Public School Ethics

Public schools should teach students ethics and personal values but mostly at a young age. When students are in elementary school they will be more receptive to the encouragement of good ethics and might take that with them through life. Not necessarily being taught how murder is bad but define what is good and bad in a way that they will understand and not be completely exposed to the bad things in the world. These values can be categorized as the adult ethics, meaning the situations exhibiting good and bad the may not be suitable for younger students, and the young ethics which can be used as examples of the good and bad for the young students.

Nobodiness

 Nobodiness can be used to to describe the feeling you get when you feel as though no one cares for you or when you truly are alone. The word nobodiness had a negative connotation to it that has an unpleasant  appeal to many. When used in the case of feeling nobodiness from not having the care of other's it can mean they are seen as a nobody and just another person in the world. Being perceived as a nobody can give the person that feeling of nobodiness. 
 The term can also be used to have the meaning of being alone and as a result feeling nobodiness because their is no one to be with you. This use, however, may not seem negative to people like the Box Man who enjoy being alone so don't have the feeling of nobodiness or don't care about it. I feel as this version of nobodiness would be a negative thing though because unlike the Box Man, I don't want to be alone.

Beliefs from Tuesdays with Morrie

 From reading Tuesdays with Morrie, I began to see that society today really strives for the materialistic things and that in order to live a happy life we must have goals that will fulfill our lives but not by material items. It makes me think of the goals or wants that I might have that I really won't be happy with and I have noticed that I can't go through life worrying about having the best or fanciest things but focus more on finding happiness without all that and find peace of mind.

Connotaion of Adventurous and Reckless

If one was called reckless, how would that make you feel as apposed to being called adventurous? Why is it that both words have the same denotation yet don't give the same effect to people? The connotation of a word can make a big difference in what we see the word as. Adventurous is a word that when used  to describe someone can be seen as something positive while when being described as reckless one gets a negative feeling from it. The use of either word on the same person or thing can completely change the way one thinks about them.

When one thinks of an adventurous one would imagine a brave person who is not afraid to try new things. An example of an adventurous person would be Amelia Earhart. Her courageous actions led her to become the first person to ever fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. She was not afraid of the journey ahead of her and was brave enough to face whatever challenge that passed her. Earhart was prepared to take on any adventure that passed her way. She was a fearless person who enjoyed the adventures in life because of her tremendous character. Another amazing feat of hers was the first woman to fly the Atlantic twice. She was a remarkable person who was looked up to by many, especially women, for conquering goals that many thought of as impossible.

Earhart, however can also be seen as reckless to some people. Her final and most reckless journey was one to fly around the globe. She was also the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her actions are very daring and even seen as thoughtless acts that put her life in danger. However, even with knowing full well that her life was in danger during all her flights yet went through with them anyway. She also holds the speed record for east-to-west flight from Oakland to Honolulu. Earhart took this flight as only a simple task that she could easily accomplish. The thought of her doing this frightened most people who heard of it and described her as reckless instead of the more positive adventurous. The use of the word reckless has completely changed the way one looks at her actions.

If one were to juxtapose the words reckless and adventurous, one would easily see that adventurous has a positive connotation while reckless connotation. When these words are used in the same situation they can quickly change the way one looks at that situation. Earhart was honored for her tremendous and adventurous flight accomplishments while she was also scolded for her seemingly reckless behavior. The adventurous Earhart seemed to be a fearless person that was looked up to by many people. The reckless Earhart, however, was seen as someone who made immature choices that caused to be in near death situations. There is a new opinion given to the way one thinks about Amelia Earhart because of the use of two words that have different connotations.

The Kite Runner Argument

The argument that the author was this book was that we can't go through life with unsolved problems in our past happily. Amir watched as his friend ,Hassan, was raped but didn't say or do nothing to help him after that incident. His only attempt to help the situation was selfish because it caused Hassan and his father to leave their house. Amir couldn't bare to look at Hassan anymore with the guilt he has so his solution for this was for them not to see each other anymore. Amir's guilt eventually lessened but still lived on in his mind. Amir went through his life feeling this guilt and was never fully happy with himself because he never had a real solution to the problem he faced. 
The author is trying to tell us that we must not run fearfully away from our problems, but confront them and make a real solution. The argument presented is on how society today doesn't confront their problems and decide to leave them the way they are; unsolved. the author also argues that society should face their difficult situations and solve them once and for all so we are not left with that guilt for the rest of our lives.

