The story begins through a narrator who introduces Gilgamesh, the creator of Uruk and peace keeper of Anu and Ishtar. “This is Uruk, the city of Gilgamesh the wild Ox, son of Lugalbanda, son of the lady Wildcow Ninsun” –Pg. 3-4. Aururu the mother and creator of Gilgamesh is asked by Uruk’s old men to create an equal to the ruler Gilgamesh. This is how Enkidu comes to life. In these first paragraphs, one can appreciate the belief in polytheism of the setting of the story since it mentions several gods such as Ninuarta, the god of war and Sumuqan, the god of cattle. The story then takes the reader to the story of a hunter who can’t get to his prey because of Enkidu, who helps the gazelles get out of the hunter’s traps. “The wild man set’s them free. Because of him I am no longer a hunter.” -Pg. 6. The hunter seeks Gilgamesh’s help, who sends back with him a temple prostitute who seduces him to leave the animals and go to Uruk and challenge Gilgamesh. “ ‘It is I, Enkidu. The strength of the wild man born in the wilderness cannot be withstood.’ ” -Pg. 9. Gilgamesh then describes a dream to his mother Ninsun, who answers that a person who will arrive is going to protect him. “He will protect and guard you with his life. This is the fortunate meaning of your dream.” Pg. 11.
Enkidu arrives at Uruk for Gilgamesh’s wedding and they fight making great noise through Uruk but they finally stop fighting amongst equals and start embracing, kissing and holding hands. They join fronts and head to the cedar forest against Huwawa, the king of the forest. “ how it is Gilgamesh will kill Huwawa, and cut the cedar down and win the glory.” -Pg. 19 Ninsun feels frightened of this idea as she describes Huwawa. “ ‘Why have you given my son a restless heart? No one has ever undergone the journey that he will undergo. Huwawa’s mouth is fire.” –Pg. 20 The whole city gives them it’s love and best wishes. Ninsun adopts Enkidu as her son and both Ishmael and Enkidu depart for the journey of their lives.
It is very interesting how there are no paragraphs in this book which has changed all my ideas of ancient epic drama. I look forward for the next tablet of this story which promises life lessons, and entertainment.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Give to Recieve
After the previous chapter, the narrator’s new task is to teach all of what he extracted out of Ishmael's knowledge. In the context of the story there is another task for our narrator, one which is not given by Ishmael. The narrator has to get Ishmael out of that cage. The last chapter is dedicated to this task, resulting in the narrator's plan of rescuing Ishmael by getting together all of the money he can (which isn’t much more than two thousand dollars) to buy Ishmael from the owner and renting a van to take him home. The narrator shows his lack of confidence when he talks about how he is going to take him out of there. “As this indicates, I’m a one-step-at-a-time kind of guy. An improviser.” –Pg. 259
When the narrator arrives at the place where Ishmael was, he finds no circus but some papers and blankets which belong to Ishmael. He also finds an old man who he bribed some chapters ago. He informs the narrator that Ishmael is dead. “It was the pneumonia that got him – your friend the ape.” –Pg. 260. At the end of this chapter the narrator describes the poster which he had seen the first time he went in to Ishmael’s office. “The message on one side is the one Ishmael displayed on the wall of his den: With man gone, will there be hope for gorilla? The message on the other side reads: With gorilla gone, will there be hope for man?” With this message the author ends his book which can be interpreted by showing the connection and importance of each species in the survival of the others. It can also be seen as a personal example of the life of Ishmael, who always lived in two worlds, the gorilla world and the human world. It is also a final message for the reader to contribute to society, to give Ishmael’s message, to give knowledge to receive greatness.
Here ends a book that leaves a message for a greater world, a book that transforms us, makes us grow, and shows us the right way.
When the narrator arrives at the place where Ishmael was, he finds no circus but some papers and blankets which belong to Ishmael. He also finds an old man who he bribed some chapters ago. He informs the narrator that Ishmael is dead. “It was the pneumonia that got him – your friend the ape.” –Pg. 260. At the end of this chapter the narrator describes the poster which he had seen the first time he went in to Ishmael’s office. “The message on one side is the one Ishmael displayed on the wall of his den: With man gone, will there be hope for gorilla? The message on the other side reads: With gorilla gone, will there be hope for man?” With this message the author ends his book which can be interpreted by showing the connection and importance of each species in the survival of the others. It can also be seen as a personal example of the life of Ishmael, who always lived in two worlds, the gorilla world and the human world. It is also a final message for the reader to contribute to society, to give Ishmael’s message, to give knowledge to receive greatness.
