Cathedral Summary&Questions

       The Cathedral by Raymond Carver is the story about a man and his non pleasant attitude with his wife’s friend to come to visit. The man is blind. Throughout the story, the narrator (man) recounts the times between his wife and the blind man, how they met, his background and their relationship. When the blind man comes over for dinner, there are lots of awkward encounters between the blind man and narrator because of his prejudice views. At the end of the story, the blind man and narrator have an interesting conversation. The blind man makes the narrator realize that he is blind mentally and only sees the surface of things. The blind man is able to see figuratively because he can see beyond a visible aspect but a deeper meaning.

1.    The narrator was not looking forward to the blind man coming over because he was blind. It bothered him. His feelings towards the blind man show that he is prejudice when it comes to different people.

2.    Yes, it is possible for the wife to have “seen” him.  Of course not physically but figuratively because she really knows who he is as a person. The poetic lines used by the wife describe show that she likes that intimate connection with a person in order to develop a personal relationship. When she mentions potential suicide, I think it shows her desire to want to be seen.

3.    I think the wife means that because the blind man is a very close personal friend of hers, she wants the narrator to really make him feel welcome. She does not want him to treat the blind man bad because she would treat one of his friends in the same way she is treating the blind man.

4.    Literally, no but figuratively yes because they were married. When people are married, you can have a deep connection with that person. It seems like with everything that has happened with Belluah and staying with her, their relationship seems to be intimate and deep.

5.    The characters smoke pot more so to the blind man’s benefit to prove that he can do normal things just like Robert and his wife. It reveals that there is a first time for everything that you want to do in life.

6.    A church revealing what the culture thinks about God is that faith and religion was very important back then. Even when they were watching TV, all you saw were Cathedral buildings being built. Religion provided the foundation for everyday life.    

7.    The narrator has a hard time describing the Cathedral because he sees it differently than Robert (blind man). He did not really see anything even though he mentions that the Cathedral is interesting. He looks at it this way because he does not understand the deeper aspect of what the Robert is looking at, just the physical.                                                

Wonder Essay (Extra Credit)

          We think of a butterfly as an insect. Just a typical insect that spreads its wings and flies around in the air. They are very colorful and pretty. There are all different types. But butterflies do more than just flying. I’m sure there are secret things that butterflies do that we don’t know.  Butterflies start out as little cocoons and grow and mature into a beautiful colorful creature with abilities so that it can survive on its own. Their harmless and better our environment. It can reproduce to make baby butterflies that start off small and become adults.

            Wonder for me is curiosity about something or someone is a deeper meaning. Why this works that way or why people think from a certain perspective. I don’t just like to know about the surface of some things. Getting down to the core of that knowledge helps me to fully understand a situation. When I was six years old, I would have thought the bare minimum and thought wonder in the sense of walking around and doing nothing or your mind thinking random things. At six years old, my brain was not developed in a philosophical sense. I think we are less capable of imagining and wondering as we age because we become satisfied with what the truth has to offer; and not think to question to get a deeper meaning behind it.

            If you think of a concept, it’s a statement made that is used a lot by people constantly. A meaning that someone can live by. I think the quote said by St. Gregory of Nyssa is saying that if you continue to live by the normal declaration and believe it, then your just following what other people think. You’re not thinking outside the box and asking more questions to find the solid truth. For me, this is not exactly used in my life which is kind’ve bad. When someone tells me something, I normally just take it and accept it. However, there are a lot of times where I do wonder and question certain things mentally but not verbally which is a weakness that I need to improve on, to enhance my curiosity about life. 

My Experience of Freedom

I am always used to doing what I have been told. Today, I am still like that. Now that I am getting older, I am starting to realize that I am being controlled with everything around me by power. Freedom has been very limited to me since two summer’s ago. The summer before my junior year was the best summer I had ever experienced.

At the end of June, I went on a 6 night 7 day Carnival Cruise with my sister’s Girl Scout troop. It was a small all girl’s trip, which made it even better. It was hard for me to concentrate on my finals because I was so excited, being that it was my first cruise. We traveled to Key West, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands. As a person, I am very insecure, quiet and shy. Going on this cruise was an eye opener because I really got a sense of being independent on a huge crew ship. My mom encouraged us to explore and take advantage of the certain activities on the boat each night. One night, I decided to go down to the teen club, and had an interesting encounter. I met a guy from North Carolina. He was 17 I was 16. I was really shy, skeptical and quiet because I did not know anything about him. He was really nice and chill. The more he opened up to me, I felt more comfortable to tell him about myself. From then on, my nights on the ship were so much fun. My mom did not know anything about the things we did together. Normally, there are always voices inside of me scared to take risks and be happy. I was certainly happy being with him. During those moments, I felt comfortable, and did not have to think about whether I wanted to do certain activities that took me out of my comfort zone with him. I felt free because my mother and the power she had were not controlling me. Happiness was looking down on me every night. I had the best time on that cruise. The whole experience in general (destination stops,cruise, night/day) was worthwhile. It was one vacation I will never forget because my heart and mind felt free.

