The Great Gatsby #1

From my first reading of The Great Gatsby, I have gathered that Nick and Gatsby are heroes, Jordan is an antihero, and Tom is a villain. From the very first page, Nick characterizes himself as a non-judgmental person by saying that he is  “inclined to reserve all judgments.” He later goes on to explain that he is also very honest. Both of these traits are perceived as being extremely important in our society, so the audience views him as the epitome of a hero. Gatsby is still somewhat of a mystery at this point. Little is known of him, but rumors are circulating about his past. However, the narrator portrays him in a relatively positive light, so the audience thinks of him as a good person. Unlike Nick, Jordan is not honest at all and is a known cheater. Yet, the narrator continues to characterize her positively for the most part. On page 45, he says that Jordan nods in "a cynical, melancholy way", but he never classifies her as being evil. Last, but not least, is Tom. Tom is the obvious villain in this story because of his physical state and personality. He takes advantage of his power and acts as if he owns the world. He, clearly, does not care about the well being of others and seeks to improve only his own life by pushing others down.

Bua Paintings

The style of these paintings is melancholy and twisted. The artist seems to look on these subjects with a sad eye that sees a view most people wouldn't typically see. The perspective is unusual and may misrepresent what the subjects were intending their actions to show (if they were real people). None of the people shown seem to be smiling or excited. They all seem very indifferent and bored.

"Sixteen Military Wives"- The Decemberists

This song is about different parts of American culture that are disappointing or overestimated. It starts out by addressing the idea that many men go to war, and very few men return home. It then goes on to show how many other parts of society seem to start out as large numbers, but only a very small percentage "survives" or actually makes a difference. The theme is people overestimate the actual success and capabilities of America. I believe this is shown  through the somewhat sarcastic chorus:

Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can't say no
And America dies, if America says it's so
It's so!

"Race for the Prize"- The Flaming Lips

Theme of the song: People often pursue their goals in life with such tenacity that they put the people and things they love at risk. The song says,
"Their's is to win
If it kills them
They're just humans
With wives and children."
This is repeated through out the song to push the idea that the goal in life is to win regardless of whatever consequences may follow. The tone of the lyrics and sound of the music seem to contradict each other. I think this is to show how pursuing goals may seem as if it is a good thing, but it truly harms those who try to hard.

Death Penalty Essays

Although I believe that neither Kroll nor Mencken is entirely opposed to the death penalty, they each had very different purposes for their essays and went about expressing their messages in completely different ways. I was more moved by Kroll's argument even though I am usually more influenced by essays like Mencken's that use logos as the primary mode of persuasion. The main aspect of Kroll's essay that won me over was his use of personal experience.  My personal bias led me to side with Kroll because I, too, think the death penalty is cruel. He focused in on his audience by nailing the pathos appeal. When he said, "When they brought Robert in, he was grim-faced, tired and ashen," it clearly speaks to the emotions of everyone. On the other hand, Mencken repeatedly glossed over the real issue by treating it as if it wasn't worth his time to address counterarguments.