Here ends a book that leaves a message for a greater world, a book that transforms us, makes us grow, and shows us the right way.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
OWL Sentence Fragment Excercises #1
The sentences below appeared in papers written by students. Act as their editor, marking a C if the sentences in the group are all complete and an F if any of the sentences in the group is a fragment. Could you tell these writers why the fragments are incomplete sentences?
__F__ 1. Then I attended Morris Junior High. A junior high that was a bad experience.
__F__ 2. The scene was filled with beauty. Such as the sun sending its brilliant rays to the earth and the leaves of various shades of red, yellow, and brown moving slowly in the wind.
__C__ 3. He talked for fifty minutes without taking his eyes off his notes. Like other teachers in that department, he did not encourage students' questions.
__F__ 4. Within each group, a wide range of features to choose from. It was difficult to distinguish between them.
__C__ 5. A few of the less serious fellows would go into a bar for a steak dinner and a few glasses of beer. After this meal, they were ready for anything.
__C__ 6. It can be really embarrassing to be so emotional. Especially when you are on your first date, you feel that you should be in control.
__F__ 7. The magazine has a reputation for a sophisticated, prestigious, and elite group of readers. Although that is a value judgment and in circumstances not a true premise.
__F__ 8. In the seventh grade every young boy goes out for football. To prove to himself and his parents that he is a man.
__F__ 9. She opened the door and let us into her home. Not realizing at the time that we would never enter that door in her home again.
__C__10. As Christmas grows near, I find myself looking back into my childhood days at fun-filled times of snowball fights. To think about this makes me happy.
__F__11. Making up his mind quickly. Jim ordered two dozen red roses for his wife. Hoping she would accept his apology.
__F__12. They were all having a good time. Until one of Joe's oldest and best friends had a little too much to drink.
__F__13. Although it only attained a speed of about twelve miles an hour. My old rowboat with its three-horsepower motor seemed like a high-speed job to me.
__C__14. With my brother standing by my side, I reached for the pot handle. Tilting the pot way too much caused the boiling water to spill.
__F__15. The small, one-story houses are all the same size and style. With no difference except the color.
__F__16. Being a friend of mine like he was when we first joined the soccer team. Together we learned a lot.
Questions taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_fragEX1.html
__F__ 1. Then I attended Morris Junior High. A junior high that was a bad experience.
__F__ 2. The scene was filled with beauty. Such as the sun sending its brilliant rays to the earth and the leaves of various shades of red, yellow, and brown moving slowly in the wind.
__C__ 3. He talked for fifty minutes without taking his eyes off his notes. Like other teachers in that department, he did not encourage students' questions.
__F__ 4. Within each group, a wide range of features to choose from. It was difficult to distinguish between them.
__C__ 5. A few of the less serious fellows would go into a bar for a steak dinner and a few glasses of beer. After this meal, they were ready for anything.
__C__ 6. It can be really embarrassing to be so emotional. Especially when you are on your first date, you feel that you should be in control.
__F__ 7. The magazine has a reputation for a sophisticated, prestigious, and elite group of readers. Although that is a value judgment and in circumstances not a true premise.
__F__ 8. In the seventh grade every young boy goes out for football. To prove to himself and his parents that he is a man.
__F__ 9. She opened the door and let us into her home. Not realizing at the time that we would never enter that door in her home again.
__C__10. As Christmas grows near, I find myself looking back into my childhood days at fun-filled times of snowball fights. To think about this makes me happy.
__F__11. Making up his mind quickly. Jim ordered two dozen red roses for his wife. Hoping she would accept his apology.
__F__12. They were all having a good time. Until one of Joe's oldest and best friends had a little too much to drink.
__F__13. Although it only attained a speed of about twelve miles an hour. My old rowboat with its three-horsepower motor seemed like a high-speed job to me.
