a clockwork orange by anthony burgess Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some ways better than a man who has the good imposed upon him? Our narrator, Alex, has been incarcerated into a massive overstuffed federal state prison with six prisoners per two person cells. Alex has a small job of playing music during mass and through this, he gained the special favor of the main priest by snitching on other inmates. Through his job, he has also gained an interest in the blood, sex, guts, and gore depicted in the bible. Prison life is every man for himself and is survival of the fittest. In this part of the story, I see many similarities to modern American life. In the United States prison system, many penitentiaries have a set quota of occupancy which causes them to overpopulate prisons beyond their capacity. It is not unheard of for guards and wardens to be overly abusive and corrupt such as the ones shown in the novel. The topics of the book focus on humanity and morality. A new dangerous experimental scientific method has been devised that forces people to be good. Alex volunteers himself for this procedure in hopes that he will be able to shorten his sentence. One lingering question remains: Is it moral to force people to become good?
0 Comments
A clockwork orange by anthony burgess
Our Narrator, Alex, has been giving in to his usual bouts of ultraviolence and terrorism. Instead of going to school, he tricked his parents into believing he was ill. During his stay at home, his Post-Corrective adviser, P.R. Deltoid paid him a visit. Mr. Deltoid got wind of the home invasion, rape, mugging, and drug store robbery of the previous evening and got on Alex's case about it, assuming (rightfully) that it was he who did it. Alex quickly eased Mr. Deltoid's suspicions and pushed him from his home. After this little surprise visit, Alex went to a record store to purchase Beethoven's 9th Symphony. As he was there shopping around, he met two very young girls whom he invited to his home to listen to music. However, their afternoon of listening to music was quickly interrupted by Alex's insatiable and violent lust. After his heinous deed, he sent the girls from his home and he got dressed and ready to go out with his droogs for another evening of horrible excursions. Georgie and Dim both began to question Alex's authority by suggesting a larger, more daring looting, where they would rob and ransack a very expensive house. Seeing that our narrator's ideas of small muggings were being diminished and overshadowed by Dim's who was now guiding the group, Alex had a scuffle with him and cut him deeply in a small fight. With Alex now in charge, they went to the mansion and forced their way in. The three others remained outside while Alex went in and assaulted the strong female occupant. She had already called the police before they broke in so the looting was very time sensitive. By the time the police had arrived, Pete and Georgie had ran away. Dim stayed behind to prevent Alex from leaving the house by blinding him with a solid smack across the face with his chain. Alex was arrested and the other three got away. A clockwork orange by anthony burgessCome and get one in the yarbles, if ya have any yarbles, you eunuch jelly thou! I have read dystopian novels before such as The Half-Made World, Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and books of the like. A Clockwork Orange definitely stands out to me as being the most unique dystopian book I have ever read. Beyond that, it may be thee most unique book that I have ever read. Set in future London, this story follows a young boy and his three gang members or friends. Within the first few chapters of the book, these four gangsters have terrorized, attacked, maimed, beaten, raped, and mugged loads of people on their voluntary drug induced rampage. These first chapters were of a single hectic and nefarious evening. When Alex finally retires for the night, he walks home and blasts classical music very loudly until he could finally drift off. His description of the sound was quite lucid and emotionally detailed. While he listens to music, he recounts his adventures and wrongdoings of the night. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h_Bc6yL-0ApeblLqNMoN56zdOh7FqUihaTYAQNhh1SM/edit Smithsonian By Brigit Katz SMITHSONIAN.COM MARCH 7, 2018 3:39PM Recently, the United States Of America revoked the ban on bringing back some Elephant and Lion hunting trophies. When Obama was still in office, a complete ban was placed on bringing hunting trophies to the US. Currently, the ban is lifted which allows certain Elephant and Lion trophies to come back. