed or fail. it does not matter. Just send men out. And if the Gods have truly taken part in cause, well... Dithyrambos grinned, and clasped my masters hand in farewell."

This passage struck me because it reminded me a lot of gambling. However they were gambling their lives. Though what struck me the most is that no matter what they want the Gods will in what happens. If they die they will not regret sending out men because it was the Gods who wanted them dead or the Persian King alive. They must have truly believed that the Gods are real because they have so much confidence in them. I can relate to this because I am a Christian and sometimes its easier just to let God take control and let fate happen. I have seen a lot of religious figures take risks and it reminds me of the risks that these Spartans are taking. I think that the author does a very good job at displaying the point that these Spartans don't live for themselves but for others. As Dienekes says in book 2 "This body does not belong to me, if it did I would be scared shitless" [or something like that]. These Spartans truly believe that a higher power is guiding them. I think it is their lack of doubt that keeps them alive so long!

book seven: page 333- "the opposite of fear is love."

This passage made me really think. At first I would have guessed that the opposite of fear is courage. And in some ways it is. However courage really originates from love. If you don't have a reason or love that compels you to be courageous then you have no reason to act with bravery. The Spartan men were not courageous just because they were born like that. Over the years they had developed a love for their families, fellow warriors, their town, squires, freedom, and they even loved the flat out title of being brave. All of these reasons to strive and fight for their country was what made them brave. Their love overruled their fear. It makes me think about a story I heard a few years ago about a man who fell onto train tracks while having a seizure and a complete stranger jumped on top of him to hold him down and save his life. I wander what compelled this man. I wander what love he had for a perfect stranger that made him love the man more than himself.


book 8: page 360- "A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep while his men stand on watchout,"

When I read this passage I actually was very impressed king Leonidas and his loyalty to his men. Many kings sit from afar and watch their men die without grief, Leonidas is such a passionate king. He is so close to the men because he understands what they are going through in battle. I respect him for this. He does not look up at himself as a king, but he sees his life just as important as any one of these men. By this I believe he makes the army as a unit come very close together. If the director of battle can understand the was from a warriors point of view, perhaps he can make the best decision. His bravery is striking and his humility is more than most kiongs. I cannot relate to his decisions because I have never been a greek king who fights in the depths of the persian army upon the battlefield of thermopoly, however in more modern terms I can relate this too my project based learning school. For exaple every group has a leader when working on a project. If the leader was not involved in the work and only told people what to do, it wont motivate the team. It also is harder for a leader to direct the inside from the outside because he doesnt understand how the inside works.


book eight: page 384- "Tell the Spartan stranger passing by, that here obidient to their laws we lie."

When I first read this I was actually surprisingly sad by this line. I re-read it and I noticed that I pictured a gravestone that says this saying on it. I think I felt sad because they gave so much for their city and no one will ever know the terrible and scared feelings they went through in this passage. No one can even begin to imagine it. I like the sound of this line because it flows so well. I would definatly. Again I will never be able to closely relate to this. Especially because they are like silent martyrs. They didn't show anyone what they had suffered from. It was very graceful of them and thats one of the reasonss that their army was so respected. I definatly think that these 300 men will go down in history forever and ever, all components considered they were probably the best army in history and not because they dominated but because of their relationship. This passage definatly shows patrionism when it says 'obientdien to there laws we lie'. It really shows that these men look at life as a duty rather than a life to get what they desire.

Grateful!

I think that in my life I have been extremely blessed. I have great health, family, and home. I think however, out of those three my most grateful blessing is my family. I was raised very well and I love my childhood very much. My parents have never been very protective over me and they give me alot of space to do what I want but they keep me in check with morals and standards.

My mother is probably my best friend. I love her to death because she is absolutley hilarious. From the six weeks after I was born to about six grade, she was gone alot. She left on buisness trips and put me in day care too often. At the time I was sad, but now looking back I think that being raised in day-cares, camps, and after-school programs has made me alot more independant. Not to mention that my immune system is indomitable thanks to my early exposure to germs [lolz]. Once she had climbed the work ladder and was at the top, we had alot more time to spend together. I was older and more mature so we could hang out alot more and have fun for both of us. I love my mom because no matter what, she will love me back. She always laughs at my jokes and supports me. Something that I am very thankful about how she raised me was the trust she put in me. She let me do alot of things that other mom's wouldnt appove of. She thinks of me more an adult than a child [which is a good thing because she allows me to do adult things].