__C__14. With my brother standing by my side, I reached for the pot handle. Tilting the pot way too much caused the boiling water to spill.
__F__15. The small, one-story houses are all the same size and style. With no difference except the color.
__F__16. Being a friend of mine like he was when we first joined the soccer team. Together we learned a lot.
Questions taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_fragEX1.html
Civilization: The Leaver Way
In this chapter, both characters, the narrator and Ishmael share great ideas in their conversation. For example, because leavers live by the hands of the gods, they live in accordance to evolution. “Because they’re in a position to evolve. Because that’s where evolution takes place. Pre-man evolved into early man because he was out there competing with all the rest. Pre-man evolved into early man because he didn’t take himself out of the competition, because he was still in the place where natural selection is going on.” Ishmael–Pg. 238 Instead Takers are in a position in which they can’t compete because there is no competition for them (since they destroy every species before it becomes dangerous) resulting in no evolution at all. Since we take the roles of the gods there isn’t anywhere we can grow to.
Their conversation then leads to both Taker and Leaver premises. The first says that man was made to rule the world, on the other hand, the second one points out that man belongs to the world as any other species does. If you apply the leaver premise you receive evolution, otherwise you receive destruction. The narrator tries to show this idea in a short and concrete way by applying Adam’s story. “And there are two trees in the garden, one for the gods and one for us. The one for them is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the one for us is the Tree of Life. But we can only find the Tree of Life if we stay in the garden – and we can only stay in the garden if we keep our hand’s off of god’s tree.” –Pg. 241
Both the narrator and the reader ask themselves a question at this point of the conversation, if we want to follow the Leaver way of life does that mean we have to give up our way of life and become uncivilized? Ishmael has an interesting answer to this question in which he explains that one doesn’t have to be a herder-gatherer to be a Leaver. “As I pointed some time ago, human settlement isn’t against the law, it’s subject to the law – and the same is true of civilization.” Pg. 246 What Ishmael shows in a perfect way is that one can be an agriculturalist and by following the peace keeping law one evolves and instead of destroying the habitat you help it grow.
The narrator now asks what he and the reader are supposed to do with the information as Ishmael shows there isn’t much more to teach. He explains to the narrator that he should teach this information to the world through words which are the narrator’s profession. He is very pessimistic about the idea of teaching what he got from Ishmael but ideas we always thought impossible became true one way or another. This is the way the chapter ends and I look forward to reading the last chapter of this amazing book. It completely satisfies and exceeds it’s goal to teach the reader another way to see the world, another way to live life on the planet earth: the leaver way to a harmonious, evolving and ethical civilization.
Their conversation then leads to both Taker and Leaver premises. The first says that man was made to rule the world, on the other hand, the second one points out that man belongs to the world as any other species does. If you apply the leaver premise you receive evolution, otherwise you receive destruction. The narrator tries to show this idea in a short and concrete way by applying Adam’s story. “And there are two trees in the garden, one for the gods and one for us. The one for them is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the one for us is the Tree of Life. But we can only find the Tree of Life if we stay in the garden – and we can only stay in the garden if we keep our hand’s off of god’s tree.” –Pg. 241
Both the narrator and the reader ask themselves a question at this point of the conversation, if we want to follow the Leaver way of life does that mean we have to give up our way of life and become uncivilized? Ishmael has an interesting answer to this question in which he explains that one doesn’t have to be a herder-gatherer to be a Leaver. “As I pointed some time ago, human settlement isn’t against the law, it’s subject to the law – and the same is true of civilization.” Pg. 246 What Ishmael shows in a perfect way is that one can be an agriculturalist and by following the peace keeping law one evolves and instead of destroying the habitat you help it grow.
The narrator now asks what he and the reader are supposed to do with the information as Ishmael shows there isn’t much more to teach. He explains to the narrator that he should teach this information to the world through words which are the narrator’s profession. He is very pessimistic about the idea of teaching what he got from Ishmael but ideas we always thought impossible became true one way or another. This is the way the chapter ends and I look forward to reading the last chapter of this amazing book. It completely satisfies and exceeds it’s goal to teach the reader another way to see the world, another way to live life on the planet earth: the leaver way to a harmonious, evolving and ethical civilization.