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) used to have a ban on bringing hunting trophies into the United States from other nations. This is, until November of 2017. Despite Ms. Donald Trump being on board with the ban to stay in place per suggestion of President Obama, it was still lifted without any of his influence. In December of 2017, Obama's ban was reviewed by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals which found that there were flaws in the ban. The ban was morally intact, yet poorly conceived. When it was created, it was done improperly and missed a few minor or major regulations. It was not executed according to proper procedure either. The Safari Club International (SCI) and National Rifle Association (NRA) are most responsible for the riddance of the ban. They filed a lawsuit which identified the flaws in the way the Obama administration had set the ban up initially. With that, they were the main cause of its downfall. The ban was originally implemented under the Obama administration in order to protect endangered animals around the globe. Not being able to bring trophies back to the US was theorized to deter American huntsmen from slaughtering wild animals. Most of west Africa's wildlife is being plundered by poachers for their value. To help indirectly combat this, the United States brought their value down through the ban. Why hunt something you can not take home with you? At least that was the general idea until last November. In 2017, the ban was quietly upheaved and now permits 'certain cases' of animal trophies to be brought back into the States. I personally feel like the ban should stay in place because of its environmental benefits. Slaughtering animals for food is alright, but for sport is morally incorrect in my eyes. If the ban were to stay in place, I feel more progress could be made on reviving endangered species. I will comment on Angeline and Jeremy's blog posts. https://angelinesr2020.weebly.com/current-events-blog , https://jong2020.weebly.com/blog Katz, Brigit. “U.S. Lifts Ban on the Import of African Elephant Trophies.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 Mar. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-lifts-ban-import-african-elephant-trophies-180968415/.
Nuwer, Rachel. “U.S. Lifts Ban on Some Elephant and Lion Trophies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2018,www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/science/trump-elephant-trophy-hunting.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=D82A5759D6483BE5AA98AF5E3C41FD92&gwt=pay. Without spoilers, Robert Langdon rectified the issue of the novel and there was a sort of unexpected twist, but in the end it all made sense. I really did not see the twist coming at the end and when it did, it took me by great surprise. It was surprising, but it all stayed within the realm of possibility in the book. It made the book much better and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes plot-twists. In a sequel, Robert Langdon would be on his own as his stories usually start out. Someone would represent a higher order organization in need of assistance and Langdon would oblige. Instead of writing a sequel, I think it would be very interesting if Dan Brown wrote a book about someone reading his books. The impact his books leave on their readers is definitely a prominent one and since his books have a theme of having the antagonist be a religious zealot, I wonder what a real life zealot would think after reading his books. A book about this is easy to imagine him writing. Maybe in a story where a devout religious person comes across his books, the person would attempt to hunt down the real Dan Brown in a Robert Langdon style of story. His books are mysterious and historically informative. There are always clues and enigmas and puzzles for the protagonist to solve in order to reach their goal. In a spin-off, all these major themes would be included most certainly.
I will comment on Sydney Lorton's and Samantha Rivera's DPs. At the moment in my book, the main characters Professor Robert Langdon and Queen Consort Ambra Vidal are on a private jet to Barcelona to get into the house of futurist Edmond Kirsch whom was recently assassinated. In order to release his new discovery, they must find a password in his house. I would befriend Mr. Langdon because of our mutual love and knowledge of religious iconography, art, theology, and history. I would also get along well with the futurists in the novel because I am passionate about they topics they refer to. I really love critical thinking and participating in events like the ones mentioned in the books. I would struggle to get along with the Bishops and Rabbis
Book: Origin by Dan Brown The main character, Robert Langdon, was in attendance at a conference that his billionaire friend was hosting. In order to set up the event and speech in the Guggenheim museum, Edmond had to work closely with the museum director who also happened to be the fiance of the Prince of Spain. Edmond and Robert are close friends because Robert used to teach Edmond at Harvard. During the speech, Edmond was assassinated by an ex admiral of the Spanish navy. Robert Langdon ran away with the museum director in order to find safety and to eventually carry out Edmond's final wishes. The assassination heavily implicates the Prince who may have been jealous of Edmond for spending more time with his fiance than the future husband was. Advice I'd give the main characters is to find shelter and stay away from royal guards because the prince is probably the one who is attempting to murder people who bother him.
