Spring 2011 District Assessment

The Grasp of Temptation


Author's Note: This is obviously my response to this spring's district assessment.  I am not particularly my best piece, for the writing process was quick and it was not something I really wanted to write. In it, I respond to temptation primarily, and how humanity must learn to avoid it to maintain to a distinct purpose in life.  The writing prompt didn't have a lot of content to elaborate on as much as I would've liked to, but there was a prominent archetype and occasional symbolism here and there.

Humanity has always faced temptation in several forms since the beginning of creation.  Often thought of as a spiteful persuasion, temptation can change someone’s mindset into the vision of the tempter.  In Jane Yolen’s short story “The Hundredth Dove”, the main character by the name of Hugh found himself wrapped in temptation.  Temptation is a very cunning influence, and it can warp a person’s thought of their true desire.

All humans have emotions and preferences, and almost all of them are different in some way.  When one may find their forte, temptation endeavors to lure them away from it.  At the time that Jesus was on Earth, Satan attempted to tempt him into different things to prove his godliness.  However, Jesus rebuked Satan, exclaiming he would obey His God.  He avoided temptation alone, yet humans do not have the ability to do the same.

Humans become affected everyday by temptation in real life, and it is a key reason why literature includes it too.  As the king’s fowler, Hugh strived so much to succeed at his goal of capturing one hundred doves.  However, the last white dove gave him the most trouble, for he imagined it was speaking to him, influencing him for that matter.  The influence that was made out by the dove was tempting him, which obviously forced him to kill it to succeed with his strive for success.  Although the event with this dove probably was not realistically occurring, Hugh still was experiencing this thought in his mind, and is a plausible reference to the devil and his temptation.  Just like the Bible tells us of Jesus in the desert, “The Hundredth Dove” exemplified how Hugh defeated his temptation, and proceeded to please his King, which may have symbolized the Lord in the short story. 

The short story “The Hundredth Dove” was very clever in including a prominent archetype from the Bible.  “Jesus is Tempted in the Desert” is an incredibly famous story in the Bible, and is completely relevant to the aforementioned story.  In the story from the Bible, Satan tempted Jesus three different times to try to accomplish one task: prove Jesus’ holiness.  Similar to the dove’s ambition, Satan hoped to ­­distract Jesus from his intentions, which were to help people in distinct ways.  After the dove tempted Hugh thrice, he was bewildered as to what he should do.  Eventually he stayed on course, and killed the white dove to eliminate his foe.  Although one of his hundred doves was dead, he still knew that he had met his goal, and that was good enough for him.

 Life is composed of many obstacles and delays, and humans can only do what is possible to fight it and succeed with their will.  As expressed by Hugh in “The Hundredth Dove” and in the Bible, temptation is not easy to overcome.  It takes hard courage and a deep passion in life to conquer it, but it can be done.  Temptation is very strong and influential, yet one can defeat it with devotion alone.

Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb

Author's Note:This is my response to how this art piece inspired me.  When Saint Francis of Assisi is looking down at the skull, questioning himself and his life, many things went through my mind while looking at it.  The thought of death and how we humans can’t escape the notion of it can be intimidating.

Staring down, pondering what will be decided of your fate.  The dark tomb walls stare you down fiercely while you trouble your seemingly worthless mind.  The struggle remains, which is superior between life and death.  There is no escape from death’s grasp pulling you toward the end.  You know it will soon be over.  Many people fear what mortality will bring to them, easily being the most feared concept during one’s life.  In the painting Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb by Francisco de Zurbarán, it is presenting a picture where Saint Francis of Assisi is contemplating his entire life, with many things flowing through his mind.  Was it worth it?  What is next?  What is in it for me?  One will never know the truth of what death will bring to a human, and becomes the ultimate fear in the world.

