Movies Dawg, Movies

Movies are a unique thing that would cause the world to fall apart if they didn't exist. Everyone has seen a movie before, but it's rather hard to pick a favorite, or even a Top 5. I was trying to make my list perfect in class, but then I'd hear another great movie and scribble it in. The movies that I really like are either made really well (The Dark Knight, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Gladiator), have a completely new idea / something that's never been in a movie before (Inception, Shutter Island, Transformers), are just classic (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), or are a good quality comedy (Due Date, The Hangover, Superbad, Super Troopers, Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

I despise movies that are wicked predictable or have already been made. Like Fast and the Furious. Three movies, same thing happens every time. Or like the high school musical movies? So predictable and corny and awful, just awful. Another group of terrible movies are the romantic comedies and/or family comedies. Some of them are great, don't get me wrong. But there's just so many of them. I don't understand why they keep making the same movie over and over and over and over again.

I honestly cannot pick what my favorite movie is. There's a constantly changing Top 5 or so, but number 1? That's a force.

Themes in DoaS

Death of a Salesman has quite the array of themes, mostly due to the extremely complex character of Willy. The American Dream is very present in this play, shown, so far, by Ben and Willy. Ben perfectly embodies the American Dream; he walked into the jungle and came out a man. In other words, he conquered his own destiny and took control of his life. Willy, on the other hand, was unable to grasp his career and really succeed, just like Biff.

The theme of materialism or that a man's worth is determined by his paycheck or net worth also appears everal times in the play. The broken things around the house must be fixed, which costs money. Money that Willy does not have, ergo he cannot provide for his family so his worth is very low. Money certainly plays a role in the world, but its not the only thing. A person's personality is the most important factor in determining his or her worth as a person, not how much money they make.

Finally, the neverending hunt for true love is yet another theme in the play. Willy searches for it both in Linda and in his mysterious mistress, though I don't think he knows which he loves more. Linda loves Willy like he won't be there tomorrow, which becomes true by the end of the book. Happy yearns for a steady woman, but up to now hasn't been able to and shows no sign of improving. Overall, the love in the Loman family is scattered and unorganized, but its there.

Death of a Salesman Part One

Willy, the main character in Death of a Salesman, is quite an odd fellow. Withered with age, he has become delirious and borderline insane. Nonetheless, he tries to raise his two sons in the way that he sees fit: with respect and ambition. Values such as honesty, respect, and hard-work are some of the main teachings that Willy attempts to instill in Biff and Happy. Most of all, he proclaims likability. Willy says that a person who is smart and well rounded can achieve nothing if they are not well-liked by those around him-customers, bosses, colleagues, friends, etc. If a man can get people to like him, he can get them to do anything.

Willy, although a solid father, has grown old and his mind has drastically slowed down as he aged. He constantly contradicts himself when he talks with Linda. Not just on one subject, but over many-the Chevy, his own likability, and Biff. These contradictions show that either Willy has gone completely insane or his mind quickly changes from one idea to another without any recollection of what just happened. Either way, it's quite difficult to understand or follow him. Linda, Willy's wife, does an amazing job supporting Willy. She always helps him and endures through his yelling. She comes off as eager to help and very supportive and strong. Without her or another woman like her, Willy would have fallen apart long ago.

Lollypop, lollypop, oh lolly lolly lolly lollypop!

Halloween is coming up, and you all know what that means. I'm getting dressed up as some random celebirty or well known figure, go knocking on peopls doors, and they have to give me candy. What better holiday could there be, besides Christmas? Which stands atop the holiday list simply due to the fact that you can pretty much tell people what to get you and its just an amazing feeling when you get a gift. Back to Halloween.

Considering how weird Halloween already is, there is one thing that seems extra-weird. For some reason some girls see it as an opportunity to wear whatever they want-aka the short and skin-bearing costumes. I guess if you want to dress up like its fine and I'm not against it but it just seems odd that some girls would decide to take it that way. I mean at least they don't go trick or treating with it on or in public, usually those types of costumes are in the parties, which is fine.

My final thought on Halloween would be: why is it on a Sunday. That ruins the night for anyone and everyone who had any kind of plans for after 11:00. The US government should just bump everything back a day so Halloween is on Saturday. Everybody would be happy. More candy = happier kids = happier parents. What could possibly be a problem?

A Grudge - Part Two

In my previous post I discussed grudges, and here's the second part of the post. A grudge is a common thing to come by in the modern world, but aren't usually the topic of a dinner discussion. They are seen as a bad thing by society, but nobody really takes initiative to end a grudge, which confuses me. Nobody really likes them, and they rarely have any positive effects, so why have them? Somehow I feel that pride, revenge, and inability to forgive come into play. For some reason when a person is overly hubristic and revengeful after they have been wronged is seen as good in society. When you forgive them, it's seen as weak or spineless, which is completely backwards.

