Chandler Mayberry: September 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

Comments on classmates blogs #3

Sally:
I have the same views you do about the conflict between Dr. Larch and Homer. I also concentrated on the conflict of abortion on my blog and I feel like Homer's character also affected my views on abortion as well. What are your views on abortion? Do you believe that it is the "Devil's Work?" http://bit.ly/nc1mkV
Kailey:
It sounds like you really enjoyed this book would you recommend it to anyone else? You also mentioned a lot of different characters in the book that had similar morals. Which character do you think you relate to the most? http://bit.ly/nmT6E8
Alex:
It seems like Miro was not only confused about his morals, but also confused about the person he is or wants to be. You say that Miro seems both moral and immoral, and at the end Miro chooses to be immoral. Do you think there was a chance that Miro could have chosen to be moral? http://bit.ly/qU0z50
Aydan:
After reading your blog I took and interest in this book. This book seems unique considering the fact that death is the narrator. You said that everyone imagines death as a grim reaper figure what did you imagine him as? Also, which character do you think faced more dilemmas that affected their morals and beliefs? http://bit.ly/r9R89L

Sydney:Great post Sydney! I like how you described the narrator and it was interesting how he thrived over the living. My question to you is do you think Death actually liked his job or do you think he would rather be a part of the living? http://bit.ly/oXuYSKSarah:Great post Sarah! Many of the blogs I have read about The Book Thief have all had similar thoughts and views. Yours on the other hand was very unique. Why do you think Death focused more on children? Do you think he felt pity for them or was it a sense of love? http://bit.ly/qFCz4zNathan:Great post Nate, I think you’re the only one who didn’t use Death’s morals in your post, instead you used some of the minor characters. My question to you is why do you think Liesel stole all of those books? Did she do it just for the thrill or was there a larger purpose behind it? http://bit.ly/ou5NME

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Cider House Rules

The book that I read was The Cider House Rules by John Irving. In the beginning of the book the story is told from the view of Dr. Larch, the founder and director of the St. Cloud’s orphanage. Dr. Larch starts off by explaining the history behind St. Cloud’s Maine. St Cloud’s began as a logging camp and eventually transformed into a mill town. The Ramses Paper Company would come every spring, cut down all the trees in the area, leaving the town covered in saw dust. Not only did the millers leave saw dust behind, but they also left deserted prostitutes carrying their unwanted babies. Early in Dr. Larch’s medical career he believed that an unwanted child should not be brought into the world and that women should have the right to a safe abortion. Dr. Larch also introduces us to the main character of the book, Homer Wells. Homer was born at St. Cloud’s Orphanage and was adopted four times before becoming a permanent member at St. Cloud’s Orphanage. Even though Homer was not Dr. Larch’s son, Dr. Larch loved him like one and Homer loved Dr. Larch like a father. Throughout the years Dr. Larch teaches Homer his medical ways and views, but as Homer ages his views on Dr. Larch’s work changes. Dr. Larch delivering babies was viewed as “The Lord’s work” and Dr. Larch giving woman abortions was viewed as “The Devil’s work.” Being an obstetrician and an abortionist was not the type of path Homer wanted to take. Homer strongly disagreed with Dr. Larch’s devil’s work and wanted nothing to do with it. In the beginning chapters Irving focuses on Dr. Larch and how his views are shaped, so we as readers understand why Dr. Larch does what he does. Homer on the other hand wants nothing to do with Dr. Larch’s practice and decides to leave in order to experience a world outside of the orphanage. When Candy Kendall and Wally Worthington arrive at St. Clouds Orphanage in order to receive an abortion by Dr. Larch, Homer finds his way to escape St. Clouds. Homer soon realizes that the world outside of the orphanage is much different than he ever expected. Homer is given a job at the Worthington apple orchard. While working at the orchard he meets some interesting people. Mr. Rose, the boss of the picking crew, shows Homer the ropes of the business and is described as a man who makes his own rules. Rose Rose, Mr. Rose’s daughter is a shy, but strong women. During his time working at the orchard, Homer realizes the dark secrets of the crew. Mr. Rose sexually abuses his daughter Rose Rose and eventually gets her pregnant; this becomes the climax of the book. Homer has been brought up around young women giving birth or having an abortion, but Homer has never been around a woman pregnant with an incest baby. The conflict between the views of both Dr. Larch and Homer about abortion soon ends after Homer performs his first abortion on Rose Rose. Homer has just received the news that Dr. Larch has passed away and after hearing the news he realizes that he cannot refuse to give Rose Rose the abortion. After the abortion Homer becomes willing to practice Dr. Larch’s work. Homer then returns to the St. Cloud’s Orphanage and continues the work of Dr. Larch, both the Lord’s and the Devil’s work. Homer’s beliefs have shifted, he now believes that there are woman out there in need and they should have the right to choose for not only themselves, but for their children as well.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Comments on classmates blogs #2