Michelle Obama's Speech
By The Associated Press – 1 day ago
Prepared remarks of Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, for her address to the Democratic National Convention. On Monday night in Denver as released by the Obama campaign:
OBAMA, As you might imagine, for Barack running for president is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother Craig.
I can't tell you how much it means to have Craig and my mom here tonight. Like Craig, I can feel my dad looking down on us, just as I've felt his presence in every grace-filled moment of my life.
At six-foot-six, I've often felt like Craig was looking down on me too - literally. But the truth is, both when we were kids and today, he wasn't looking down on me — he was watching over me.
And he's been there for me every step of the way since that clear February day 19 months ago, when — with little more than our faith in each other and a hunger for change — we joined my husband, Barack Obama, on the improbable journey that's brought us to this moment.
But each of us also comes here tonight by way of our own improbable journey.
I come here, tonight, as a sister blessed with a brother who is my mentor, my protector and my lifelong friend.
I come here as a wife who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president.
I come here as a Mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world — they're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. Their future — and all our children's future — is my stake in this election.
And I come here as a daughter — raised on the south side of Chicago by a father who was a blue collar city worker, and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.
My Dad was our rock. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion, our hero. As he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. But if he was in pain, he never let on. He never stopped smiling and laughing — even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my mom a kiss. He just woke up a little earlier, and worked a little harder.
He and my mom poured, everything they had into me and Craig. It was the greatest gift a child can receive: never doubting for a single minute that you're loved, and cherished and have a place in this world. And thanks to their faith and hard work we both were able to go on to college. So I know firsthand from their lives — and mine — that the American dream endures.
And you know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name, even though he'd grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, his family was so much like mine. He was raised by grandparents who were working class folks just like my parents, and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did. Like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities they never had themselves. And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them.
And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
And as our friendship grew, and I learned more about Barack, he introduced me to the work he'd done when he first moved to Chicago after college. Instead of heading to wall street, Barack had gone to work in neighborhoods devastated when steel plants shut down, and jobs dried up. And he'd been invited back to speak to people from those neighborhoods about how to rebuild their community.
The people gathered together that day were ordinary folks doing the best they could to build a good life. They were parents living paycheck to paycheck; grandparents trying to get by on a fixed income; men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after their jobs disappeared. Those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. They were ready to work — they wanted to contribute. They believed — like you and I believe — that America should be a place where you can make it if you try.
Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is — even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us, that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves — to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls in town squares and high school gyms — people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had — refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.
It is because of their will and determination that this week, we celebrate two anniversaries: the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote, and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when Dr. King lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation.
Prepared remarks of Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, for her address to the Democratic National Convention. On Monday night in Denver as released by the Obama campaign:
OBAMA, As you might imagine, for Barack running for president is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother Craig.
I can't tell you how much it means to have Craig and my mom here tonight. Like Craig, I can feel my dad looking down on us, just as I've felt his presence in every grace-filled moment of my life.
At six-foot-six, I've often felt like Craig was looking down on me too - literally. But the truth is, both when we were kids and today, he wasn't looking down on me — he was watching over me.
And he's been there for me every step of the way since that clear February day 19 months ago, when — with little more than our faith in each other and a hunger for change — we joined my husband, Barack Obama, on the improbable journey that's brought us to this moment.
But each of us also comes here tonight by way of our own improbable journey.
I come here, tonight, as a sister blessed with a brother who is my mentor, my protector and my lifelong friend.
I come here as a wife who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president.
I come here as a Mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world — they're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. Their future — and all our children's future — is my stake in this election.
And I come here as a daughter — raised on the south side of Chicago by a father who was a blue collar city worker, and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.
My Dad was our rock. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion, our hero. As he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. But if he was in pain, he never let on. He never stopped smiling and laughing — even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my mom a kiss. He just woke up a little earlier, and worked a little harder.
He and my mom poured, everything they had into me and Craig. It was the greatest gift a child can receive: never doubting for a single minute that you're loved, and cherished and have a place in this world. And thanks to their faith and hard work we both were able to go on to college. So I know firsthand from their lives — and mine — that the American dream endures.