Death is such a dreaded topic for any human to think about.  No one knows where they’ll go, or whether or not there is life after death.  So many things are questioned by us humans in all these aspects, yet will never be discovered until it is experienced.  In Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb, Francisco de Zurbarán is endeavoring to express the difficulty in choice during the final decision, before you take your last breath.  Life becoming questionable, identifying the value of existence.  Time seems to slow down, waiting for you to reach a verdict.  What seems so incomprehensible eventually becomes completely understandable once death finally persuades you to join it.

The inspiration brought by this painting may be because of many reasons, but its symbolism is probably the most probable reason.  In Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb it is clear to see that Saint Francis of Assisi is in his tomb, hence the title and the background color.  A tomb in this case symbolizes not only death, but captivity after death, releasing the thought of being trapped eternally in such a small object as itself.  However, the part of the painting that I question the most is the skull in his hand.  There are several ideas that come to mind when pondering it, making it difficult to focus on one.  My main interpretation of this is that he is contemplating what he should do: live or die.  The hands symbolizing what you’ve done and the skull symbolizing death; many theoretical ideas can be created with these two objects combined.  Aside from specific details, the extreme darkness portrayed in the painting is not really explaining an individual story in itself, but plainly the thought of how demoralizing the situation taking place is.  The end of life as it is, no one sure of what is to become of themselves.

There is no idea feared more than death only because it is what decides our fate and ends our life.  The entire feeling of this is shown in the painting Saint Francis of Assisi in his Tomb by Francisco de Zurbarán.  Saint Francis of Assisi is knowledgeable of the fact that he will die in the near future, and seems to have no intention of escaping it.  The concept of mortality remains a horrifying thought, yet must be dealt with by all humans at some point in time.

Knowledge over Fear

Author's Note: This is a summative essay for a novel I read called Fahrenheit 451. It is about knowledge, a sub-theme, and how it can eliminate fear. People fear the unknown, and knowledge is the cure to it.

Knowledge is a tool that is necessary in order to avoid fear, for with knowledge comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes power. However, if one were to truly be ignorant of something, that person would additionally be fearful of that same thing. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, a character by the name of Guy Montag embarks on a quest to seek his knowledge. With knowledge, no fear is unconquerable and no potential is unreachable.

Dominant, powerful governments have high potential to control a whole population, including the amount of knowledge within each individual. In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag experiences this deceit, and decides to evade the status quo, and self-advocate. He murders Captain Beatty, planting his seed of knowledge. Once a person has gained knowledge of something, they lose all fear of that aspect. Montag at this point realizes that there is a whole new dimension of life, and that humanity is not chained to the level of thinking that it was at before Beatty’s death. In the world today, it is very much the same. Many people in this generation are hindered from the notion of knowledge because of the censorship surrounding them. This obviously produces a large amount of fear among the community, causing tremendous lack of power. Governments like this are very analogous to the one in Fahrenheit 451 and are very misleading if their purpose was to govern a successful society.

Although in many occasions people strive to gain the knowledge set for them, often there are those who never attempt to go beyond the restricted format. It becomes unfortunate to see this happening, but it is a true fact that sits firmly on the ground. Anyone in Fahrenheit 451 except for Montag and his scholars would be an example of this, a sad example indeed. Feeble, intimidated, and ignorant were the people in this book, and that helped the government do what it did best: burn all knowledge. To accomplish this, they burned books of every kind, even gaunt ones with very few words; anything possible to diminish the amount of knowledge in the vicinity. In present day China, a very similar story is taking place. Censorship has become a top priority for their government leaders and is moving the entire country in a downfall direction. However, it is not only this example that is heading or has headed this way, but is occurring widely throughout the world.

There are many possible ideas for themes in the novel Fahrenheit 451, and the same thing goes for its mode. Several readers could just zip through this book and pick out the simple fact that it is a true irony, which would be very unrefined. Alternatively, another approach at this novel’s mode is to state that it is a very ironic felt piece of literature up until the ending part where a minute romantic swing comes in, releasing a burst of hope or salvation. Throughout the story, Ray Bradbury uses a variety of ironic symbols, endeavoring to make the reader get into the ironic feel of the book. However, being the devoted Christian Bradbury is, he fits in a small point of salvation into the end, expressing how with hope anything is possible. Having the bombs descend onto the city was somewhat unexpected, yet it had an exact purpose. Bradbury wanted to stress to the reader that there is a romantic twist concluding the novel, and that a new life has been formed.

