MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It is most certainly Christmas! And guess what! I love all of you! Even Sara!

CRAM SESH PT 2- Oedipus Rex

The first thing I think of when I hear Oedipus Rex (other then the motherly love) is sight vs. blindness and a theme statement I'd use for this would be: One's hubris will block them from seeing the entire truth. This not only relates to sight vs. blindness but also excessive pride. A quote I thought would work for this is, "I stopped the sphinx! With no help from the birds..." this quote shows the the lack of truth Oedipus is unable to face due to his hubris.

Rather off topic

Here's something interesting I found: apparently the Moai people believed that the Easter Island statue heads which they created helped grow crops.  It also happens that they were correct, though maybe not for a spiritual or religious reason; the Easter Island heads were constructed out of mineral rich clay and sediment from beneath the surface of the island, and combined with the supply of water and sunlight plants grown next to them were able to grow quickly due to their habitable environment.  Here's the video I saw about that: https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/world/2019/12/16/mystery-easter-islands-moai-solved/2662453001/

CRAM SESH- Hamlet

So we all know the story of Hamlet, king killed by brother who then marries the queen, son finds out and spends 4 hours worth of lines to kill the king. A main topic in this play is action vs. inaction and a theme statement to coincide with that thought could be: Taking action will ultimately move on forward while remaining indecisive will leave them in place. An easy to remember quote could be, "To be or not to be, that is the question," because Hamlet is questioning killing himself in this soliloquy.

Potential English exam topic discussion?

I can see a possible comparison between Hamlet's theme of inaction and 100 Years of Solitude's theme of history repeating itself.  In particular with the Aureliano(s) of the Buendia family, who characteristically seclude themselves and avoid confrontation, dooming themselves to repeat the faults of their predecessors.  Much like Hamlet, who chooses to wait in favor of killing Claudius each time he is presented the chance until the end of the play.  Given that this post is being made the night before the exam, what other comparisons between themes could be made between the literature we've read this semester?  

A loose comparison can also be drawn between Oedipus's theme of sophrosyne and Jose Arcadio Buendia's (and the Arcadio line in general) obsession with the sciences and advancement of Macondo, which eventually leads to his seclusion and loss of sanity.  His "rejection of sophrosyne" dooms him, much like Oedipus also is doomed for his hubris.  

The Ending!!!

I just wanted to make this post to gauge your opinions on the ending of Hamlet. In my opinion, it was a pretty satisfying ending, as justice was served in Claudius’ death. However, it was quite sad to see characters who were not necessarily evil, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and even Gertrude, die in the final scene. Further, Hamlet’s death was very surprising, but I understand that it was bound to happen due to the play’s label as being a tragedy. What do you guys think of the ending, though? Was it sufficient or should there have more or fewer deaths?

The Movie

I really like the scenery in the Hamlet movie. Ms. Ross and I have extensively talked about the tiled floors, the many windows and the intricate designs of the bookcase doors. This allows, as you have seen, for many of the scenes and traps in the play to take place. I generally like the movie, it's filled with many talented actors as well as very good camera work. What did you guys think of these things? I can say I thought the camera work for The Mousetrap scene was very well done. Do you guys think there were too many windows and mirrors, or too few?

Who is to blame??

Obviously Hamlet is enraged by Claudius and Gertrude’s relationship. When Hamlet’s ghost appears to young Hamlet, he tells him to leave his mother alone but go after Claudius. However, both Gertrude and Claudius are in the wrong for this relationship and are both related by blood to Hamlet junior. So, blood doesn’t make any difference to Hamlet. 

On that note, do you think Hamlet is mad that Gertrude moved on so quickly with Claudius or just any man in general? What if Hamlet’s death was an accident not involving Claudius? Would Hamlet still be mad that Gertrude moved on to his brother?

I think that Hamlet is still confused himself, and hasn’t figured everything out. He is still trying to figure out the ghost, how to proceed with Claudius, and how to act towards Ophelia. Hamlet can’t believe that Claudius would do such a thing and then be with his mom on top of it! With that said, I think that Claudius is using Gertrude. In the case that he did get caught, he would have won over Gertrude in his mind. He would hope that she would believe him over others. The whole situation is terrible and shows the power-hungry Claudius who would do anything for the crown.

        What do y'all think? 

Why doesn't Gertrude see the ghost?

So, we started talking about this is class today, but I thought I'd put it on the blog. The big question is: Why doesn't Gertrude see the ghost of King Hamlet? In the beginning of the play, when the ghost appeared, everyone saw it, not just Hamlet. But in Act 3 Scene 4 Gertrude and Hamlet are talking and then the ghost of King Hamlet appears. Hamlet sees it and starts talking to it, but Gertrude does not. Hamlet asks her if she sees the ghost there and she says she doesn't. She then immediately says that Hamlet is mad. So, why is it that she doesn't see the ghost? Is it to show that maybe now Hamlet really is going mad? Or is it that the ghost only wanted to be made known to Hamlet in that moment? What do y'all think is the reason for this?

