i never thought i would be in this situation but here i am at 3:49 am in the morning writing a blog post. I am usually up at this time because i am an insomniac. the reason why i am up is not a mystery but the ways that i do approach it will remain one. for an insomniac time is our best and worst friend. It constantly reminds us that we are up and it constantly reminds us that misery is our only company. there is not much one can do but sit and wait. Wait for the tick tock of the clock’s hand gradually slow down and wait to wake up in a few hours to welcome the sun rise. peace of mind does not exist in the world of an insomniac. there is always a deep rooted thought that runs circles in the head of an insomniac. it could be the most insignificant thing or it could be a thought that could eventually change the course of the insomniac’s life. Just the riveting tick followed back a thumping tock…tick…tock…tick…tock.. I’m still sitting on my bed , waiting for sun to rise. If the sun does not rise , does that mean that i never went to sleep, or if the sun does not rise does that mean i have been dreaming the whole time that i was actually up. reality seizes to exist when you are not in your body. your mind roams through all the doors and passageways of your mind. Some doors lead to memories , order can not even be opened. I think now what am i writing this again..surely this has no value or effect on my grade..but i am writing this because i am in search for a peace of mind, if that does exist. tick…tock… i hear the hands of the clock moving faster and faster. Why am i getting the opposite response . Does the physical world around me deceive me ? or does my mind and its ability to think freely fools me ? i shall never know , i am an insomniac after all…
Moview Review done by Orr….
Christopher Orr briefly but vividly describes the opening scenes of the being of “There Will Be Blood”. The opening scene lays the foundation of what is to come in the later scenes. It talks about the ambitions of a unknown man that discovers oil accidently. He takes in the son of a deceased worker and raises him. The intention of the adoption is both out of sympathy and gaining wealth. The image of alcohol and its multiple uses are found throughout the movie. At a time where alcohol was facing its prohibition. It was depicted as the main catalyst used to numb the pains of loss and grief. Whiskey was rubbed on the nibble of young H.W when he was a baby and also was missed with his milk after he had gone deaf. Daniel Plainview used it to deal with his power hunger and his escape from the oil industry. H.W goes on to live on his life. When he becomes a man he tries to become independent but Plainview sees this as betrayal. He tells H.W that he was never good enough to be his real son and he would have never been able to amount to as much as H.W did without Plainview there. This breaks H.W and Plainview has a flashback. He drinks away the memory. Orr also speaks about how religion played a key role in the film. Plainview was never a religious man and whenever it was mentioned he would steer away from the question. He also “accepts” religion to become more wealthy when William Brandy tells him that if he joins the congregation he would allow Plainview to establish a running pipeline on his land. Religion comes back towards the end and Plainview exposes the flaws of Eli , the so called prophetic leader of Little Boston. He shows that wealth and money will always change the hearts of men. At the closing scenes Eli comes back and begs Plainview for money because of the economic changes of the Great Depression. Plainview tells him to denounces God and Eli does just for the lust of money. The ending finishes with the blood of Eli flowing on the bowling lane. The same blood that Plainview says he will drink when he was being baptized. The ending does leave the audience guessing about what happens to H.W , what happens to Plainview and also what is to come due to the economic recession in the United States.
Day-Lewis does an extraordinary job on the role of Plainview. The powerful and intimidating voice echoes in the hearts of his rivals and he shows no weakness or fear in front of them. He does have his setbacks but only in solitude. No one stood over Plainview at any point of the movie. He proved that he could stand even on his one good leg.