Ignorance is usually created by tremendous censorship, yet is sometimes caused by obstinacy. It is simple to abide by the status quo and take no risks in life. However, those who choose to veer away from this trail are the ones who acquire knowledge, and become individual. They fear less, for they know more about what will happen as opposed to wondering it. Once all knowledge has vanished from the earth, humanity will truly have a reason to remain in fear.

The Result of Rebelliousness

Author's Note: This is a response to one of Mr. Johnson's discussions. It is also my understanding of Beatty's death, and its connection to some of the sub-themes in the novel Fahrenheit 451.


Rebelliousness is an act that is often difficult to execute, usually because of intimidation directed from the one being rebelled against. However, in the novel Fahrenheit 451, new heights had been reached, for Montag had finally gained enough visceral to kill Captain Beatty. A great sense of pride arrived in Montag shortly after his decision, yet quickly vanished due to an alarm of guilt inside him. Although Montag may have felt guilty and scared because of what he did, he still kept his mentality of courage, rebelliousness, and hatred deep inside of him, for that was what was needed to prevent Guy Montag from becoming insane.
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It seemed very surprising when Beatty died, yet at the same time it appeared to be coming eventually. In part, Montag also seemed surprised, and began to congratulate himself. For example, he thought of Beatty in his mind, “You always said, don’t face a problem, burn it. Well, now I’ve done both. Good-bye, Captain.” At this point he is full of hatred, an important sub-theme of the novel. Nevertheless, Guy later begins to worry, and a flood of guilt enters his psyche. He quickly goes through all of these thoughts that could happen, and then realizes that he has no idea where he is running. Many times, rebellions lead people into feelings of guilt. It is a common trend, one that Guy Montag dealt with toward the end the novel.
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Although Montag may have felt a great deal of guilt, it could also be conveieved that he felt little to no guilt at all, or at least until he started running away from the world. The sixth paragraph on page one hundred nineteen of Fahrenheit 451 is describing Montag’s emotions while burning Beatty. He begins to describe his body as a “jumping, sprawling gibbering mannikin” and then again as a “charred wax doll”. This proves that Montag feels there is no life in Beatty anymore and that he feels no sympathy towards him whatsoever.
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The death of Captain Beatty was a very significant event in the novel, for many reasons indeed. Beatty is comparable to the entire government, one of corrupted power, allowing only limited knowledge to the community. When he dies, it is analogous to if the government were being annihilated. In essence, one could say it is, for the entire power of the government had diminished, clueless as to what to do afterward. In addition, Guy’s self-esteem greatly increased after his murder, and realized what power he actually acquired. There becomes no doubt at all that Beatty’s death is the climax of the story, and the beginning of Montag’s new life.
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Hatred is a concept often difficult to fully grasp in the mind, yet can sometimes be converted into action, maybe for the good, or maybe for the bad. Others would waver either way, for there are different eyes of opinion in the world today. However, Guy Montag’s murder was completely directed from his hatred towards another man, and caused many emotions to be formed after the action. Guilt, relief, fear; so many feelings whirling around in Montag’s mind, possibly confusing him all the while. However, Montag may not have felt as much guilt as he did pride, for the death of Beatty, the one decreasing his power by limiting knowledge, came across to him as a historic accomplishment. For in the eyes of Montag, Beatty deserved to die, and that murder was his form of rebellion.

The Significance of Patriotism

Author's Note: This is my response to the Patriot Pen's prompt: "Does Patriotism Still Matter?" I definitely believe it does, this essay explains why.

 
Dedication to one’s country is an imperative virtue that is essential to having a successful and prosperous nation. When one chooses not to show this loyalty towards their homeland, it restricts that nation’s ability of accomplishment. Knowing this, it is apparent that implying patriotism is something that every citizen should always believe.