Do Hamlet's mommy issues make him incapable of love

Hamlet has some major problems with his moms new relationship. There are various reasons why including the fact that Claudius is the brother of his now deceased father, and Gertrude moved on inexplicably fast. However, there are also some more Freudian reasons as to why he doesn't like their relationship. He seems obsessive over the sexual aspect and questions his mothers ability to go to bed with her former brother in law. I think Hamlet's issues keep him from being able to properly love another woman. He saw what happened after his father's death, and is now scared to give himself over to someone else. I think that is why he started to resent Ophelia so much and treat her so cruelly. Although it went along with his plan to act crazy, it also seems like he really does hate in her some moments. This could be because he knows shes scheming against him, but it could also be due to the fact that he doesn't trust her intentions. He is obsessed with her being impure and not honest; he thinks Ophelia's innocence is just an act since he thought his mom was pure and decent for so long but realized she wasn't.

How do you guys feel about Hammy's lil momma problems?

Gertrudeee

Hey everyone, so I was thinking, do you guys think that Gertrude knew that Claudius killed her husband?

Andrew Again

I was blessed to Andrew's amazing performance last night! It was so nice and extremely interesting to see and hear. I also got to see Jacob, Sophia, Brandon and Elliot! It was so cool to see all these people support Andrew. 

Is Hamlet's Revenge Acceptable?

Hamlet is ultimately a tale of revenge in which a child is given an almost divine quest to kill the man that poisoned his father, and thus avenge his death. While it is certainly reprehensible to kill one's own brother to usurp the throne, is it ethical for Hamlet to slay his father's slayer? I would say no, simply because I believe that execution is unethical in all cases. However, it does make logical sense for Hamlet to kill Claudius as he is doing what the Danish justice system should have done anyway. Killing the leader of a country is practically the textbook definition of treason which is, in most cases, a capital offense, so it makes sense for Hamlet to pick up the slack and deliver "justice," as determined by the Danes. This leads me to ask the question, Do you believe that Hamlet's quest is justifiable either morally or logically?

he hath borne our griefs

In "Messiah" there is a movement called "Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs", it is about that fact Jesus is supposed to take away our sins and making atonement for us. This idea of divine atonement for wrong seems to be at play when talking about Gertrude. Hamlet is ordered to let her own guilt be her punishment. However this is a direct contradiction to the christian idea of being able to atone for sins through Jesus, especially in a protestant nation such as Denmark.

Most quotable lines from hamlet

So as we all know hamlet has some really famous lines. I thought I’d make a post about the five I would consider most famous as well as an interpretation of them. 

  “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry”

If you lend your money, you’re gonna come back empty handed of that same money as well as the person you lent it to. Lending and borrowing can ruin friendships, and borrowing specifically will make you live a life untrue  to yourself.

 “Brevity is the soul of wit”

This quote has been extremely famous. It refers to the timing and conciseness that one must use in writing or speech in order for it to successfully be witty.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”

In essence, nothing is predetermined good or evil. The thoughts and perspective of the individual decides whether something is good or evil. Identifying something with either of those terms requires subjective thought. Peoples opinions decide if certain things are good or bad.

 “This above all: to thine own self be true”

“Be true to yourself” is a statement that is commonly spoken today. It can be good advice for just about any situation. If you’re writing a paper, if you’re giving a speech, if you’re trying to make new friends. Everyone always resorts back to this quote, because it really should be your main goal.

 “To be, or not to be: that is the question”

In this quote, Hamlet contemplates suicide. On a deeper level, he is really asking whether some of the situations that life puts us in have a right answer. Whether one should or should not do something, correlates to whether they will like their decision or not. Hamlet wonders whether it is right for him to even go on in a world where he is forced to avenge his father’s death. 

Handel's Messiah

Handel's "Messiah" is one of the most famous pieces of music in the world. It is incredibly difficult to learn and perform and the music itself has many thematic elements to it. But was is so interesting is that Handel wrote the entire "Messiah" in 24 days. This is absolute insane. Think about if Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in just 24 days that would make the play even more incredible.

what if we were to talk in long formal speeches ?

As we watched the Hamlet movie this week in class, I couldn’t help but think about the exaggeration of long formal speeches. There is such a difference between reading these long formal speeches in word form on a page, then watching someone speak them. The more and more Hamlet talked, the more I wondered: What would our conversations be like if we talked with  this type of exaggerated emotion and feeling. Everything Hamlet said was loud with such pain and passion as if he wanted the gods to hear him. If this were to be our everyday language do ya’ll think that would be a good thing or a bad thing? Would it affect the topics we talk about? Or the people we talked to?

Audio effects in podcasts

There are some really cool benefits to adding audio effects to your podcast. I found a website that lays them out pretty clearly. I am going to paraphrase some of the advice that it gave. If your podcast is becoming “talky,” it would probably be best to add in some background music to long speeches or interviews. The music helps keep you focused. Secondly, if your podcast is becoming choppy, then music can help make transitions flow better. Going from one segment to another doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re changing from a light hearted tone to a more serious one, then let your music reflect that. Lastly, sound effects can help make a podcast interesting. If an interview came out to be pretty full, then add in sound effects to help spruce it up. Your main goal should be keeping people interested; audio elements help you do that.

https://blog.spreaker.com/how-music-sound-effects-make-podcast-better/

HamLet

Okay let's be real. Hamlet's a weird name, so I did some research! There's three different meanings. One being home which makes sense because nothing says home like son avenging his father action. But the other two meanings are fooling and dull. Do y'all think this resonates with Hamlet? The name originates from Armenia, Germany, the UK, and the US. Also, the names "qualities" are extroverted and adventurous. Once again, does this sound like the Hamlet we know? Lastly this website estimates that at least 22000 people in the world have this name making up 0.001% of the population. Lastly, 4 of the 8 notable people that were listed with this name are footballers.