And you know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name, even though he'd grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, his family was so much like mine. He was raised by grandparents who were working class folks just like my parents, and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did. Like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities they never had themselves. And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them.
And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
And as our friendship grew, and I learned more about Barack, he introduced me to the work he'd done when he first moved to Chicago after college. Instead of heading to wall street, Barack had gone to work in neighborhoods devastated when steel plants shut down, and jobs dried up. And he'd been invited back to speak to people from those neighborhoods about how to rebuild their community.
The people gathered together that day were ordinary folks doing the best they could to build a good life. They were parents living paycheck to paycheck; grandparents trying to get by on a fixed income; men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after their jobs disappeared. Those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. They were ready to work — they wanted to contribute. They believed — like you and I believe — that America should be a place where you can make it if you try.
Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is — even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us, that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves — to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls in town squares and high school gyms — people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had — refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.
It is because of their will and determination that this week, we celebrate two anniversaries: the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote, and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when Dr. King lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Revolution for Power
In chapter eleven there’s a deep and special conversation between Ishmael and the narrator. Ishmael, who is still at the circus begins the conversation by asking his student why he wanted to know the other story that was being enacted, the leaver story. He first answered that he was curious about their story but Ishmael, who wasn’t in a good mood said it wasn’t enough. The narrator finally finds out what Ishmael was looking for. “They failed because you can’t just stop being in a story, you have to have another story to be in.” –Pg. 214 You are always doing, thinking and acting which gives you a story.
Ishmael then begins the Leaver story through a set of questions in which he asks the narrator if he would like to live as a leaver before the industrial revolution. The narrator answers he wouldn’t but really doesn’t have much of an answer other than it wasn’t a good life. Ishmael looks for him to understand it through an example of the plain Indians, who already being agriculturalists, accepted going back to the gathering-herding way of life after the Spanish brought horses to America. With this example he answered that mother culture said these people were naïve for choosing that detestable way of life. The narrator is confused about where they are heading to, so Ishmael gives him an idea of what they are going to get at. “We’re on our way to discovering what lies at the very root of your fear and loathing of the Leaver life. We’re on our way to discovering why you feel you must carry the revolution forward even if it destroys you and the entire world. We’re on our way to discovering what you’re revolution was a revolution against.” -Pg.217
Ishmael states from the point that many of our modern Taker civilization live in poor conditions, similar to those of a jail with nothing to do or go. He asks our narrator if one of this people would live as a Leaver with their herding-gathering way of living. He answers they wouldn’t which Ishmael agrees with. “Takers believe in their revolution, even when they enjoy none of the benefits.” –Pg. 218 Ishmael asks his student to picture how this life would be. The picture our narrator gets is of a person totally focused and dedicated to gathering food. Ishmael totally contradicts this idea by showing him this is only what mother culture shows us to believe.
The next step of their trip to Leaver life is a simulation of Ishmael being a Leaver and the narrator being a Taker who is trying to convince the Leaver to not live in this way of life. Basically what happens is that the Taker tries to show that if food is scarce the Leavers won’t survive because they never harvested food to store for this situation. “You die because you are at the mercy of the gods. You die because you think the gods are going to look after you.” –Pg. 225 It basically shows that they totally depend on what the gods want for them, which is totally normal for Ishmael. Instead the Takers have plans and take control from the gods for their own good. “You should trust yourselves with your lives. That’s the human way to live.” –Pg. 225
Now knowing this they come up with new names. “The Takers are those who know good and evil, and the Leavers are…? The Leavers are those who live in the hands of the gods.” –Pg. 229 This is why we Takers fear living like the Leavers, because we want and seek control.
I hope to see in the following chapters how their conversations go to. I would like to see how Ishmael put’s all of these concepts together and how the story develops and how we can live more consciously.