I will comment on Sydney's and Sam's DP blog. Book: Origin By Dan Brown So far, the main character, Robert Langdon, was invited to a gigantic gathering of scientists, celebrities, innovators, and futurists. It's a black tie event that takes place in the guggenheim museum in bilbao spain. What we know as an audience, is that the billionaire host plans to use the party to unveil a new ground breaking discovery that will shake and rattle the very foundations of all religions across the world. Our billionaire host is a sworn atheist and is against all teachings of spirituality. We anticipate that his discovery has something to do with the creation of the universe in a scientific light. There is a devout catholic who has secretly gained access to the party and one could only assume his nefarious intent. I predict that the large part of the book will be about people attempting to control the information our host would release or to harm him. I also imagine there will be a large code that Robert Langdon will have to solve in order to help his friend.
I will comment on Sydney's DP and Sam's DP. The New York Times January 5th, 2018 "North Korea's Overture Raises Hope, but Huge Obstacles Loom" Article By Choe Sang-Hun The article is about the recent attempts to increase communication across the Korean peninsula. A meeting was arranged for the first time in two years, between the two vastly different nations. This renewal of communication across the border is a momentous movement for the Korean countries as they deescalate the tensions against each other.. On New Year's day, North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-Un, announced a proposition to further tighten the fissure between the North and South, which the South was elated to receive and accede. This was a great leap forward for the socialist nation of the secluded Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to finally emerge from isolation. South Korea recognized the North's proposal as a solid chance to negotiate and perhaps move the two opposing forces from a spectrum of aggression. Some speculate that the proposition to negotiate had come from the pressure and severity of shortages in the DPRK. It is possible sanctions began to weigh in. Additional pressure for the North manifested in a statement from Washington D.C. which urges vessels to intercept fuel ships en route to the upper Korean peninsula. Days after Kim Jong-Un's proposal, South Korean representatives under advisement from President Moon Jae-In, phoned the North to arrange a meeting in the border town of Panmunjom. This reopened contact is a major breakthrough into strengthening the tattered ties the countries share. Peace talks are occurring there through a newly opened phone hotline between the countries. There is still however an issue due to the South's powerful and aggressive ally the United States which stands radically opposed to North Korea. This occurred in Panmunjom, the meeting area that interrupts the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018. The necessity of the peace talks became more prominent as North Korean began to strain under the sanctions that were instated upon them from the United Nations. As well as the Nation's shortages, the unyielding tension between North and South have been higher than ever. The DPRK would have a major tactical disadvantage in the event of any conflict due to their usual state of isolation. South Korea has powerful allies such as the United States behind them, all the while pressuring North Korea with cutting off supplies and militaristic threats. In 1950, North Korea invaded the South in order to take control of the peninsula; this was known as the Korean War. Their attempt failed and an armistice was signed declaring a ceasefire - never a peace treaty or agreement between them. Technically, the Korean War has not officially ended which only strains their political discourse. In order to ease and hopefully mend the issues of war threats, resource shortages, and international pressure, North Korea acquiesced to the suggestion of a more open communication within the peninsula. In my eyes, assenting to opening communications with their sister country is an intelligent and advantageous decision for the People's Republic. Far too long have the nations been at odds with each other with minimal attempts at peaceful socialization. The talks would be not only beneficial to the two occupants of the peninsula, but beneficial to peace around the globe. There remain large obstacles to hurdle before tension and war-like ideology is abolished, especially since the North Korean nuclear program has been rapidly advancing and posing a threat to world-wide stability. These obstacles would be considered later; the initial focus must be on their first line of communication in two years and to not spoil this opportunity. I feel that steadying the DPRK through their nuclear disarmament and augmentation of nationalist values could be within the near future which would warrant even more friendly international relations. I will comment on Angeline's and Jeremy's blog posts
|
Author D. Antonio Díaz Archives
June 2018
Categories |