My dad, is a whole different book. I have to admit he is pretty funny, however he really isn't much of a parent. Like my mom, he holds high morals and standards; the difference is that while my mom is very involved in my life, he is very involved in being a teenager [even though he is 48] I actually, enjoy the fact that he acts like a kid because I find him much more entertaining like that. So many people have serious and strict parents, thankfully I'm not one of those people. My dad is in love with trying to be hip... for example he just bought a drum set and is learning the base and drums; he also just bought a verrry expensive car called the SRT8 [he thinks its cool]; oh yea and he just got back from tijauana and bought me this huge meddalion chain necklace that has a big money sign on it. Like I mentioned, he is more of a child than me.

One huge thing I have learned from my parents is that raising a child to be a good person doesnt have to mean your strict, mean, and boring. I will always love my family and I want to raise my kids exactly like they raised me.

Dialectic Journals: Chapters 8-12

1. Shaelyn Washburn

page 91- "The swells were getting bigger; a cold wind had gotten up. We were going no where. I supported Alexandros again as another chocking fit attacked him. He stuck his thumb between his tongue and bit through the flesh until it bled. The pain seemed to steady him."

When I read this passage I totally pictured myself doing that! Whenever I am upset or have to deal with something I don't want to I always dig my fingernails into my palm until I either bleed or draw blood. It sounds kind of creepy but it actually does steady me and balance me. Even if I am dealing with a sore wound or cut by pinching myself it takes my focus away from the main problem even if just for a bit. I think that the author portrays his way of cope very well by saying it "steadies his pain".  However personally for me it doesn't just steady the pain, for me its more of a distraction to get my mind off of something. When I read this I wandered if it is a common trait to cause excess pain to steady yourself. This made me think about how maybe this was a more common way to cope in the past, since now we have many other things like shopping, music, art, ton of more resources to distract pain. I wander what other coping ways they used in the past? This passage raised a lot of connections to my world, I wander if it did the same thing to many other readers? 

2. Shaelyn Washburn 

page 106- "As wolves in a pack take down the fleeing deer, so did the Spartans right fall upon the defenders of Antirhion, no in frenzied shrieking rage, lip-cured and fang-bared, but predator-like, cold-blooded applying the steel with the wordless cohesion of the killing pack and the homicidal efficiency of the hunt."

This passage showed the authors intelligence in so many ways. I was struck in awe of how well his connections through animals portrayed the Spartans in such fitting format. I love how he compares them to predators over wolves. It is smart how he talks about them not just being crazy for the kill and incredibly strong but how he calls them cold-blooded, and a killing pack with homicidal efficiency of the hunt. When I read this I saw the narrator showing strength plus brains. Like how they are smart as humans but with the bodies of animals. I could definitely relate to when he says the lip-curled and fang bared wolves because I have been camping many times and seen animals acting only based on senses and not on smarts. I can relate to seeing wolves out of control just hungry for the kill and not using and approach or strategy of a predator. When I read this it put the Spartans in a whole different perspective for me. I used to imagine the Spartans like wolves but now I picture there attacks more sneaky like alligators that sit barely peeking from the water and are patient for the attack. 

3. Shaelyn Washburn 

page 115- "Then this man returns, alive, out of the slaugher. He hears his name called and comes forward to take his ticket. He reclaims that part of himself that he had earlier left behind." 

When I read this it made me very compassionate for the people who have ever faced death by war. The authors metaphor of setting aside half of your life made me feel sorrow. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to step out of your world and leave your wife, husband, kids, house, friends, family, and city all behind. I am not able to relate to this because I have never been asked to give up such a thing but I can only imagine that it is the only way. If a man went into war thinking that every spear jabbed towards him could take away everything he loves in one hard contact. If it were me I would be a train wreck. This is exactly the reason why it is necessary for these men to put aside their lives for the time being so that they don't mess up due to human emotions. Life in the dialect journal above... you kind of have to become an animal, drop your emotions to pick up your senses. I wander if this could be a characteristic of a real man... to put aside every desire he has in exchange for the life of his desires. Does this mean that the Spartans were able to love something so much more than themselves? Yes, I think so. 

Dialectic Journals: Chapters 4-7

1. Shaelyn Washburn [chapter4]

page 21- "Things are fallen, which had stood upright. Things are free which should be bound, and bound which should be free. Things which had been hoarded in secret now blow and tumble in the open, and those who had hoarded them watch them with dull eyes and let them go. Boys have become men, and men boys. Slaves now stand free, and freeman slaves. Childhood had fled." 