Ishmael then begins the Leaver story through a set of questions in which he asks the narrator if he would like to live as a leaver before the industrial revolution. The narrator answers he wouldn’t but really doesn’t have much of an answer other than it wasn’t a good life. Ishmael looks for him to understand it through an example of the plain Indians, who already being agriculturalists, accepted going back to the gathering-herding way of life after the Spanish brought horses to America. With this example he answered that mother culture said these people were naïve for choosing that detestable way of life. The narrator is confused about where they are heading to, so Ishmael gives him an idea of what they are going to get at. “We’re on our way to discovering what lies at the very root of your fear and loathing of the Leaver life. We’re on our way to discovering why you feel you must carry the revolution forward even if it destroys you and the entire world. We’re on our way to discovering what you’re revolution was a revolution against.” -Pg.217
Ishmael states from the point that many of our modern Taker civilization live in poor conditions, similar to those of a jail with nothing to do or go. He asks our narrator if one of this people would live as a Leaver with their herding-gathering way of living. He answers they wouldn’t which Ishmael agrees with. “Takers believe in their revolution, even when they enjoy none of the benefits.” –Pg. 218 Ishmael asks his student to picture how this life would be. The picture our narrator gets is of a person totally focused and dedicated to gathering food. Ishmael totally contradicts this idea by showing him this is only what mother culture shows us to believe.
The next step of their trip to Leaver life is a simulation of Ishmael being a Leaver and the narrator being a Taker who is trying to convince the Leaver to not live in this way of life. Basically what happens is that the Taker tries to show that if food is scarce the Leavers won’t survive because they never harvested food to store for this situation. “You die because you are at the mercy of the gods. You die because you think the gods are going to look after you.” –Pg. 225 It basically shows that they totally depend on what the gods want for them, which is totally normal for Ishmael. Instead the Takers have plans and take control from the gods for their own good. “You should trust yourselves with your lives. That’s the human way to live.” –Pg. 225
Now knowing this they come up with new names. “The Takers are those who know good and evil, and the Leavers are…? The Leavers are those who live in the hands of the gods.” –Pg. 229 This is why we Takers fear living like the Leavers, because we want and seek control.
I hope to see in the following chapters how their conversations go to. I would like to see how Ishmael put’s all of these concepts together and how the story develops and how we can live more consciously.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What Works Well
At the beginning of chapter ten, the narrator explains he has been busy with a family visit, a job with a close due date and a dental problem. When our narrator gets back to the office where he and Ishmael have shared their deep conversations, he finds out from a janitor who is locking the office that Ishmael has been evicted. This changes the setting and the pace of the story completely.
The narrator’s search for Ishmael begins with the secretary of the building, who doesn’t reveal much information on whom or what got Ishmael out of office. He then searches the directory for information on the Sokolows’ who first rescued Ishmael from the menagerie. He didn’t have a match with the direct protector of Ishmael but he got in contact with a personal assistant or butler of Mr. Sokolow’s wife. This employee informs him that Mrs. Sokolow’s daughter had died three months ago and that he knew nothing else about Ishmael’s whereabouts. So he had to start the search all over again. He hoped to get a message through a personal ad in the newspaper to see if someone would call but as that didn’t work out, he investigated where they could possibly take a gorilla. He was finally enlightened and got in contact with a sort of moving circus which was north of where he lived. He found Ishmael in a cage at the circus.
As he began speaking with Ishmael it was clear that he didn’t want to talk. After giving Ishmael some space and doing lots of thinking, he returns and get’s Ishmael to talk again. They have an interesting conversation about what a culture is and they finally came up with the idea that a culture is information of what is useful passed on from generation to generation. “It’s the sum of what is passed along, of course, not just information and techniques. It’s beliefs, assumptions, theories, customs, legends, songs, stories, dances, jokes, superstitions, prejudices, tastes, attitudes. Everything” -Pg. 199
Then they specified the idea to what is useful and not to each type of living: the taker and leaver ways. In what has to do with the takers, the useful information one can find is recent. It doesn’t have to do much with old civilizations. “What I mean is that the people of your culture thought that man was born one of you. It was assumed that farming is as instinctive to man as honey production is to bees.” –Pg. 201 “In short, ancient customs are nice for institutions, ceremonies, and holidays, but takers don’t want to adopt them for everyday living.” –Pg. 202 One can also say that taker “useful information” has to do with production since we are in an expanding civilization searching for food to satisfy our increased population. “Anything related to production was definitely saved. And that’s how things came to be this way.” –Pg. 203
On the other hand, leaver people aren’t only searching for what is productive but what is valuable for them depending on their location, habitat and food preferences. “I’d say it comes to what works well for them.” –Pg. 203 It is also very interesting how the narrator and Ishmael conclude that each leaver culture is different from one another. In my personal opinion, I believe this is very valid since distant cultures have developed different physical and physiological differences depending on what they have and what they do.
