Ms. King is the best English teacher hands down

Ok...wow. Senior leadership day has come and gone and I just want to say that I have a new found appreciation for our teachers. I shadowed Ms. King and I just want to say that this woman does SO much in one day for all her students that it’s insane. I’ve always known that she works hard for all her sections but let me just say, I taught for one day and I collapsed the second I walked through my front door. So let’s have a round of applause for our teacher who not only teaches our AP class but 3 rambunctious sections of junior English.

Historical Context

To understand Notes from Underground, you need to understand the historical context. Russia in the 1860s was not a nation-state; it could barely be called a state. Even though the Tsar was powerful and there was a united government, the nation was still primarily based on an absolutist government. An absolutist government is a system of government that sought to increase the power of the monarch and protect the traditional rights of the nobility. 

The economy of Russia was also largely agricultural with peasants and later poor farmers living on small farms. There was little to no industrialization in most regions of the Empire. Unlike the rest of Europe, the Russian Empire did not have an elected parliament. Even states like Prussia and Austria created parliaments after the revolutions of 1848. Russia was economically behind and politically stuck in the 18th century. 

Dostoyevsky is responding to the actions of the current and past Tsars. Russia was divided by those who wanted to westernize and those that wanted to promote Slavic values. For many Russians, this was an impossible choice. They recognized the need to change, but they also knew that they need a unifying force for their multi-ethnic Empire. Dostoyevsky, through the Underground Man, is dealing with this existential question. Should the Russian Empire act, or should it be acted upon? Should they change, or should they persevere? 

if our lives were mapped out

After reading Part I, I started thinking about if our lives were mapped out for us. If we really ever conquered the human psyche, I don't believe that it'd have solely negative results. I think you could still find happiness and purpose in a society that has condensed your life into mere calculations. I think civilization as a whole would be much more progressive if we knew why we did everything. Most of the time, people are frustrated by their actions that they can't explain. I know I am supporting the "ladies and gentlemen" that he is referring to in his monologue, but I was wondering what ya'll think? Could you find meaning in a life that is already mapped out for you? Or are you in agreement with Underground Man, and feel that we could never actually achieve this formula, let alone prosper in its' appliance?

THE NAME GAME

Hey Hey guys,

King Tanner here. The narrator in "NFU" has no name, so people just call him
Underground Man.

I don't like that. 

I don't like that at all.

So I came up with a list of names for him that we
can use in our class discussions and blog posts.

- Tallywhacker

- Stinky Pete

- Quendra

- Josh Gad

- Dang Drum Neuron

- Thunder-Ground Man

- Casanova Fly

- Dante Alighieri (as a throwback!)

- Cornholio

- Tann Erismyfavoritestudent

- Alex From Target (remember him?!?!?)

- Former Saturday Night Live cast member Bobby Moynihan (say the whole thing
each time)

- Spain

- Mr. Myxlplyx

- Fyodor Clementine Dostoevsky

And of course,

- Megan King

Let me know your favorite in the comments. Mine
are Josh Gad, Cornholio, Bobby Moynihan, and Megan King.

Once we pick a favorite, we have to stick to it.

Cordially,

King Tanner Duncan Sykes I

MY SECOND BLOG POST FOR THE WEEK

So, Dostoyevsky makes it clear that the nameless narrator in Notes From Underground is not a real person at all, but people like him likely exist.

This makes me ask all of you here today; who do you know that's like the narrator in the book that we are reading, if anyone?

He personally reminds me of my best friend from back home in Knoxville, TN, Cole. He's a strange dude. He has black hair and drives a Mercedes convertible. He smells stale and has a tendency to ramble on like our nameless narrator.

Actually, all this nameless narrator talk gives me an idea for another blog post.

KTDSI out.

HEY EVERYBODY,

I just wanted to gage people's thoughts on Notes from Underground so far.

I have to say, I'm not a fan. The speaker seems very very very repetitive and honestly I'm bored to death by it. He won't shut up about advantages and how advantageous the advantages are, and how man is stupid but we can't say man is stupid because if man is stupid can anyone be not stupid?

I'm sure I'll like it more in class.

Food in Prison

So I was planning on talking about food in prison in my group's podcast, but I think I will just make a blog post about it instead! So I did some research and turns our wikipedia has a whole page on prison food! I found out some prisons prepare their own food and then others use catering companies, which I thought was very surprising. In the United States, prison meals are designed to be low sugar and salt diets. Also, it is said that dietary and religious concerns are taken in consideration (to an extent). In the UK, the average daily allowance per prisoner is 1.87 pounds (2.48 US dollars). Their meals are generally not made from seasonal produce, but from things like canned goods and frozen foods. 

I found these facts very interesting and if you do too you can read more about it at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_food