Visual Paradoxes and Oxymorons

 

     This is a paradox because the block in the right hand corner is drawn on top of the block that it is supposed to be behind. When you first look at the cube it seems like the block in the right hand corner is both where it should and shouldn't be. The closer you look you notice that it is positioned incorrectly, tricking your eyes into seeing 2 seemingly possible structures, but the structures you see can't both be true.  

 

     These are the materials needed to create invisible ink. Invisible ink is an oxymoron. The whole point of ink is to write out something that can be read. Invisible ink cannot be read, because it's invisible. The 2 terms are contradictory, ink being something you can see while invisibility is, well, invisible. They are put together to create a new idea/invention, but the words used have opposite purposes. 

 

     This is another paradox. There are stairs that seem to be going down because one side of the structure gives it the appearance of having height. But from the other sides the platform looks like it's at an even height, which makes it impossible for the stairs to be leading downwards if the whole platform is equal. At first glance it seems as if the man will eventually walk down the stairs, but when you study the structure you find that this is impossible.  

     

Confucius Quote

"Do not be concerned that you lack an official position, but rather concern yourself with the means by which you might become established. Do not be concerned that no one has heard of you, but rather strive to become a person worthy of being known." 

     I really like the last part of that quote. "Do not be concerned that no one has heard of you, but rather strive to become a person worthy of being known." 
     I believe that most everyone wants their name to be written in the history books. The question is how to get your name in there. 
     When I was in social studies last year, we watched a clip from the movie Troy. One scene showed a little boy praising Achilles, telling him how he could never be as brave or as good a warrior. Achilles responded by saying: "And that is why no one will remember your name." Achilles was obsessed with becoming famous. He accomplished this, but he didn't "strive to become a person worthy of being known." He's famous for killing a bunch of people, and from what I've studied, he seemed like an arrogant jerk. 
     There are people like Achilles, and then there's people like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., and Confucius himself. They wanted to make the world a better place. For that reason they are worthy of being known. 
     If no one has heard of you yet, it doesn't matter. What matters is to strive for the worthiness of being heard of. That is how people will remember your name.  

Spellbound

1. Choose one person. Describe how winning the spelling bee is important to that person. 
     I found Ashley an interesting character. She goes to public school in Washington D.C. (Where the schools are supposed to be pretty bad.) Despite the fact that she isn't able to get the best education, or may be surrounded by people who don't really care about education, she tries really hard. To her, winning the spelling bee would be a chance to prove herself. She could show the world how driven and intelligent she is, despite her surroundings. If she won, she could go back to school feeling accomplished, and more ready to learn then ever. 

5. Should we still have spelling bees? Why? Why not? 
     I believe that spelling bees can be a good opportunity for kids, but whether a person should enter or not is a better question. Some kids enjoy spelling, and like to study for the bees. But some kids can get overwhelmed by the pressure and I don't think it's good for them. So I think that spelling bees should still be held, but only students who want to participate, (or can handle the pressure) should join.  

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Practice

     In the advertisement above the woman is saying that she has the ability to become number 1 and all she needs to achieve that is opponents. Nothing can stop her.

     This is a video advertisement that is a good example for Pathos. It shows many neglected and hurt animals that pull on your heartstrings because they are so adorable. In the background there is sad music, which just adds to your sympathy for these animals. 

    Logos is shown in this commercial when they prove that the Colgate toothpaste made the bacteria in a woman's decrease. It was also shown when they said the toothpaste was clinically proven to help decrease various problems that could affect your mouth. (At the end there was also ethos when it said Colgate was the number one chosen brand by dentists.) 

Malala Yousafzai

     I had already heard about this 14-year-old girl from my mom before I read these articles. But the articles gave me more information on the subject. That Malala got shot because she was protesting her right to learn as a woman. She got shot in the head, because she wanted to go to school. 
     I feel like I haven't been very grateful. I get to go to school everyday. I learn something new everyday. I get to have homework to reinforce these new ideas and skills. With each day that passes I become closer to my goal of getting into college and pursuing the job of my dreams. 10 months out of the year I get to do this without a worry in my head. Meanwhile, in a country not very far away, there's a girl my same exact age who is troubled with the fact that the next day might be her last of getting an education. Because she worries she won't get the education she deserves, she protests. Because she protests she gets threatened. Although these threats may be frightening, she continues to protest, because she wants to send the message that going to school is a right everyone should have. Because she continues to protest, she gets shot. 
     I believe this connects with Persepolis, and how Marji wanted the world to know a country should not be judged by a few extremists. Malala was fighting against the extremists who said girls shouldn't go to school. Truthfully, if I was in her situation, I don't think I would have been brave enough to do what she did. I hope she recovers. And I hope that her story helps in the  advancements of women's rights all around the world. 

Persepolis Reading Response: The Passport

     Marji's uncle gets his third heart attack since his eldest son left for Holland. To fully recover from the attack he needs to go to England so doctors can perform an open heart procedure. The thing is, he needs a passport to get to England, which is virtually impossible. Luckily, Marji and her family discover an old friend who makes fake passports. For a certain price he guarantees he can have one ready in a few weeks.
 This old friend has also taken in a girl called Niloufar. She is hiding from those searching for because she is communist. 
     On page 125 there are 3 panels showing Niloufar. The panels read: "Two days later, Niloufar, the eighteen-year-old communist, was spotted. Arrested... and executed." 
The pictures from these panels remind me of Kite Runner, a movie I saw in 7th grade. Towards the end of the movie there's a scene of a woman about to get stoned with her eyes covered by a cloth just the way Niloufar has her's. The image is horrifying in both scenes. 
     The worst part is that Niloufar was so young. Earlier in the chapter Marji's uncle said: "The butcher told me he's seen kids executed in the street without even having been judged. The shame of it." It's terrible to hear that people of all ages were killed during the revolution because of their political positions, beliefs, and religious morals. 
     I truly wish it could be understood by everyone in the world that violence helps nothing, and never will.   

Persepolis Reading Response: The Dowry

     This was the last chapter of the graphic novel. Marji was doing bad in school because she was disrespectful to her teachers. Finally her parents decided to send her to Austria to study. Marji figured out that they were not going to come with her, or live with her ever again. They would only visit. She was scared to experience something so new to her. On the last page of the book it said: "I couldn't just go. I turned around to see them one last time." Showing an image of her mother in her fathers arms, the caption read: "It would have been better just to go." 
     This didn't make sense to me. Was her mother dead? Had her mother passed out? Was this image setting up the plot for the next book? Was it supposed to be unclear what happened to her mother? The fact that I don't understand what happened makes me want to read the second part, (Story of a Return) because it will have answers to the questions I wonder about the first book.