I look forward to what Ishmael has to say and how this story is going to develop in the circus. Will Ishmael move with the narrator?
The narrator’s search for Ishmael begins with the secretary of the building, who doesn’t reveal much information on whom or what got Ishmael out of office. He then searches the directory for information on the Sokolows’ who first rescued Ishmael from the menagerie. He didn’t have a match with the direct protector of Ishmael but he got in contact with a personal assistant or butler of Mr. Sokolow’s wife. This employee informs him that Mrs. Sokolow’s daughter had died three months ago and that he knew nothing else about Ishmael’s whereabouts. So he had to start the search all over again. He hoped to get a message through a personal ad in the newspaper to see if someone would call but as that didn’t work out, he investigated where they could possibly take a gorilla. He was finally enlightened and got in contact with a sort of moving circus which was north of where he lived. He found Ishmael in a cage at the circus.
As he began speaking with Ishmael it was clear that he didn’t want to talk. After giving Ishmael some space and doing lots of thinking, he returns and get’s Ishmael to talk again. They have an interesting conversation about what a culture is and they finally came up with the idea that a culture is information of what is useful passed on from generation to generation. “It’s the sum of what is passed along, of course, not just information and techniques. It’s beliefs, assumptions, theories, customs, legends, songs, stories, dances, jokes, superstitions, prejudices, tastes, attitudes. Everything” -Pg. 199
Then they specified the idea to what is useful and not to each type of living: the taker and leaver ways. In what has to do with the takers, the useful information one can find is recent. It doesn’t have to do much with old civilizations. “What I mean is that the people of your culture thought that man was born one of you. It was assumed that farming is as instinctive to man as honey production is to bees.” –Pg. 201 “In short, ancient customs are nice for institutions, ceremonies, and holidays, but takers don’t want to adopt them for everyday living.” –Pg. 202 One can also say that taker “useful information” has to do with production since we are in an expanding civilization searching for food to satisfy our increased population. “Anything related to production was definitely saved. And that’s how things came to be this way.” –Pg. 203
On the other hand, leaver people aren’t only searching for what is productive but what is valuable for them depending on their location, habitat and food preferences. “I’d say it comes to what works well for them.” –Pg. 203 It is also very interesting how the narrator and Ishmael conclude that each leaver culture is different from one another. In my personal opinion, I believe this is very valid since distant cultures have developed different physical and physiological differences depending on what they have and what they do.
I look forward to what Ishmael has to say and how this story is going to develop in the circus. Will Ishmael move with the narrator?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A Life Lesson
Reading "Ishmael" opens a whole new world of perceptions and concepts, even if your teacher is a gorilla, he has amazing credibility and wisdom. Every time a teacher, a parent, a friend or any member of your social circle points out a problem you have in your life; they seem to be saying that the only responsible one and the only one to whom this issue will affect and apply is you. Instead "Ishmael" is that type of book which opens other possibilities, showing that from and where society has come to, is humanities superiority complex's fault and it is society's responsibility to find a solution as a whole. One thing is to know a law of aerodynamics and something completely different is to believe a law. Ishmael takes the concepts of laws to apply them to your own life. "Every law has effects or it wouldn't be discoverable as a law." -Pg. 103
Society's intense media teaches, convinces and makes us to believe that we are the greatest creation on the planet because we have literature and history and all kinds of man-made excuses for our fallacies and self-absorption which "Ishmael" is devoted to uncover and show. "Even if man's home was stuck off in the boondocks, they could still believe he was the central figure in the drama of creation." -Pg. 103
Daniel Quinn criticizes society's structures and creations because of it's selfishness, narrow views and expansionist plans. "Trial and error isn't a bad way to learn how to build a aircraft, but it is a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization." -Pg. 103
It is hard to accept that our daily life is based on lies to support our own importance and our domination. This book confronts the basis of what is wrong and right. This book has had a huge effect on what I believe of our own importance and our place in comparison to other species. It is clear that Ishmael's commitment to the reader is to find a way of life to apply to society's way of expanding in the world so that it doesn't damage itself or others. It would apply to all species. "Those species that do not live in compliance with the law become extinct." -Pg. 103
Quinn gives us a word paradox through the book. "With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?" "With gorilla gone will there be hope for man?" -Pg. 262, 263 It can be interpreted that man will exterminate all other species, the question being, can man survive with no other living being than himself? It can also be seen that humans will end up being swallowed by their own greed as many other world ruling species have, the question being, will the extermination of gorillas be next?