This passage of the book really helped me visualize the absolute chaos that went on during this slaughter. It was interesting to me how is seems that chaos is the exact opposite of society. For example in the passage 'everything that should be bound now run free' is stating that when things are not in order of society (bound) everything is chaotic (free). It was as if this invasion turned their entire city inside out. It was scary to think that this book is based on true events and some event in this book still go on today. I may be safe in America for now but what will happen when we are finally invaded? Xeones, Brutiex, and Diomache had to live in the mountains for two years.. and they were the lucky survivors! This chaos in the passage shows how easily society can be broken. It made me think about how quickly it could all be over when huge masses come to destroy. It was also interesting to me how a few paragraphs later in the book it talks about animals being lit on fire. It confused me to think about how pitiless these invaders were. It had to be more than just evilness driving them, maybe it was delusion, or even simply insanity...?

2. Shaelyn Washburn [chapter 5]

page 35- "Never forget Alexandros, that this body, this flesh, does not belong to us. Thank God it doesn't. If I thought this stuff was mine, I would not advance another pace towards the enemy. But it is not our my friend, it belongs to the Gods and to our children. Our fathers, mothers, and those of Lakedameon, a hundred, and a thousand yet unborn. It belongs to the city hat gives us all we have and demands no less in requital."

This passage struck me because it is Dinekes explaining his view of himself. He is totally selfless in the fact that he doesn't even consider his body to belong to him, but a gift from the Gods to protect his city and those within it to honor the Gods. I find it a neat opinion to look at life in this theory because it seems to give a load of courage to him. For example when he says "If this stuff was mine, I would not advance another pace towards the enemy" it shows how he figures that he is not living a life for himself and that this life has no purpose in serving himself but in serving  his city. It seems to give him grave courage and he does not fear death because of this. I wander if maybe this is what makes him a man? A characteristic of a man is to not be a coward and Dienekes shows no fear in his selflessness. If he however was selfish and wanted to live he would be a coward. I cannot relate to this passage because I live in a town where men do not have to show that they are a man in their day-to-day lives. I find it interesting how much manlier men were in earlier times. I do still believe that there are times to prove that you are a man (in war, hard situations, etc.) but it is not as common. Would man from today's time would be considered a boy in Lakedameon? What would a boy from Lakedameon be considered in our world? 

3. Sahelyn Washburn [Chapter 7]

page 43- " My intent is to simply convey, through the experiences of two young children and a slave, some poor measure of the soul terror and devastation which a vanquished population, any population, is forced to endure during the hour of its nations extinction."

This passage really stuck me with its impactful use of vocabulary. The words like 'soul-terror' and 'nations extinction' were a lot more impactful then 'scary' or 'defeat'. I think that the author does a beautiful job at portraying the absolute horror he is trying to communicate to his majesty. This passage however not only impressed me with its vocabulary but it stung me with its pain. The way he explains how hard it is to covey his experiences makes them even more unfortunate. Things were so bad that he couldn't even describe them through words let alone stories. It pained me when I thought about how good I have it compared to children like this who still exist today, who absolutely never get a break in life! Its bad enough that both of his parents died but on top of that, his town was destoryed, his love was raped and doesn't love him back, his slave friend Bruteix died, he is crippled, and now he cant even fight as a warrior against the ones he seeks vengeance. It made me realize how stupid our everyday problems that we complain over are. Now a days people actually cry over a pair of lost earings! This passage made me think... Have we cheapened sorrow? What is our pain compared to their pain? How would we handle their kind of stress in today's life? We have coaping methods, what were their coaping methods? 

Election: 2008!

Being a republican who lives in one of the most democratic states of America can get really annoying. I was raised to be on the far right wing with two republican parents. Living in California has opened my eyes to the democratic world. As much as I wish I could agree with my neighbors opinions, listening to them talk only makes me more republican.
I wish I could be a democrat and have the excuse to say, "We want peace, not war." However I think that the war is a lot more complicated then Americans just wanting to destroy peoples happiness. I believe that the war is not made just so we can get oil. I think that we are trying to fix their corrupt government. As much as I do wish the war would stop, I do believe it has to be done. They stone people to death for committing adultery. They will kill themselves just to kill one American family. We are not trying to bombard their country, we are trying to help the children who are killed daily in drive by bombings. Americans aren't cowards and if we run away from helping these people they wont just say "Oh now they are gone and we can go back to living happy lives" I am sure that they will follow us into America trying to destroy us with schemes like September 11th. I'm not fond of being in war, I just think of it as something that has to be done. However trying to awnser the war in a few short paragraphs is impossible.  There are many other reasons why I am a republican, many having to do with christianity. I am 100% against abortion. No acceptions. Not for rape, not for accidents. A baby has every right to be born as we do. 

I believe that the power should be in the people not in the government. When the money goes to powerful people, there is no telling how corrupt things may get. ex. four judges overturned the votes of 60 million people's vote. 

irrelevant

*** I found this article, "ten good things about high gas prices," I though it was interesting.