Kenyon Address Commencement Essay Reponse

         In a way, I agree with what David Foster is saying. We as humans allow ourselves to conform to what is in the world, instead of following what is truly in our hearts. When he describes us as being the center of attention, it almost makes it seem like all humans are always selfish, all the time. I do not necessarily agree with that because there are some people who have an ounce of compassion towards other people. But I understand where he means that humans set aside their needs to conform to society.

            I think is a fair argument, besides the comment about humans always being self-centered. There are some people in the world that are not like that and care about other people. But his fundamental thoughts are accurate for the majority of the world because we do not realize it, until someone points in out.

            For me, I honestly believe that a lot of the things I do, act and think are in favor of society because I do not want to feel weird or looked at as crazy. My freedom of thinking and believing what I want, especially my desires are put on hold to attend to society’s needs. I actually do not even realize that I’m doing it. It all comes back to power and how I have to get rid of it is by controlling myself.

            I would like to engage in the choice by following my heart and what I want to do. It is interesting how not just me, but everyone is subjected to power and controlling thoughts in a cynical way. We tend to stay in the comfort of wanting to be controlled in power and money. I discovered that I pretty much go through life being controlled through words, thoughts, actions and peer pressure. I agree the freedom takes time and patience because it does not happen overnight. The discipline like Foster says is special because it’s a gift.

            The clapping seems like a way acknowledge what he is talking about. The people might understand what he is talking about but might not be processing it the way he is. See, everyone interprets things differently. The clapping could be a clear understanding of saying to Foster, “You know, you are right.  Most humans conform to what society wants and not to what I want.” Clapping to be polite is also shown as a sign of encouragement, but also a way of agreeing to the fundamentals that are true in society today.

           

"Caligula" Act I Questions

1.      Camus demonstrates Caligula’s heart by describing his desires and what he wants, which is the moon. The implication is that what Caligula wants is not equivalent with what suits reality. When he describes what he wants, people think he is crazy. What makes sense to Caligula does not to the people (Patricians, Helicon, Cherea and Scipio).

2.      The people in power view Caligula as a weak, helpless guy. They assume the worse about him. In the beginning when the First and Second Patricians describe the loss of a person, “‘quite so.Take my case. I shed many tears, and then I forgot, Even now I feel a pang of grief at times, But, happily, it doesn’t amount to much.’”(Camus 4). I think this references the pain Caligula might be experiencing at the time. Another example is when Cherea and The First Patrician talk about Caligula’s ruling and how they are just satisfied with him being king. “‘As an emperor, he was perfection’s self. Yes, exactly the emperor we wanted; conscientious and inexperienced’” (Camus 4). I do not necessarily agree with those in power fully because I don’t always think it is right to judge people so harshly. I think they just might not like Caligula as a person and what he is looking for.

Object Relating to Reality

My MacBook Pro means the world to me. This 15-inch laptop does more than what I am capable of doing on a piece of paper. I would love to use my laptop to the capability I know it has but I just can’t. For one, I am not as technologically skilled and I really do not have a lot of free time. Some people just use a laptop as a luxury but like most people, I use it for school/business. Even though there are so many applications that come along with my computer, I do not necessarily use all of them. A lot of them I do use. ITunes holds all of my music, videos, and ringtones that are used interchangeable with not just my Laptop, but my IPod and IPhone. They are all connected. Vacations and events are picture perfect moments for me. Iphoto allows for me to download all of my pictures onto my laptop for me to e-mail and share through social networks. Iphoto is also connected through my IPod and IPhone as well. Microsoft Word stores all of the documents that I type and has been for the past two years. Projects, Essays, Study guides, homework and even my college applications that I have started have been saved.

In band, we use a software called Smart Music where we are able to play along using a microphone in order to practice assigments. We are graded so I have to have a laptop, or else I would get a zero. Safari is the last most important application that I use greatly on my laptop. If I need to research something or send E-mails, it is a great app. having my laptop allows for me to get things done precise and quickly. My Dell laptop that I had when I was younger does not compare to MacBook. All of the factors that I mentioned contribute to reality. We all have to work, lots of us listen to music, capture moments and surf the web; whether it is for school or pleasure. These things are realistic and are used in society today.

Who Am I?