I look forward to reading what Quinn has up his long, deep sleeve. Such a trans formative book has to have a powerful ending. How will "Ishmael" end?
Society's intense media teaches, convinces and makes us to believe that we are the greatest creation on the planet because we have literature and history and all kinds of man-made excuses for our fallacies and self-absorption which "Ishmael" is devoted to uncover and show. "Even if man's home was stuck off in the boondocks, they could still believe he was the central figure in the drama of creation." -Pg. 103
Daniel Quinn criticizes society's structures and creations because of it's selfishness, narrow views and expansionist plans. "Trial and error isn't a bad way to learn how to build a aircraft, but it is a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization." -Pg. 103
It is hard to accept that our daily life is based on lies to support our own importance and our domination. This book confronts the basis of what is wrong and right. This book has had a huge effect on what I believe of our own importance and our place in comparison to other species. It is clear that Ishmael's commitment to the reader is to find a way of life to apply to society's way of expanding in the world so that it doesn't damage itself or others. It would apply to all species. "Those species that do not live in compliance with the law become extinct." -Pg. 103
Quinn gives us a word paradox through the book. "With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?" "With gorilla gone will there be hope for man?" -Pg. 262, 263 It can be interpreted that man will exterminate all other species, the question being, can man survive with no other living being than himself? It can also be seen that humans will end up being swallowed by their own greed as many other world ruling species have, the question being, will the extermination of gorillas be next?
I look forward to reading what Quinn has up his long, deep sleeve. Such a trans formative book has to have a powerful ending. How will "Ishmael" end?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Answers
A. The difference between a blog and a book is mainly that a book is written forever and will never change, you can't correct a spelling mistake or your sentence structure, you can't add to it or take off something you didn't like. Instead in a blog you are constantly changing the information, updating where you're at and even use pictures, video and other tools for supporting your ideas. Blogs adapt to what you're at.
B. Blogs are always adapting to their users. You can now update you're blog by adding a picture from a cell phone and change the layout and appearance of your blog. They're also free and constantly growing. You now can also add search engines, advertisement and videos.
C. You might read a blog for a source of information on an academic project, to know the latest news on technology, sports, gossip, literature, music, movies or on any topic you're interested in.
D. Everything posted on the internet which people can change may not be true but you'll always find some truth in it or at least someones opinion on a topic. Unless you have no idea on the topic you'll always find some way to know if what they're telling you is true or not.
E. If I kept my own blog I would title it on what I'm going to talk about. If I were to keep a blog on my daily life, trips etc. I would title it D'ds blog because of the constantly repeated letter in my name. Instead, if it's topic was Mac it would be titled Everything Mac for Life.
B. Blogs are always adapting to their users. You can now update you're blog by adding a picture from a cell phone and change the layout and appearance of your blog. They're also free and constantly growing. You now can also add search engines, advertisement and videos.
C. You might read a blog for a source of information on an academic project, to know the latest news on technology, sports, gossip, literature, music, movies or on any topic you're interested in.
D. Everything posted on the internet which people can change may not be true but you'll always find some truth in it or at least someones opinion on a topic. Unless you have no idea on the topic you'll always find some way to know if what they're telling you is true or not.
E. If I kept my own blog I would title it on what I'm going to talk about. If I were to keep a blog on my daily life, trips etc. I would title it D'ds blog because of the constantly repeated letter in my name. Instead, if it's topic was Mac it would be titled Everything Mac for Life.
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