Fahrenheit 451 The Hearth and the Salamander

As I began reading Fahrenheit 451 I was almost in a mind of confusion. There was an extensive amount of imagery and I found myself having a hard time grasping all the information at once. While I kept reading, it became much easier to comprehend.

I was fascinated by the futuristic world in which the story is told. I found the robot dog to be fine example describing this futuristic setting. The story is about a man name Montag who is a fireman although, not the type of fireman you are thinking of. They were not used to put out fires but instead they burned books because they were against the law. One of the scenes where the book burning occurs made me feel slightly disturbed. The decision the firemen made to still burn the books in the house, while the elderly woman was still inside, completely shocked me. It made me wonder why these books were against the law, and what made the issue so demanding.
When Montag took one of the books and hid it behind his pillow it gave me an uneasy feeling because he knew the consequences to this action.

One day, Montag began interacting with a girl who had lived across the street. This girl was a curious seventeen year old, name Clarisse. She always asked so many questions and began to make Montag think about things that may have never crossed his mind before. He soon began to realize that the relationship he had with his wife wasn’t much of a relationship at all. Montag’s wife, Mildred also known as “Millie” informs Montag that Clarisse's family moved away after Clarisse had passed away. Mildred claims that she was apparently killed after being hit by a car. Montag fails to believe his wife and is curious to know what really happened.

As I was reading I began to wonder what exactly the book is banned for. Although I know to some the use of God's name in vein can clearly be offensive. I personally can't seem to understand why anyone would want ban this book from being read. I quickly became attached to the book and found myself disappointed when I had to put it down.

Kanye's VMA Rant

I watched in astonishment, when Kanye took the microphone from Taylor Swifts hands during her acceptance speech at the 2009 video music awards. He interrupted Taylor Swift by saying, "I'm sorry, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time." Beyonce looked stunned from the crowd. When Beyonce was later invited up on stage, when she was she invited Taylor Swift to the stage to give her a chance to have her moment. Kayne’s actions brought many people a feeling of disqust. I feel his actions were unacceptable and very distasteful. Unfortunately, Kayne seems to be creating a history of rants made throughout the years relating to award shows. Personally I believe what Kanye did to Taylor was a disgrace to the entire music community. The fact that he got up on stage against Taylor clearly shows how his jealousy shines. I feel that although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Kanye should have kept his to himself.

Deliah's Escape

I speak for myself but I’m sure most people will agree that snakes just aren’t pleasant reptiles to be in contact with. Therefore, I am definitely opposed to having one as a pet. As I was looking through the news on AOL I came upon an article about a 16 year old, 18 foot long, 400-pound python named Deliah, that was seized from a Florida home. Apparently the python had escaped the owner after being removed from its unsuitable chain-link cage shortly after eating seven rabbits for breakfast. It sends chills down my spine just viewing photos of reptiles and to imagine how anyone could have a pet python that large seems wild. I believe that everyone who is granted with an opportunity to own a python or any type of reptile should have a restricted limit of size. If it would exceed the limit, they could still own it but they should be required to keep in a confined place suitable for the animals needs.

A day of rememberence

We shall never forget,

We shall keep this day,

We shall keep the events and the tears

In our minds, our memory
and our hearts and take
them with us as we carry on.

As we commemorate the eighth anniversary of September 11 we remember those who lost their lives in this tragic event. Eight years ago, on an ordinary Tuesday morning, nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the deadliest attack on American soil in our history. I can remember back to when I was in 5th grade. Our teacher suddenly stopped class and turned on the television as we watched the news broadcast about this shocking moment. We soon learned that this was a planned hijacking, and I remember hearing President George Bush declaring war upon Al-Qaeda and the United States of America. It’s been about five years since we have been at war with the Middle East. As my heart goes out to each and every family across America dealing with the loss of a family member, I pray for the families who are currently watching their loved ones head off to war. This subject hits close to home for me because my cousin recently graduated from West Point Military Academy and could almost immediately be deployed. I never imagined that within my family I would ever encounter this feeling. I respect each and every soldier fighting for this country because without them, life would not be worth living.

Writing from the darkness

While reading through the passage I became very sympathetic to the authors emotions. I enjoyed reading the passage because she clearly explained in vivid detail her experiences with writing. It was captivating to see this passage through the author’s eyes. I feel that the author explained her feelings better than I believe I could ever express mine in my own writing.

As her grandfather once said, “There is light in darkness, you just have to find it.” I feel that she personally found writing was the light to her darkness. It was merely her way out instead of choosing death. I think everyone has their own way of dealing with tough times. I was never into writing or reading as a teenager because I just never understood its importance. My outlet was twirling and dancing. I found peace within it. I could be having an awful day and therefore I would just go outside and twirl away all my anger and frustrations. Just like writing poetry was the author's way to release and move beyond the pain she felt. Unlike the author, I never went through any comparable pain however, in a similar way we were able to find the light within ourselves.

Teacher is accused of selling grades for cash

A 35 year old social studies teacher has been charged with accepting cash from students looking to improve their grades. She collected more than $1,400 from the high school students throughout the past school year. The students claimed that the teacher told students she would give them extra credit and that the money would be used for chariety. But they said she kept the money for herself. She was charged with 3rd degree theft by deception. Monday she was released on her own recognizance. She is no longer employed with the district.

As an education major I find this article to be completely repulsive. This "teacher" clearly has no compassion for the discipline that students need. First of all, I feel that students who don't put forth the effort shouldn't be given a chance to earn extra credit. The fact that she offered it for money is absolutely distasteful. I highly doubt any student who was doing well in the class would ever fork over money for "extra credit", at least I wouldn't!

"What Should Colleges Teach?" Stanley Fish

In response to Stanley Fish’s “What should colleges teach?” I found myself to be in agreement with him. I feel that everyone should be exposed to correct writing, because that’s the way most people learn. For example, I will use my own experience. When I was younger I always struggled with writing and reading. I wasn’t very motivated to crack open a book in my spare time or journal because reading and writing just weren’t my strong points. As I grew older I found myself in classes with papers to write and I had not idea how to even start. This lack of motivation was quite a challenge for me throughout junior and senior high school.

I almost have to place the blame on the teachers. Throughout my school years the teachers had seemed to baby the students far too much. They basically told us what to write and made the corrections on our papers before it was time to hand them in for a grade. It nearly seems as if they didn’t want us to feel overwhelmed. Instead of helping us learn to develop correct writing skills, they were hurting our futures by doing the work for us. Thankfully, I have had a few people in my life who really pushed me to do my very best when writing and I find it easier now than ever to gather my idea’s together and put them out on paper.