        My name is Briana. I am a seventeen-year-old senior in high school. I am a person of class and good character. My favorite colors are pink and purple. I am hard working, responsible and a leader. I am known to be a good friend, sweet and caring towards others. Reading, shopping, playing sports and spending time with family and friends are some of the things that I enjoy doing. I like learning and going to school. Whenever a task is assigned to me, I get it done ahead of time and put 100 percent into it. Girl Scouts has become more than an extra-curricular activity for me. It brings out the best in my qualities and me. I love giving back; knowing that I am a making a difference in someone else is life for the better.

      My morals have kept me strong and have constructed me into the young lady I am today. I value any relationship I have in my life, such as God, my family and friends. Security, trust love and tranquility are some of the values that have a meaning to me. Faithfulness is the most important value in my life. The other values that I mentioned for me all connect with faithfulness. I feel like without having some trust in God, your faith can be weak. Not loving God means that you might not believe in him and what he wants to accomplish in your life. And not being a little tranquil with what God is doing for you means that you do not have trust nor love for his present/ future doings.

       I am a Christian. I do go to Church as many times as I can and want to. Being raised to have faith in God and to go to Church allows me to learn more about him and what he wants from me as his child. My relationship with God is very personal. I think that if you pray, then things can tend to be easier because God is there helping you and is not going to let you fall completely. Every morning I pray to God, asking him to help me get through the day with a positive attitude. I always thank him for the blessings I have and also talk to him about the worries and struggles I might be facing in the present. I definitely believe that everything happens for a reason in which God made it to be. Even though I might not always understand why, it tends to show in the long run. It’s ironic that when God tells us to not have anxiety about our problems when he knows, it is hard for me to not stress out and think the worst. I am confident that Heaven is up there and one day when I leave this Earth, that I will be there with him. All of my beliefs are very important to me because they allow me to not feel lost in the spiraling world, but closer to God.

      Being experienced to culture is exciting for me. I am African American. I like being submerged in a different culture because it enables me to meet new people and learn about who makes up our society today. I have different races in my family by marriage; such as Hispanic, Caucasian and multi-racial backgrounds, specifically on my mom’s side. I love my family the way it is because its not just one color. It is a big melting pot filled with beautiful colors and backgrounds that make my family and I unique. I hope in life that everything that I have worked for, want to do and accomplish comes true. I want to go to the college of my choice and graduate school to become a successful Intellectual Property/Trademark Lawyer. However, I want to be happy and positive with whatever I choose and have no regrets.

What Consists of My Happiness

        Puzzles are made up of pieces that come together to form one big picture. However, there are specific pieces that do not fit. I think of my life as a puzzle. There are certain relationships and things that fit to make me happy but some do not. My happiness comes from what is close to my heart. Dreams, family, friends, love, and most importantly, my relationship with God is very special to me; and shapes my puzzle and my happiness. 

         Going to bed and dreaming at night makes my heart content. When my heart is content, I feel relaxed and comfortable in my own world. Sleeping gives me the ability for me to picture my dreams unfold. There is no gravity. Today, a lot of times we cannot allow ourselves to feel comfortable because so many of us conform to what other people want us to be. It’s something that I do, but it doesn’t make me happy. Some of my dreams consist of a world where there is no hate, racial profiling and death, in the sense of murder. Everyone and everything is just fine. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way.

         My family and friends are two pieces that always seem to work although there can be challenges. I am very blessed and joyful that I have family apart of me. When I am around my family, I know that they love and will support me no matter what. Like every family, come differences and disagreements. When were fighting or arguing over things that are irrelevant, it does not make me happy. The sound of laughter and all of us coming together to talk about what has been happening makes me feel happy. Friends help to gain a realization of my social ability. I am joyful around them because they keep me light when I feel like life is getting stressful and difficult. There are always enjoyable moments that come along when I am with them. I feel as if I have lost and gained friends over the course of these past two years. But no matter what, I know the ones that will always be with me and in my heart. God put these two pieces in my life for a reason. These two pieces can be difficult. So many changes can happen, but its what makes my life a roller coaster.

        Love and the relationship I have with God are the final pieces that make up my puzzle and heart. Do I love? Yes, my family, friends/specific classmates and God. Though, I do anticipate being in love one day. Sometimes, it can incite pain and hurt. That does not make me happy. Knowing that I can feel love and that its not broken makes me happy, especially with God. God loves me unconditionally, and sometimes I cannot see it but I can feel it. I feel at peace and lively when I know that God is there for me through the good and bad. There are certain times when its hard to trust because nothing has gotten better however, God always finds a way to work everything out and when that happens, I am very excited and happy.

       My puzzle is very fragile, heavy and important in my soul. It is complicated, hard, hindering but brings out the best and makes me stronger by the day. Relating my puzzle to someone else is does not constitute my happiness. If all else fails, I believe in my faith, God will see me through. When I die and go to heaven, I want to have no regrets and pain that we feel occasionally. My relationships, dreams that will hopefully come true and love can be established and sustained in my puzzle that make up my happiness and who I am.