Reflection on Freud’s Death Drive
To Freud “ideal demands” of society is “love thy neighbor as thy self”. His view of this concept is very skeptical and practical. Love has several extremes and meaning so when speaking of love in the context of “love thy neighbor as thyself” it reaches a bizarre point. Humans seek love to be pleasure and most of the time it is that of sexual pleasure. To love someone is to make sacrifices and bring in a vast amount of commitment and as “thyself” makes it a more complex statement. Should I be sure that I can love them as I love myself? A stranger does not deserve my love for I would know be sure if he hated me or would love me back. Love cannot be made universal because if it does become an universal thing it loses it value. Love is held so closely due to the fact it is so exclusive. Loving thy neighbor would also lead to the exploitation of love. If you love that means you must forgive and the other person will continue to do wrong because technically love will forgive them. Freud makes it clear that we as humans do not just use our neighbors for sexual pleasure , but also to humiliate them , exploit them , to cause them harm and to eventually kill them. Death instinct is found to balance pleasure and life. It comes with the form of aggression and destruction of the external world and does not necessarily have to involve the person. It makes an organism urge to return to an inanimate stage. The death instinct is the opposite of Eros and. Sadism is the pleasure of inflicting pain on others and masochism is the pleasure of receiving pain. The death instinct is there to balance the life instinct. It helps maintain ego and the id in humans. The struggle between the death drive and Eros is what keeps life going and flowing. Without this struggle civilization would not exist.
Good Luck and Good Night , Review of A. O. SCOTT’s Review
Scott does an awesome job on explaining the historical truth found in the film. For people who are unaware of the time period , they would not have been able to pick up the signs of the continuing smoking and beginning of commercial advertisement. Scott also explains that some of the material in the film like the trials are footage from the actual trial and not acted out. Scott covers all major aspects of the film. The film would appear to be a documentary but it is a historical film since it still gives a inside view of how Murrow and company dealt with the issue of treason and allegations of being communist. The film is very accurate with the depiction of the verbal conflict between Murrow and McCarthy. The color of the film , the black and white represents the attitude that was in America at that time. It reflects how people thought. The film could have easily been in color but the black and white was more suitable. Scotts review is a general review about the various themes found in the movie. It is really not too in-depth . I felt that Scott should have mentioned more about the film technique used such as the lighting that was used when the Murrow was on the show or how the music that was played reflected the mood. The jazz music also reflected the era. Another significant method used in the film is how the beginning start off with the first part of Murrow’s farewell speech and everything in the middle represented the progress. The ending of the film went back to the speech that began the film , where he continues to mention how television can be to better our lives according to the material publish, or else like Murrow stated , it would just be wires and lights in a box.
Civilization and Its Discontents Part 1
People claim to say they feel an “oceanic” sensation, one that is derived from religion. The ego and the id also play a very important part that somewhat explains why people feel the “oceanic” sensation. The feeling that we are more assured with than any other feeling is our own ego. The ego is that which makes us different from everyone. It may appear that the ego is sometimes an independent entity but the ego is inwards towards an unconscious metal body which is our id. On the outside the ego is always distinguished and stands out. In humans beings , strong feelings can change or conflict with a person’s ego. Love brings two separate bodies and combines them. Also a person can feel that their physical or mental body does not belong with their ego. Our ego can create limits and restrictions where we feel that we must obey it. The ego is developed over time from infant to adult. An infant is oblivious to its ego. As the infant grows and can tell the difference between pain and pleasure, it will begin to desire certain sensations. The ego remains internal and detaches its self from the displeasures of the external world. Our ego becomes more confined as we grow. Nothing is new to our ego for we will always remember what we have experienced whether we forget it or not. Things can be traced back to its origins even the “oceanic” feeling. The early stages of development are absorbed deep within the conscious so we can feel the sensations again but in a different form. The physical body parts cannot contain the early stages , only the mind can. In our childhood we seek a father figure and in religion the father is God. The father figure brings the urge of several sensations and needs. People use religion to feel happiness, the same happiness that can be found in infants. Our ego seeks that happiness so it attaches to religion to fill the void that the external world has created. Religion answers questions that are not absolute in life. Religion is an illusion because it will stray us away from reality.
Hazing !! Bad Greek Bad!
Hazing is the performance of ritualistic acts that are often physical , and metal abuse of a initiating member. This term has been notorious with fraternities and sororities. However this does not apply to all Greek Organizations. The consequences of hazing not only effect an organization locally on campus ,it can reach national levels if it is in a national counsel and also reach high courts. There is more to hazing and how it differentiates from rituals.