Oh, Ophelia...

As we all know, Ophelia is Hamlet's love interest, but also the name of a song by The Lumineers. This song is loosely related to the actual character but has a whole lot of love in it. "Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love," is a recurring line in the song that I think signifies Ophelia's foolish, innocent love she had for Hamlet. Another line in the song is, "I don't feel no remorse, and you can't see past my blinders," which reminds me of the scene in Hamlet when Ophelia was told to reject Hamlet's love and in return Hamlet just went off on her. Overall, very good song with a deeper meaning than I thought. Highly recommend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTOC_q0NLTk

Andrew!!

I'm going to see Andrew!! So excited !!!!

Andrew Holmes Gary!!

I just wanted to say that I am so excited to be able to see Andrew preform on Sunday! It is a wonderful opportunity to see a fellow stm student show his great talent and voice. Do you guys think talents that don't involve sports are under appreciated in the stm community ? 

The Lion king

So everyone know how the Lion King is based off of Hamlet, but I wanted to know why they decided do base it off of Hamlet. This is what I found according to wiki: The Lion King was the first Disney animated feature to be an original story, rather than be based on an already existing work. The filmmakers have said that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the lives of Joseph and Moses, from the Bible, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This was just a little interesting thing. 

Cool LITTLE HAMLET FACTOID

Did you guys know that the person widely considered to have played the definitive Hamlet was a man named Edwin Booth?

Edwin Booth was knocking around in the 19th century and was part of a whole family of actors. He played many roles, but he gained the most renown for his portrayal of Hamlet. He played Hamlet many times. Not only did he play Hamlet, but he also rescued a young Robert Lincoln, son of Honest Abe Lincoln, from a potential death by train.

His legacy is overshadowed by that of his brother, John Wilkes Booth. You can probably figure out  why.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Edwin Booth as Hamlet. 1870.

ANOTHER AMAZING PODCAST RECOMMENDATION

HEY EVERYONE! How was everyone's Thanksgiving Breaks?

I don't actually care.

What I do care about is this new podcast I've been listening to; Mobituaries. 

Mobituaries is a podcast hosted by former Daily Show correspondent and actual, serious journalist Mo Rocca, and is all about taking a closer look at people who were really cool/fascinating, but have fallen into obscurity after they died. If you like to learn, laugh, and listen to people speak English. then this is the podcast for you.

The legend of Amleth

The legend of Amleth is one of medieval Scandinavian descent. Saxo Grammaticus is the author and the legend is included in his book Gesta Danorum. Prince Amleth is the main character and son of the King of the Jutes, King Horvendill. Horvendill was murdered by his brother Feng, out of jealousy. Feng convinced Horvendill’s wife, Gerutha, to then turn around and marry him. He plead that his murder was in order to rid Gerutha of Horvendill, who Feng claimed was a ruthless and horrible husband. Amleth then pretended to be an imbecile, and pretended to not think anything of his fathers death. Long story short, he ended up slaying Feng with a sword and went back to Jutland with his two new wives. Shortly after, he was killed in battle by Wiglek, who had taken over the throne while Amleth was gone. The end pretty much :)

I hope u all enjoyed story time I love u and have a nice weekend

Shakespeare’s Authorship

Many of you may already be aware, but there are some doubts out there about Shakespeare’s authorship. There have been many, even some famous faces, who have suggested that William Shakespeare was merely used to cover up the identity of the real author of the 37 plays attributed to his name. William Shakespeare was not a man born renowned. Before his works were written, he wasn’t known to be wealthy, well educated, or of high status. His plays cover a very wide and in depth range of political commentary. He criticizes the culture of his time and doesn’t hold back when doing so. A lot of historians point to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, as being the true playwright. Edward was of high social status, incredibly well educated (he spent a good portion of his life studying law,) and of significant wealth. It’s documented that he traveled to a majority of the places mentioned in Shakespeare’s (aka maybe himself) plays. On the contrary, a lot of people think that Shakespeare’s magnificence comes from his ability to delve into his imagination to create these masterpieces. He didn’t need a luxurious and popular lifestyle in order to contrive these plays. All he needed was an opinion and the ability to express it.

So are u guys team Edward or nah

Hamlet

Hamlet is probably my second favorite tragedy next to Macbeth. So what do you guys think of it so far? What do you think of some of the characters? I’m enjoying the play so far and Ophelia has on of my favorite character archs even though she starts out pretty boring.

Grandfather and Toddler: An Accident !!

As I was talking about in class, the following information is about the cruise incident. “The grandfather accused of dropping toddler Chloe Weigand from the 11th deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship made his first court appearance on Wednesday as Puerto Rican prosecutors insisted it was their 'duty' to charge him with negligent homicide. Salvatore 'Sam' Anello faces three years in prison if he's found guilty of causing Chloe's death by lifting her towards an open window before she tumbled from the Freedom of the Seas while it docked in San Juan on July 7.”

Personally, I do not think he should be found guilty for the event. He was an old man trying to do something nice for his granddaughter. He had no intention of hurting or harming her. This man should not be in prison. He is a man who made a terrible, terrible mistake. He will have to live with the mistake he made, but he should not have to do in jail. 