Alex:
I love the quotes that you added into your blog! It caught my eye and it tied into your blog very well. Great post Alex! My only question for you is what is the most important point on your compass?
http://bit.ly/pkMgCD
Sally:
"Kindness is the only remedy" This is my favorite line in your post! I strongly agree with all of your ideas. Great post Sally! My question to you is what does it take to be a thankful person?
http://bit.ly/mXgUEa
Holly:
"Unlike many, I am not the center of my moral compass, not the sun that all the planets revolve around, not even the anchor that holds everything in place. I am simply due North on my compass, not quite lost but surely not found." This quote in your blog is very creative, I can really relate to it because I myself have not yet found who I am as a person. You’re an amazing writer; you really know how to get the reader’s attention. Great post Holly!
http://bit.ly/nE17l8
Chris:
I can really relate to your point about family because family is the most important point on my compass as well. I strongly agree with your idea that family is always there for. Great post Chris!
http://bit.ly/ppQlwe
Nate:
I like how music was one of your points on your compass because you don't see that a lot. Does music influence your way of life and your morals?
http://bit.ly/ow3OBD

Thursday, September 15, 2011

My Moral Compass: The Path I Follow

Creating this moral compass made me realize what I value most in life and how fortunate I am to have them. Family has always been my number one concern. Without my family I wouldn't be the person I am today. Education is also important to me, because without it I would not have the ideas and beliefs that I have today. Having freedom and security is a key in my life without it I would not be free to express my feelings and my thoughts. Change is also something I cherish most in life, without it I would not be able to view the world in different ways and also learn more about myself.

Family-My family is everything to me, there is so much love in my family that sometimes I can barely stand it. Having a big family means having a lot of love. Friends come and go, but your family will always be there for you. My family guides me to be the best person I can be. They have also taught me that life is to short and that i should seize every opportunity I can get. My morals come from my family. When i make a bad decision I learn from it, and my family is always there to help me get back up on my feet.

Education- Having the opportunity to attend school is a great privilege. There are many children in the world who are not able to attend school and get a good education. Education is a very important aspect in my life and with my family. Without an education I would not be able to work my dream job and make a living for myself and for a family someday. In this economy today having an education is everything and I would do anything to keep that education going. Without an education I would not be able to express my beliefs and my opinions. Being knowledgeable is something I wish I can be for the rest of my life.

Freedom and Security- Living in America we as citizens have the right to freedom and security. We are privileged to be free to do and say what we want. We are also very privileged to feel safe and to feel secure. For me, freedom and security help me to balance out my morals. I am able to express my thoughts and beliefs without any harm directed toward me. Having the freedom to be my own person and think what I want when I want has helped me learn more about myself and has also helped me to expand my morals.

Change- Change is something I look forward to everyday. Going by a daily routine is sometimes very helpful, but changes in my life help shape who I am today. Changes in the world also help my morals to expand. Changes in politics, different countries, and in life are changes that will shape how I live and how I see the world. Change does not only affect me and my morals on occasions, they affect them every day.

My moral compass is based off of the privileges in my life. These privileges help shape me and my morals. Having a family that loves you, an education to further you in life, freedom and security to help express yourself, and change to help you learn from not only yourself but the world around you are some of the many privileges in my life that help shape me and my morals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWod72dckg4&feature=player_embedded

My Moral Compass

Friday, September 9, 2011

Comments made on classmates blogs

Here are the five comments i have made on five of my classmates blogs.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Being Moral: Sometimes to be moral you have to be immoral

Being moral means to understand the concepts of right and wrong, but many people will argue that morals are a state of mind or a hard and fast rule. By being moral you are concerned with the principles or rules of right and wrong, and your morals are shaped by what you observe as a child. Lets take Disney for example. Disney's main focus is on young children and many of their movies focus on basic moral beliefs. Princesses are mainly created for young girls, to have role models, and to believe in something, but also these princesses give them many different moral values to live by. For instance Cinderella, a poor young women who becomes a princess, teaches us that you can come from nothing and become something. Mulan, a young girl who pretends to be a man in order to fight for her family's honor, teaches us that there is equality between men and women. Finally Pocahontas, the young Indian who tries to make peace between her tribe and the white men, teaches us to love who we are and were we come from. For young boys Disney takes a different approach by using heroes. For instance Hercules, a strong man torn away from his real life and forced to live like everyone else, shows us how strength and courage can help you concur anything. Peter Pan, a young boy thriving to always stay young, teaches us that we can all be young at heart. Woody and Buzz from Toy Story teaches us that friendship is a strong bond and having a great and trustworthy friend is available to anyone. So are we taught our morals? Yes. Throughout our childhood parents and gardians focus on explaining to us right from wrong. For instance, it is wrong to put your hands on other people, or it is wrong to interupt someone when they are talking. It is right to use your manners, or it is right to wait your turn. Some parents may not teach those morals to their children, but instead focus on having them learn what is right and wrong for themselves. For instance a parent may not tell their child that it is not okay to put their hands on other people and the chilld may hit a classmate at preschool and will end up being punished for their actions. As we grow our morals do the same and the more we become moral the more our actions can become immoral. We all have our morals that we live by and follow, but sometimes we go againts our morals to better ourselves. For instance, a young girl could have a very strong moral of wanting to save herself till marriage, but decides not to wait because she feels like it will better herself. Not only are our actions immoral, but thoughts can also be immoral. Everyone has somthing that they want to do, but know that they can't because it will be going against their morals and think about it on ocassion. It's the same as the women wanting to save herself. She may go by her morals till she is married, but may sometimes have the thought of that immoral action. Over time our morals will change and we will be forced to think an immoral thought, but sometimes to be moral you have to be immoral.