The exercises are ritualistic and has been done to all members , but there is a difference between hazing and the true essence of the rituals. It is used to create a connection between the initiating members and the members that are already crossed. To the average person that knows somewhat about Greeks , know about hell night or hell week. It is towards the end of the initiation process where most of the acts are done.
Rituals are intended to bring a feeling of brotherhood/sisterhood. The rituals are always kept secret. The secretiveness creates this bad image. Physical and metal methods have been reported but stats are never available. Hazing can be found in college teams , academic and social Greek organizations. Anything that does not seem “normal” or “appears to serve no real purpose” can be considered hazing by the average person. In the extent of the law , hazing is a serious offense. It is a felony and anti-hazing bills have been passed in all states. Hazing is not just a college thing, it can be found in many prestige institutions and also internationally.
The rituals are held closely to the members and will continue to be done. Some members just take it to the extreme with the rituals, however if a pledge is true he or she would not call it hazing. The image of hazing comes off as a negative one. If you want to see for yourself , join before you judge!!!
Greek Week
The first week of April is what all the Greeks on the St John’s University wait for. It marks the official beginning of Greek Week. Greek Week is where all the Greek letter organizations compete against each other to claim the status of best fraternity or sorority on campus. There are a total 35 combined fraternities and sororities that will compete in physical and intellectual events. Events like dodge ball , flag football , tug-of-war , soccer , and the survival test. One of the main attractions , if not the main one , is lip sync. It is a lip sync competition that last about 8 minutes. The scores are based on lip sync performance , props , a little amount of dancing, and creativity. Lip Sync is the center of attention during Greek Week. The 3 teams that usually get the 3 places end up receiving the first , second , and third.
Greek Week is not just about competition. Greek Week is about community and bonding. All the organizations compete for their places but at the end of the day everyone holds the memories of what happened and what could have happened. Greeks of all organizations walk around the school campus , proudly displaying their letters and walking with their heads up in the sky. This is all because of the hard work done throughout the year. Greek Week is the vacation that Greeks look for. It gives the top 3 fraternities and sororities bragging rights until the next Greek week.
A lot of time and effort is put into Greek Week. Regular school hours are in schedule and the balance of classwork and Greek time comes into play. Many manage to do both but others will not participate in Greek Week due to exams. It has been very tiring for me personally even though it is my first year.
Weekly Recap !
The New Usher Album…. GOTTA COP WHEN IT DROPS -307
60 Minutes of Peace .. Earth Day – 301
Difference Between Hobbes and Rousseau – 305
Roots of Inequality : Reflection on Human Inequality -341
Total Word Count – 1254
The New Usher Album…. GOTTA COP WHEN IT DROPS
It has been almost 3 years since Usher dropped the Confessions album. It was a instant hit with everyone. There was a party song , a love song , a heart break song , and chill song , but mostly heart. Looks like the fame of Confessions will be out shined by his up coming album “Here I Stand”. Few songs have already been leaked into the world wide web and i have copies. I am really looking forward to hearing the complete album. Usher is just one of the few R&B artist that i enjoy and knowing that he makes such create songs and can sing so well has really got me anticipating for its release.
The songs that i do have on my computer are “Love In The Club”, “Moving Mountains” , and “I can’t win”. “Love In The Club” is the first single of the LP. It features Young Jeezy. It is definitely the club banger for the summer. Its up tempo beat makes you want to dance in the club. “Moving Mountains” more of a break up song. Usher has been known to make emotional songs about the effects of an ended relationship. I know that everyone and their mothers remember “You Got it Bad”. “I can’t Win” is about a male that is tired of the insecurity and the comparsions made between him and his lovers ex. He feels that she is scared of him because of what has happened in the past.
It is scheduled to be released May 27th but was previously set to be out in November of last year. The album includes collaborations with other southern artist and crazy beats by Timbaland and Polow da Don. Everyone music lover has waited for the the next Usher album and it is only a two months away…. so COP IT!