This also ties into the idea of prison reform. A man such as this grandfather should not be in prison. However, he will be. Prison should be for those true “criminals.” This grandfather is nothing more than a make who had an accident, a true accident. Accidents happen all the time. This tragic event was an accident! His family needs to realize this!

English vs. Literature

So I'm tutoring a fifth grader named Colleen Collins. I have to help her with English.  In her English class she mostly does grammatical things, like learn about prepositions. So this made me wonder. Why do we take a class called "English" when we don't do anything grammatical. I feel like we should take a class called "Literature" instead of English. What do y'all think? Should our class be called English or Literature? 

OHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAAAAAANDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON

So Brandon had a good ole' point when he said that for Sing, Unburied, Sing, making a ghost hunting show is just as relevant as making a true crime podcast. Do you guys AGREE?

I want to HEAR YOU AMERICA

I just want to hear what you all are writing your papers on. Here's my proposal:

1. My guide will be talk show host Conan O’Brien.
2. My monster guarding my circle of hell is an enormous hyena named Markus Twainus.
3. I will enter my circle of hell through being led down a flight of stairs backstage in Ed Sullivan theater, a studio famous for its variety shows. I will enter the circle stage left, and then to exit I will walk out stage right and pop out on the street.
4. The sin being punished is people who are objectively not funny but think they are and force people to listen to their unfunny drivel.
5. The punishment is being restrained and tickled by feathered bipeds (a slight reference to the famous story of Plato and Diogenes) for all of eternity. As they could not make anyone laugh in real life, they are now forced to make up for all the dead silence in hell. The more unfunny they were, the more harshly they are tickled.
6. This circle of hell is a roofless, burning theater, with endless rows of seats in the audience. Those being punished are bound to the chairs in the audience and tickled as they watch an empty stage burn. Amy Schumer, who is there for not being funny enough to write her own material and not because she isn’t funny, has a special punishment in that she has to write her set in blood while being tickled, over and over again, a la Sisyphus.
7. The damned souls in this hell are Jay Leno, John Peters, SNL era Robert Downey Jr., Dane Cook, and Amy Schumer. The people who are still alive get imped after the lord decides they have reached a certain threshold of unfunny, explaining how Robert Downey Jr. went on to redeemed himself after leaving SNL with Less Than Zero and his stint as Iron Man. Jay Leno will be the sinner I talk to, which will prompt Conan to comment on how “it serves him right”, a reference to the 2009-2010 Tonight Show debacle.
8.  The reason I shall be led into hell is that Mrs. King has asked God to show me what will happen if I don’t stop talking in class. In the audience, there will be a seat that says “Reserved for Tanner Sykes”.

TELL ME YOUR IDEAS. I WANT TO KNOW.

DANTE, DANTE, DON TAY, DANTY, DAINTY

So after we had that totally easy money test today, I had a thought that I felt should be shared with the world. Is DANTE's Inferno and indictment of GOD?

SO HEAR ME OUT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT SOUNDS A LIL BIT COO-COO-KACHEW CRAZY. Don't worry Brandon, I'll explain.

DANTE feels a whole bunch of pity for the souls in hell, right? He feels sad. The story of Count Ugoliononiainonoyokoono having to gobble down his homies and Francesca doing some light reading winkity wink clinkity clink makes him feel all sad. How can he feel sad IF god is infallible? Is Dante saying that God should consider context? I THINK HE IS.

GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS AND PROVE ME WRONG LINDSEY LAFORGE.

Lucifers three heads

So as we know, Dante’s Lucifer is a three headed beast who chews on Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Although at the time, Dante probably considered these to be the three greatest betrayers of a benefactor, I think throughout time, the two latter could have possibly been beat. My theory is that they are replaced in groups of two, when two new great betrayers enter Hell, Cassius and Brutus become the second two heads of Lucifer, and they begin chewing the new sinners. This is a never ending cycle and once they have fulfilled their duty as a head on lucifers body, they are then allowed to join the other betrayers of a benefactor in the normal punishment of being frozen in ice. This is just my theory on what could possibly happen if a sinner greater than Cassius or Brutus came along. Any other theories??

2019 Death Penalties

Hey Guys. So I have done some research and looked into the most recent death penalty offenders in 2019. According to Wikipedia, there have been 20 death row inmates executed in US in 2019. 20 by lethal injection and 1 by electrocution. As of right now, 4 more offenders are scheduled to be executed in December of 2019. 3 of lethal injection and 1 of electrocution. After reading this I saw the demographics page about these executions. Of the 20 execute offenders, 100% were male, 65% were white, 30% were black, and 5% were hispanic. Also, 95% were done by lethal injection and the other 5% by electrocution.
After reading that fact, I became interested in how the government and/or court and/or police decide whether an offender gets lethal injection or electrocution. I couldn't find an exact answer for my question. So, if y'all know how they decide HOW the execution goes through please let me know in the comments! (Also if you know WHO exactly makes this decision I am interested in knowing that too!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offenders_executed_in_the_United_States_in_2019

Forest of Suicides

The second part of the seventh circle of Hell is called the forest of suicides. The people who took their own lives are put in the circle and are punished in the form or trees. These people, the trees, are pecked by harpies( half woman, half bird creatures). On Judgement Day, these “people” won’t get their bodies back. Instead, their bodies will just be hung on the branches of the trees. 