A perfect example of this is wth Armenians and the Armenian Genocide. A lot of the Armenians despise the Turkish people (those responsible for the genocide), even though all those who partook in the genocide have died. One of the common sayings is to say "They are not people, they are shoon" when the topic of Turkish people comes up. Shoon means dog, so the Hye-Stansi's (or hardcore Armenians who are very proud of their heritage and history) call the Turkish filthy dogs because they were responsible for the genocide. This grudge has spanned over many generations and thousands of people, and still does no good for anyone, anywhere.

In conclusion, grudges are undesirable and useless. I cannot fathom as to why you would hold one, or even want to.They have no positive effect on their holders, and create hostile and awkward situations later on when you, undoubtably, see the person you are gruding against again. Moral of the blog- Don't hold grudges.

Protected Speech

Freedom of speech is a privilege that we, as American citizens, can enjoy. 95-99% of the time there is no negative consequence as to what we say or who we say it to, but it's those few occurrences that can get us in trouble. Technically, we can be arrested for what we say. Hate crimes, sexual harassment, and verbal abuse are three prime examples of crimes having to do with speech. Words become bad and even criminal when they hurt others. I agree with these laws, but at times I feel that they are too touchy and sensitive. Not to mention they are manipulated by lawyers and attorneys to sway juries all over the country.

I'm hoping you're wondering as to why I said freedom of speech is a privilege, not a right. Rights do not exist. Humans made 'em up. When the first humans walked the earth, they could do whatever they wanted. Of course, this didn't work out too well and rights were invented by someone at some point in time. Don't get me wrong, I love my "rights", but they're not real.The thing that makes rights nonexistent is the idea of permanency, that no one can take away or remove rights. Alas, this is wrong as well. The Declaration of Independence states that men have "certain unalienable rights," meaning that they cannot be taken away. But rights can be given, as proved by our 27 or so amendments.

 So rights can be given, but not taken away. So what happens when I tell my brother: "I give you the right to take away my rights." Are they still unalienable rights? Doesn't seem right to me. Disregarding that perfectly logical argument, rights can be and have been taken away before. The President can remove our rights at the push of a button in a time of war, or, if he gets enough support, he can turn into a Stalin or Lennin or Mao Zedong or Kim Jong Il or any of those other dictators who methodically restrict the abilities of their citizens to protect their power. Which brings up another thing, are rights the same everywhere you go? But that's for another day. If you don't believe me about the taking away of rights, google any of those names or Japanese Americans 1942.

A Grudge - Part One

In the Crucible, many people grudges against one another. A prevalent grudge is that which Abigail holds for Elizabeth Proctor and vice versa. A shared lust for John creates quite the hateful relationship between the two women. Fortunately, holding grudges does nothing to improves one's life. In the best case scenario it motivates you to improve yourself to be better than the other person, and even that can only be applied in certain circumstances. Most of the time it sparks evil deeds, if any at all.

My current priest said to me once that "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die", which, I think, couldn't have hit the head of the nail any more perfectly. A grudge is simply an idea that takes place in one's mind that the other person is mean and harsh, when most often they're not. Once a grudge takes place, the mind usually makes up all these ideas and reasons as to why the other person is unlikable but most often they are little nuisances that any other person wouldn't even notice. Like "She always taps her pencil and chews her eraser" or "Why does he wear that ugly hat/shirt/shoes" or "He says 'whatever' or 'like' too much". Again, most people don't take notice to these little things and usually only those who are looking for reasons to hate find them. Usually, those reasons aren't even there.

Personally I try not to hold grudges as they do no good in my eyes, but like anyone else I can't say with complete honesty that I am grudge-free. They're especially difficult to erase when a grudge is formed and then contact with the other person is halted. The chance for reconciliation disappears almost completely and usually the grudge sits until the other person is forgotten. If not, then a person will just keep on grudging (it's actually a word? Sweet.) Next week will be part 2 of this blog, specifically concerning the Armenian Genocide. Who knows, maybe a part 3?

Salem Witch Trials or Halloween?

Witches. What's the first thing that comes to mind? A green ugly face face and a long nose with pimples and warts. Oh, and don't forget the big pointy black hat. The only time I've ever seen a witch is on Halloween and in the Wizard of Oz. Where did this image of a witch come from? I wonder if it first emerged in a popular book or newspaper or journal written by an individual, or if it sprouted from years of gossip about the "witches" who plagued the early American settlers.