"The Box Man"-Society's Negative Views

One thing that I have noticed was that being alone is seen as such a negative thing for society,especially in women. Women are always in search for a companion they can be with forever so the very thought being alone scares most women. Society has created an idea that isolation is a bad thing, however, that could be proven wrong if you looked at the Box Man. The Box Man proves society wrong by showing us that solidity is actually a good life to live. His choice in being alone makes him happy and content with his life.

The Box Man's Solidity

The Box Man's choice to be alone rather than what is normally expected out of society is seen as something very unusual to many people. He is content with his life even though he does not have anyone to share it with. He found the dignity and and friend inside himself to realize that he didn't need others or material things to be happy. He chooses not to be with anyone because he knows that this is a solo journey that we do not need others to be happy with. And a question that I had was, why does society see solidity as something so negative?

"The Box Man" Compare and Contrast

I thought that it was ironically similar that the Box Man and the two were women were all supposed to be seen as unhappily lonely, because of what society says, however, the Box Man is content in the life he lives while the two women wish for lives that they don't have to live alone. Another thing that I noticed was the difference in the way the author talked about the Box man compared to the two women. The Box Man was talked about in a very positive light making his life seem very nice and his solidity a good choice while the two women are talked about negatively because their lives are too lonely but they are unhappy with that loneliness. This gives emphasis to the fact that the Box Man's life is not as bad as everyone thinks it is.    

The Kite Runner Review

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about the difficult things that Amir and Hassan were put through during their childhood. Amir, son of the wealthy man he called Baba, always craved his father's approval and would do anything to get it. In his eyes, the greatest chance for approval was the annual kite running competition. If Amir's kite was the last in the sky and had the last kite to be cut, he would finally make his father proud of him. However, his hunger for the approval got in the way of helping his friend/servant. Hassan leaves to catch the kite for him but runs into three unfriendly people. Instead if coming to his rescue, Amir watches cowardly in the corner as his friend is raped, all so he could get the kite. Amir never talks about what happened to anyone and neither does Hassan. They both keep this enormous secret until Amir is unable to take the guilt of what he did any longer and finds a way to get Hassan to leave their house so he would not have to look at him anymore.
 A few years after Hassan leaves, Amir and Baba flee from their home to safety in America as a war breaks loose. Amir has settled into a new life after his father dies and is eventually married in America when he reminded of his past. Rahim Khan, a friend from years ago, calls him with news on how to be good again. Amir goes to his old town to discover Hassaan has been killed by the Taliban but had a child that he now must find and take home with him. This journey takes him to several near-death situations between himself and Hassan's child, Sohrab. He is eventually successful in taking him back home with him but has difficulty trying to get Sohrab to be happy again. A glimmer of hope came at the end as Sohrab smiled for a moment as Amir and Sohrab were kite running together.
This book is full of the great turmoil and loss two boys went through in their young lives. I would suggest this book to anyone because it keeps you fascinated until the very end. If you're looking for a book that is happy and cheerful; this isn't the book. Though it is not cheerful it is a fantastic book that I think everyone should read it because of the authors ability to pay attention to detail and the great way the book was written.

Nonfiction Readings

I don't remember all of the nonfiction books I have read but I do remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank and All But My Life. In All But My Life I remember Gerda Weissmann's struggles through the Holocaust. First she lost her home and then soon after both her parents in a short amount of time. She also had to go through different concentration camps and one she was able to meet her future husband at- as least I think that's what happened.

Who I Am

Brittney Nusbaum, born on March 24, 1994, height of 4'10". These are just some of the basics about me. If you dig deeper you will discover that I'm someone who is in the school band playing the french horn and someone who enjoys the theatre. And that is only the beginning. :D