Here is my question… If all those who committed suicides are punished to the forest of suicides, who are the people who are running around being chased by the huge, black dogs?! Did these people commit suicide, but get lucky enough to keep their bodies? With that said, what happens to these people on Judgement Day since they all ready have their bodies? Like we saw in the video today, there are a lot of complications in each circle. 

So, in the forest of suicides, there are trees getting pecked by harpies and people being chased by huge dogs. To me, this does not seem like an equal punishment. I would prefer being chased by dogs, than have my body taken away and being pecked by bird-creatures. 

In addition, I found circle 7 to be the most interesting of the 9 circles of Hell. The forest of suicides marks a unique part of circle 7, followed by the desert of fire. I found both of these parts very different from prior circles. Which circle is y’all’s favorite?

SHOULD WE PITY THE SINNERS IN HELL?

      I’ve been debating over Dante’s concept of pity vs piety. I find it difficult to feel pity for the damned souls in Hell. Obviously, these sinners are being punished for a reason, and at least to me, the sins they are being punished for are overall reasonable, but the punishments are a bit harsh. The severity of these punishments brings me to think: if I were to personally experience or witness the way the sinners are being punished, like Dante, I think I might feel differently. 

What do you guys think? As Dante travels through Hell, should he have pity and sympathy for the souls he encounters or should he feel anger and justice that they are getting what they rightfully deserve?

Last Words

In Louisiana three people have been given the death penalty from 2000-present. Something I think is interesting to see is their last words. I think this is a good way to see if these people who committed these horrible acts could really be rehabilitated. The way I look at it is they know their going to die no matter what they say so wouldn't they be truthful? I'm not exactly sure on that one but anyways here are the last three criminals who were put to death in Louisiana. I listed their names, execution date, last words, and an extremely brief explanation of why they were put to death. Of course they had other previous crimes counted against them as well. I highly recommend checking out what I linked down below. It's their detailed crime reports and more. Based on their last words, do you think these three criminals could be rehabilitated?

Feltus Taylor: robbed and murdered Donna Ponsano in 1991

Executed on June 6, 2000

"I want to tell you, Keith, and the Ponsano family (the victim's family) , that I've always regretted what I have done. It was my own doing. After this is over with, I hope you can find the peace to move on." For his last meal, Taylor ate onion rings, barbecued ribs and shrimp, corn on the cob and toast and cheesecake, prison officials said. His attorney, Ms Michelle Fournet, attended the execution. After the district court refused to block Taylor's death earlier on Tuesday, she said there were no other appeals left to file. His surviving victim Mr Clark said after the execution: "I felt justice was done. I had gone out on a limb for him and then he shot me."

Leslie Dale Martin: raped, tortured, and murdered Christina Burgin in 1991
Executed on May 10, 2002

Martin declines to make a final statement before execution.

Gerald Bordelon: murdered, raped, and abducted his 12-year-old stepdaughter in 2002

Executed on January 7, 2010

"I'm sorry. I don't know if that brings any closure or peace. It should have never happened, but it did, and I'm sorry," he said, choking up and halting to collect himself. His eyes red-rimmed from crying, Bordelon added, "I'd like to apologize to my family and tell them that I love them."

http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/taylor640.htm

https://murderpedia.org/male.M/m1/martin-leslie-dale.htm

https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b1/bordelon-gerald.htm

What Level of Hell should Dante go to?!

Personally, I do no really care for Dante. I think he thinks too highly of himself and is also kind of violent. From the sections we have read I don't think Dante will really be going to heaven. I took the level of hell test, but as if I were Dante. So realistically, by his own standards, I think Dante will be going to the 5th level of hell. What do you guys think?

Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project

As we all should know by now, our beloved Kim Kardashian West has become a prison reform advocate, and people are not mad about it. In fact, they're happy she's using her platform for a cause that your average person won't come across in their daily life. In early June of this year, Kim Kardashian spoke at the White House about criminal justice and was introduced by President Trump. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQw50OHXnBo) Not only that, but Kim has also talked about a documentary she's in the process of making called Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project. A premiere date has not yet been announced, but if you're interested, here's an article that goes more into depth about the doc: https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/kim-kardashian-west-dc-jail-justice-special-photos

Running List of Podcast Recommendations

So, I like Podcasts. I would like us to create a running list of podcasts for us to add to throughout the year. I'll start.

Serial: This investigative journalism podcast focuses on the murder of Hae Min Lee. While many consider her case to be open and shut, there are those who think it's not as simple. I'm not doing it justice, it is amazing. After the first episode, you'll be hooked. The other two seasons aren't nearly as good.

Superego: Not everyone's cup of tea. An improv comedy podcast that is hysterical at it's best. I recommend listening to https://soundcloud.com/gosuperego/superego-episode-2-10-mp3 as an intro. This is personally my favorite episode.

Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend: Former Tonight Show host and current host of Conan on TBS Conan O'Brien interviews celebrities in the hopes of finally making a friend. As a huge Conan fan, I love the podcast, but you can find things to love about it outside of Conan. I recommend finding an episode with a guest you like (ranging from Paul Rudd to Michelle Obama) and trying that. I love them.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.

