Closed prompt 12/11/2011

The conflict between North and South Korea has reached a new low. Now even religious life is considered warfare. Christmas lights are psychological warfare for the Koreans.

South Korea would not have allowed Christians to light a tree if the North had not torpedoed them. The article says “In 2004, the two Koreas reached a deal to halt official-level cross-border propaganda and the South stopped its annual Christmas illumination ceremony.” It then goes on to say that the north had allegedly torpedoed the south. After this incident the south allowed its people to light Christmas trees again. Thus the south would have not have lighten its lights had they not been attacked. The south used this act as a way to get back at the north.

Next, the south lights its Christmas trees to convert Northerners. This is bad for the North because religion is banned. The article uses details such as South Koreans will light three Christmas trees strategically placed in the east west and in the middle. And the author says  “Last year's tree, which was illuminated by thousands of small light bulbs, could be seen from as far as the North's major city of Kaesong”. This shows that Christmas is warfare because of the trees magnitude. South Korea has gone to great extent to have Christmas trees.

Next,    the author clearly thinks Christmas is propaganda. They write “Christmas as propaganda”. This is bolded and separated from the rest of the text. This is clearly supposed to draw attention to it. It is clearly supposed to show the Authors support of North Korea.

The meaning of this article is that Christmas is propaganda. The effect is that it makes you support North Korea because it demonstrates a specific incident of warfare.

                 In conclusion Christmas trees on the 38^th parallel of Korea are psychological warfare.

Response to course materials

I Enjoy Ceremony a lot more than I thought I would.  It is interesting to me to learn about other cultures. I enjoy learning about different cultures religion. I have been very impressed with Ms. Holmes’ knowledge of Native American culture and religion. We have been looking at the meanings of colors in Native American culture. It is interesting how the meaning of colors vary so widely from the western culture. We have learned that yellow is a very good and happy color to Laguna Pueblos.

In Ceremony There is a lot of racism. There is racism from the whites to the Lagunas and vice versa. It is just as racist to be anti-white as it is to be anti-Native American. The book has really made me see some differences and similarities in booth Whites and native Americans.  

open prompt 12/4/2011

1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.

                In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein there is booth an implausible event and an implausible character.  The character of Frankenstein’s monster is the most implausible character. Mary Shelly uses Frankenstein‘s monster to show that humans ultimately destroy the world.

               First the monster relates to the other characters by being a symbol of evil.  In a moment of Distraught Dr. Frankenstein tries to create new human life but ends up creating a great foe.  Later the monster kills Dr. Frankenstein’s brother. This shows that even when the intention is good the things humans crate are destructive. In the end of the novel the Monster asks Frankenstein to make him a wife. Frankenstein refuses and the monster kills Frankenstein’s friend.   The way that this relates to the other characters is that Mary Shelly argues that humans are all created from evil and they all create evil.

                Next the monster relates to other characters by because he is the antagonist. He prevents his creator from of having a clear conscious. This is yet another symbol of everything Humans create is destructive. Frankenstein cannot shake the feeling that he has done something wrong. He is to blame for his brother’s death and the other deaths from the monster. Mary Shelly uses this quilt to create a sense of guilt in the reader.

                Mary Shelly uses the relationship between Frankenstein and his monster to prove that humans are to blame for all destruction. She shows that we as a race should feel guilty and that everything we do will eventually come back to bite us in the butt.