Like everyone else who read this, I have started to think about that ugly face. And that ugly face makes me think of costumes, which makes me think of Halloween. By far the best holiday ever. Throw on some random clothes and/or make up, grab a pillowcase and knock on your neighbors door to receive a handful of candy. I have to admit, it's not quite as weird as Thanksgiving. Both holidays used to represent an idea or had a meaning behind each event that took place that day. Now it seems like people just do it for the reward, whether it be candy or Grandma's homemade apple pie.

Still, I'm a sucker for free stuff. Especially when that stuff is candy. And super-especially when I can get as many pounds as I want as long as I keep my feet moving. But, once you get home, only half the work is done. Now comes the candy-trading process, also known as Hustling-your-little-brother. Without a doubt arguing will ensure, followed immediatley by stealing. The bigger usually wins, and thankfully that's me.

P.S. Skittles are by far the best candy.

Family Guy vs Simpsons. And the winner is...

Comical cartoons have increased in number dramatically over the past few years, and in the 21st century in general. From Futurama to South Park there are many cartoons that are considered vulgar by anyone who dislikes them. As it is, the Top 2 are definately Family Guy and The Simpsons. Each show appeals to a different audience, but within that audience there are subdivisions that enjoy each unique type of humor.

The Simpsons without a doubt contains the most realistic storyline. The Simpson family of five go through various challenges that are dealt with in humorous ways. Homer Simpson's, the father of the family, life revolves around food (specifically doughnuts and beer) and idiotic courses of action for daily issues. His son Bart creates trouble for his sister, Lisa, and the other classmates of his school (including the teachers and principal). Both types of humor are consistent, varying only in detail. Overall, the Simpson's are the most developed and probably best well-written of the two shows.

The next show in line would be Family Guy. Created by Seth McFarlane the show revolves around an American family of five. Once again, we see the caring mother and the mornoic father, accompanied with a typical brother-sister relationship. But, unlike the Simpsons, Family Guy introduced Stewie, the murderous, deceitful baby with a cynical sense of humor. The show often includes several 70's, 80's, and 90's references that make up about half the humor in the show. The other half comes from the daily lives of the family, namely Peter Griffin, the father. Todays teenage audience relates with this kind of humor and thus is the most popular out of the three shows in the teenage community.

In general, The Simpsons is a better show, but Family Guy is funnier. Anybody could watch any episode and Family Guy and have a good laugh, but the same cannot be said for the Simpsons. The Simpsons take longer to appreciate the humor, but the show is more developed and thus more enjoyable. Personally, I'd watch Family Guy all day long as the Simpsons fade into the distance, forgotten by all but the crazy fanatics.

The Puritan Dream

The Puritans are quite the hypocrites. They left their home country due to religious prosecution, then created their own society that was quite intolerant of religions other than Puritanism. But we owe it to them that they not only created the American Dream, they would go on to fulfill it. Farming and settling the new world, the Puritans created a name and a civilization for themselves in the new world. The Puritans lived and are still living the American Dream here in the U.S.

The American Dream (Puritan style) developed mainly during the 1600s in the newly discovered America. Though the Puritans were mainly responsible for founding the new world, their hypocricy towards religion and strict rules earned them a bad reputation in the years to come. Do they deserve this reputation? An educated scholar could argue it either way.

Although they were quite devilish at unjust at times, the Puritans don't deserve the reputation that they have. They benefited the world they lived in and the future more than they hindered it. They struggled and suffered in order to make the future better for themselves, but more importantly their children, a concept that is key when defining the American Dream. Without the brave Puritans, the new world would be very different than it is today. And for that, they deserve to be thought highly of.

The American Dream and Me

The American Dream. To me, it represents a lifestyle in which everything feels right and secure. However, I completely disagree with the whole "born into it" approach. The American Dream can only be actually realized through hard work. It is something on earns, thus they are proud of it and can say "Look, thats what I was, now I'm doing this!" My family has been affected by the American Dream just as much as any other family, but if I had to pick one person out of my family who really embraced the idea I would pick my Dad.




My Dad has always told me to work my hardest, and, no matter the result, he would be proud of me. I find that this truly displays a mian concept of the American Dream. Although success may not be attained or the dream may not be reached, the best foot was put forward. There is nothing worse than not being able to live out a dream because of laziness or poor work ethic. The American Dream works against this laziness, providing a goal they can work towards. It gives them the determination to reach that goal, whatever it may be.



The American Dream has not had much of an effect on me yet. I neither know what my dream is or if I'm living the dream now. To be honest, I really haven't given the whole idea of the American Dream much thought. I've heard of it and have a general understanding of it, but I have never really thought about what it means to me or how to achieve it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.