WHOA! VIDEO GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DID YOU FLIPPIN' FOOLS KNOW THAT THEY MADE A DANTE'S INFERNO VIDEO GAME??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante%27s_Inferno_(video_game)
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Also here's a link to a funny video haha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7n7l8L3Bx0

About my class discussion

Can we continue that here? I think I've raised a good question; what is Dante saying about the creatures in hell? What came first; human mythology or God creating these creatures?

Dejanira direct translation

I was reading Inferno when they mentioned Dejanira in Canto 12 and I thought it would make an interesting blog post. Dejanira, intentionally or unintentionally depending on translation, killed Hercules by giving him a shirt soaked in the poisoned blood of the Centaur Nessus. If we look at her name and directly translate it, it mean “husband destroyer”. Now I don’t about you but I’m definitely naming one of my kids Dejanira because “husband destroyer” is a pretty rad name.

Inferno parody?

I had a funny idea; what if we took the concept of the descent into hell further into modern day places?  For instance, we could input some well known reddit person for Virgil and have them take the protagonist through to the depths of reddit.  What do you guys think, and where else could we experience a "descent into hell?"

Mama, I’m in love with a criminal...

Okay so we’ve been talking about the justice system and I thought Criminal by Britney Spears was the perfect song to understand a different perspective that we haven’t gone into depth about. So imagine for a minute... what would you do if your significant other went to prison?!? I know I would be heart broken and depending on the crime, I’d feel betrayed, and definitely consider a break up. https://youtu.be/s6b33PTbGxk

FIELD TRIP

In class today and yesterday we talked about taking an AP English IV field trip to a prison, and as most of y'all know, I love this idea. I think it would be such a good experience for us to learn about what a real active prison looks like and what the prisoners go through every day while being in jail. While doing research for this potential field trip, I came across the website for the Angola Prison Museum (https://www.angolamuseum.org/).  It is exactly 2 hours and 22 minutes from school. I think we could definitely make it work for a school field trip. 

Angola used to be called "America's Bloodiest Prison" and is the largest maximum security prison in the United States. It is right in our home state and we should learn more about it's history and culture. Visiting would be a great way to learn all of these things! What do y'all think? Would y'all be interested in going? (go check out the website also!) 

Bridge between Jesmyn Ward and podcast

A common theme seen in many of the podcast I listened to was the racial injustice amongst the youth in the community. African American kids are looked upon much more strictly by the police than white children are. Due to this, their parents are forced to give them the “talk” that makes the agree with the police no matter the situation. They must not look suspicious in any way, or else the police will be quick to jump on them.

Jesmyn Ward touches on a similar topic. Ward says, “It’s a cliche to say that “reading saved my life”, but in Ward’s case, it may be true. The stats in Mississippi are as merciless as the storms and the probability was that Ward’s fate would follow the grim path of her characters: “You have a small array of bad choices and you pick your poison and that’s your life.” When she was 12 a wealthy lawyer for whom her mother worked as a housekeeper offered to send her to the private Episcopalian school his own children attended. She was the only black girl until her senior years. But although it was “really rough”, she credits the bullying she experienced with motivating her: “All I thought about was to escape: ‘I want to get out. I want to go away to university.’”

Just as some of these kids face “discrimination” from the police, Ward was the only African American girl in her school. She credits the bullying as her motivation. This helped sculpt her into a writer and a better woman in general.” Similarly, these kids who are looked upon more harshly by the police, can use this as a means of motivation too.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/11/jesmyn-ward-home-mississippi-living-with-addiction-poverty-racism

Impressions of Dante

I have asked many people for their opinion of Dante's Inferno already but I just decided I'd blog about it because why not. Personally I like his self insert historical revenge fan fiction. But what do you guys think about it? Would you guys change anything about the story (language, rearrange sins, etc.)? Seriously I'm really bored so someone answer this blog post I'm literally throwing you guys a bone here.

To Compensate

So, I haven't posted in a while. You may be wondering why. I'm here to explain that.

I am a sloth. Pronounced "slowth", because I'm lazy in the British way. I just forget to do things and continually put them off until I elect Boris Johnson and that makes everything worse.

That is beyond the point. I'm here to talk to you about Dante's Inferno. Is it a comedy?

Obviously, yes it is, but that raises a bigger question; what is a comedy? We have the definition in the reference book. a story that deals with the internal affairs of a person (I'm heavily paraphrasing), but is that what a comedy is today?

Comedy is, in my (and in many others) view, an unspoken truth revealed to an audience by a performer. Take my lovely impression of Mr. Adair at a funeral. We all KNOW that that is what he would do, but you didn't know that you knew it until I revealed it to you.

This definition doesn't extend to everything as easily. My favorite movie, Mel Brooks's The Producers has very few unspoken truths revealed. It is more absurdist in some parts, and yet it is still hilarious.

I've waxed philosophic for long enough. What do you all define comedy as?

Inferno vs Justice System

I just realized that while talking about criminal justice system, we are also learning about the punishments of Dante’s Inferno. Coincidence? I think not!! The justice system is supposed to be about reform, but it is more about proving an example and punishing these people. This is similar to Inferno in that there a specific punishment for every type of crime, except, I like the Inferno a lot better for entertainment purposes. Although a life sentence may seem harsh to us, Dante’s Inferno lasts an infinity. It’s a never ending circle of pain and suffering for anyone who ends up there, but this may actually be more similar to prisoners than what meets the eye. People that end up with life long sentences or in solitary confinement often compare their lives to a life in Hell. They endure psychological pain and torment, and are often hopeless about the future. They can’t find purpose in this meaningless circle of prison cells and courtyards. All rights are taken away, and they wish for a better existence, just like the poor souls in Hell in Dante’s Inferno.