One can assume that all veterans of the United States of America have patriotism. They are the ones willing to risk physical and mental brutality, and more importantly their own lives on behalf of the country. My great uncle, Bill Milliken, was a corporal in the Korean War, where he served a great time doing his honorable duty. At only nineteen years of age, he dedicated his life to being a part of the infantry in this brutal war, with approximately two million casualties. Anyone who knew this number would probably think twice before entering into combat. However, it is this patriotic loyalty that makes these people warriors both physically and mentally.

However, what if a citizen chooses not to go to the front lines in defense of their country? Does that mean that non soldiers cannot show patriotism? Of course not! Clearly veterans show a great deal of patriotism, yet everyday citizens engage in this loyalty when some may not even realize it. For instance, almost every student in America recites the pledge of allegiance daily, hopefully attempting to employ its true meaning. In addition, the adults of our country vote for various people and/or positions in society, particularly in government and law enforcement, as well as local educational matters. If one does not acquire love for their country, then they would not have a care as to what happens in this nation. Aside from voting, education becomes an utmost importance in patriotism, for those who obtain education tend to be the ones who strive to make our nation successful.

Patriotism is not just a personal concept, because when one person shows this loyalty towards their country, it becomes a chain reaction. Others will observe their dedication, and will demonstrate the same devotion as they see. Everyone has the opportunity to show patriotism, and is represented by many people in numerous ways. Without patriotism, the world would be flooded in chaos, and would result in entropy. Fortunately, none of that is occurring presently, because patriotism still matters.

The Fright of Power

a Thematic Response

by Matt Thurman

Power is a notion that every human conceives of having, yet is usually abused into corruption. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an example of this, which is a satire of the Russian Revolution. When one has absolute power, that power always happens to corrupt eventually. This is definitely the case of Napoleon, a pig in Animal Farm, who tried to make his farm a better place, but had it end back up in its original state. Obviously, one cannot attain full power without the community losing trust towards that being.

It's not easy governing an entire country to yourself. In fact, a lot of times complete power makes leaders unnerved or panicky, causing them to slip up, overall leading to a large dilemma. Pigs are omnivorous, meaning they will devour anything in their way. When humans have power, they are susceptible to being porcine. People with power want everything, and because they feel they have all the power they need, they believe that they can get everything that they want. Unfortunately, the fact that you can attain every necessity is never true, for that is the major flaw of any leader in a group.

As well as the fact that power does lead to corruption, it can also dictate someone's life. In Animal Farm, Napoleon got so caught up in his power, which forced him to overlook his genuine purpose. George Orwell is trying to explain to the reader that the Russian Revolution was actually positioning different people back in charge. It became a full circle from transformation back to dictatorship. However, at the time that Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky were planning the change, they had Communism tattooed on their minds. Of course, this is where the caution flag goes up, and things start to crawl out of hand. For example, the three pigs in Animal Farm created something called the Seven Commandments. Surprisingly enough, every pig except for Snowball, who was run out of the farm, violated every single commandment. This clearly shows that they were not trying to make their vicinity a better place after all. All they wanted was for them to be crowned the leader of everyone.

When one truly grasps the thought of power, they must then realize the struggles and complexities that are brought with it. On the other hand, populaces should be aware beforehand of what absolute power can do, therefore stopping individuals to conquer full supremacy.

An Ironic Foresight

Author's Note: This is just the main idea of what the book is about, and how people in the vicinity react to the surrounding and instructions they are given.

Far off in the future,
an irony arose.
A man of bad fortune,
a government ruled world.
Language evolving,
freedom is lost.
Commands from Big Brother,
And threats if not done.
Fear among all,
of what will become
when they have done wrong.
This is the year of 1984.

Far off in London,
hate becomes profuse.
The Party in control,
non-existent privacy.
Lies become true,
divorce unacceptable.
Love so untouched,
confusion in place.
The Party unfair,
yet some do agree,
that the choices are right.
This is the year of 1984.