Keys to a successful podcast

Hey everybody! I hope you are all having a magical weekend. I know Sara is. Anyways... I would just like to share some tips from this website that I found with you all. The topic is “Keys to a Successful Podcast.”

The three biggest points I picked out to share with you guys are: be an expert on your topic, know your audience well, and be authentic. First off, being an expert on your topic literally means being an expert on your topic. You should know everything you are reporting about, unless it is subjective. Have all your facts right and sound as knowledgeable as possibly so that your audience trusts you. That leads me into point 2, knowing your audience. You must know who you are attempting to reach with your podcast. What people do you want your message to get to and why. Is your podcast for everyone, or is it for a person with a certain viewpoint similar to yours??? Hmmm??? Okay lastly, you need to be authentic. You must not try to act a certain way to look cool when making your podcast. Who you are is beautiful. You should want to be your own beautiful self as much as possible. So, when you’re in front of an audience, remain true to what you are. No, but seriously, don’t get microphone try and attempt to be someone you’re not. (I.e. in Sara’s case, funny. Don’t try to be funny Sara)

I hope these tips from the article help you all when you are making a podcast, because they are actually useful, unlike this blog post I just wrote. Jk please love me.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timecamp.com/blog/2018/01/make-successful-podcast/amp/

I love you all lots,
Especially people with cute tiny ears,
Xoxo, Sophia

Does Finland really know what's up?

I watched this TEDtalk about prison reform (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8I749MuYbA) and the speaker, Jennifer Thomas, spoke about her time in jail and the amount amount of injustices she witnessed in just four months. She then compared the US prison system to Finland's and found completely different approaches we just so happen to be familiar with, retribution and rehabilitation. After watching this, I was curious and looked up the crime rate for both countries, and as expected, in 2002, 11.88 million crimes were reported in the US while Finland only had 520,194 reported. 

Here's what surprised me. Taking population into account, the US only has 41.29 crimes reported per capita, and Finland had a whopping 100.03 crimes reported, ranking in at #6 out of the 81 countries listed. So based on this evidence, is rehabilitation really the answer, or is it too good to be true? 

Furthermore, the country ranked last (smallest crime per 1000) was Nepal (0.368 per capita). Sanjeeb Regmi, spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, stated that prisoners in certain districts of Nepal live under "inhumane conditions". Keeping that in mind, the country ranked first is Iceland (209.52 per capita). Iceland cells don't have locks, and all inmates have relationships with the officers. 

So now I'm confused. My morals are telling me rehabilitation, but the numbers are telling me retribution, so what do you guys think?

Iceland article:http://theconversation.com/i-deliberately-sent-myself-to-prison-in-iceland-they-didnt-even-lock-the-cell-doors-there-105257

Nepal article:https://www.msn.com/en-xl/asia/nepal/prisoners-in-nepal-are-living-under-inhumane-conditions-says-office-of-the-attorney-general/ar-AABogmW

NEW MOVIE

I am not sure if y'all remember exactly what my podcast presentation was about, so I'll give a quick reminder. I did a presentation on episode 96 of Criminal (In) Justice called Policing While Black. This was an interview of a man named Matthew Horace, who is African American male and is a police officer. He also is the author of a book called The Black and The Blue. This book and the podcast overall is about Horace's experiences being in two communities (African American male and cop). 
I was planning to go see a movie with my family this weekend and as I was looking through the options I see a movie entitled: Black and Blue, and I was very intrigued. I looked it up and read this summary (below) on a movie review website. 
"BLACK AND BLUE is a fast-paced action thriller about a rookie cop (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her (Tyrese Gibson) as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage."
This movie is all about the issues that Horace talks about in his interview. Unfortunately, I could not go see this movie with my family because it is rated R (I have younger brothers), but I really would like to go see it. If anyone wants to go LET ME KNOW PLEASE! 
(ALSO it gets better........this movie was filmed and based in NEW ORLEANS) 

THE SHU… and more!!!

As we presented on our podcast this week, “The Shu” seemed to be the most popular one. The stories of people being locked away for years and years without much human contact, completely baffles me. This brings me to my point. If our class was so concerned with the topic of the unfair treatment in the Shu, then others must feel this way about it too. With that said, why is nothing being done? The Shu is one of the largest issues with prison systems, but nothing is being done or not fast enough??

On a completely different note, Brandon, Sophia, Jake, and I, were talking about death row in study hall last week. Somehow we began discussing what would be our last meal if we were on death row. We established that Sophia’s would be lobster, Brandon’s would be eggs benedict, Jake’s would be steak, and mine would be blueberry waffles. 

This sparked my interest on the real conditions and restrictions of the last meal on death row. I found that “Alcohol or tobacco are usually denied. Some states place tight restrictions. In Florida, the food for the last meal must be purchased locally and the cost is limited to $40. In Oklahoma, cost is limited to $15. In Louisiana, the prison warden traditionally joins the condemned prisoner for the last meal. On one occasion, the warden paid for an inmate's lobster dinner.” If it were up to me, I wouldn’t limit the price, but I would limit the number of items and how easily it could be obtained. They are already spending millions of dollars on the execution, what is another $100??

Hypothetically speaking, what would y’all’s last meal be?

Super cool YouTube vid!!!

A YouTube channel called Jubilee recently came out with a video about a group of people performing a mock jury trial. They discuss a real case involving a school shooter who’s our age, and they have to choose between sentencing him to life in prison or the death penalty. https://youtu.be/y5Du1Qht9Vg
A lot of “jurors” brought up different ideas we’ve been talking about in class and new ideas having to do with prison reform. But I’m curious; if you were a juror what would you sentence this 18 year old to and why?

American prison fail again

After reading the “Bresha Meadows thought you’d understand” article I was left very unsettled. It has been clear that the American prison system is in serious need of reform, but I was fairly shocked by how much it has turned its back on the abused children of America. Brehsha was only 14 when she decided that she could no longer bare to be severely abused by her father. She had tried to escape, only to be taken back to her abuser. To Brenda, there was no other way out. She decided that she, and her family, would only be safe if she was able to completely stop her father. She made the decision, and rightly so, to kill him. She believed that people would understand. Most people understood why she did, and believed that she was okay in her actions. However, the court system believed otherwise. In America, we do not really care about why people commit crimes, we only care that they committed them. We need serious prison reform in America, especially for juveniles. Do you think that juveniles should even be allowed to go to prison? Do you think that they should just have to go through mental illness treatment instead?

Dante & Beatrice's "Transcendental" Love

The background information on Dante refers to the love that he had for Beatrice as transcendental. Knowing the reality of the situation, this statement takes on a new meaning. The love that Dante had for Beatrice was transcendentally creepy. According to Dante's Vita Nuova, Dante and Beatrice met a grand total of twice. I personally think that it's a little odd to write 42 chapters and a universe-spanning self-insert Christian fanfic about a woman you have met twice. While it is more likely that Dante simply used Beatrice as a sort of medium about which to write his poetry, I personally just think its funnier to imply that Dante was really creepy. Dante and Beatrice were also married to different people the whole time, which isn't great and its also a sin. All in all, Dante's love for Beatrice was odd at best and incredibly unsettling at worst. Thoughts?

God's Favorite was so good!!!

I went to the play Thursday (above is a picture of Nic, Erica, Tanner, and I after the play) and it was so good! Also, just wanted to say to Nic and Tanner y'all did great!

THERE'S A SONG

Guess what guys....... I FOUND A SONG ABOUT DANTE'S INFERNO. It is actually just called "Dante's Inferno" and it is by a group called Iced Earth. I have never heard of them before but maybe you all have. The whole song is kind of just a summary of all the cantos in the Inferno. Here are the first couple lines that we should be familiar with after reading multiple cantos:

"Through the fiery caverns we sail, Virgil at my side my guide and master, Questing through the nine plains of hell, Infernal wisdom shall fill my soul, Slowly now the days departing, The darkened air releases me, Frightening visions of my journey, Entrance me to Limbo, I'm not free"

This first stanza really talks mostly about the first Canto when Dante meets Virgil and Virgil tells him how he will lead him through Hell and be his guide. Also, the last line in this stanza says they are entering Limbo, which is the 1st circle of Hell, and is where Virgil lives in Hell. The song continues just as their journey does and if y'all would like to look more into it here is the link for the song lyrics: https://genius.com/Iced-earth-dantes-inferno-lyrics  (you can also play the song off this website, but I will warn you it is very long for a song: about 17 minutes!)

Punishments for Crimes

While responding to a previous post on possible misplacement in the circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, I realized that punishments and crimes are not only subject to influence by the time period in which they are committed, but also by the culture/religious beliefs of communities, even in modern times. For example, if you are caught stealing in certain nations, such as Saudi Arabia and many other Middle Eastern countries, you can have your hands cut off as a punishment. By contrast, in Western nations, stealing is considered a minor crime and at most the perpetrator will be given a misdemeanor charge, resulting in community service. You may recall Liangelo Ball, who while representing the United States in a basketball tournament in China, was caught stealing clothes from a Gucci store and was looking at ten years of labor-intensive prison sentencing before our President used diplomatic channels to get him pardoned. Thus, punishments for crimes can differ from country to country, and it mainly depends on the culture and religious backgrounds of nations which can influence peoples’ outlooks on crimes’ severities.

What do you guys think about this?

Who belongs where?

As I was reading cantos 4 and 5 last night, I was intrigued by who was in the first and second circles of Hell. I began to wonder why some people were placed in a certain group if they were guilty of committing far worse sins. For example, Paris was responsible for killing Achilles at the end of the Trojan War, however he is placed in the second circle of Hell. If it were up to me, Paris should be placed with the other killers not with those who are lustful. Yes, Paris was lustful, however murder is more severe than lust. With that said, I understand that Paris killed Achilles in war and that makes it “acceptable,” but I don’t see it this way. I would place the person in the circle of Hell according to their most severe sin no matter the circumstance. 

In addition, I think that some of these characterizations show the subjectivity of the circles of Hell. Depending on your connections, you might fall within a less severe circle of Hell. For example, if you had connections to the Roman Empire or were a warrior in battle, your chances in hell might be a bit better off. Overall, I just found some of the characterizations a bit strange. 

What other people do y’all think should be placed in different circles? And do y’all agree?