Dirty Mouth, clean it up with Orbit gum

The way I feel about obscene language is the same as how i feel about disturbing images and events. Authors put it in for a reason, not just to make their writing seem more mature. Obscene language is put in to enhance a story. When reading a book, you must be mature. An obscene word, be a curse word or a racial slur should not detract how you think of a book, just add to how the story tells itself and develops. 

Kite Fighting

Kite running/fighting is obviously a very big part of the Afghani people. It is something to bring the people together, even if it involves winning and losing. People in Afghanistan make a living from making kites, and descendants look to continue kite making traditions. I would compare this to freedom in general. The people in Afghanistan had kite fighting back before the Taliban took over. Now that the Taliban is no longer in control, the people can fight kites again. 

Free Write

Boom! The massive ape crept closer. Boom! Another stride creeping towards us. We had been sent to Skull Island to contain the beast but there was nothing we could do. I saw my two comrades ready to fire to my left, but as Kong inched closer, my mind went blank and I had to run. Turning and running, I looked over my shoulder to see a creature unlike anything else. A 200 foot gorilla coming at us, seething and deathly intimidating. I had committed to my choice and I looked forward to watch my steps. I continued to run, leaving my two comrades behind in the line of fire of the gargantuan King Kong. Hiding behind a rock, the two men had nothing but fear slapped across they're face as they got ready for an experience none have lived through to tell. 

Walk The Line

Authors include graphic and powerful events in their texts to prove a point. They are not doing it to turn off readers, but rather to turn them on to the story they are trying to tell. There is a time and a place for disturbing topics, and not every novel/text can handle it, but those that can are greatly improved by the inclusion of them. When used correctly, these events might not be necessary to the the story, but they do improve them. 

To Atone or Not to Atone

I do believe there is a way to atone for your sins. I don't, however, believe that kind of atonement comes from a higher being. A god-like figure that you can ask for forgiveness and everything is forgotten. Atonement to me is repaying those you affected. Not with money or bribes, it might not come in the form of an object at all. Forgiveness and atonement is something that you can get  by being there for someone, or comforting them in a time of need, not necessarily by buying them something in return. 

Decisions...Decisions

When I am making important decisions, I consider many things. I think about the best path to choose at the time, and the best decision to make for the future. One very big decision I made recently is that of deciding which college to go to. I chose the University of Central Florida over the University of Arizona. This took a lot of consideration. Originally, I was planning to attend the University of Arizona. The more I looked into the whole picture, the more I realized the University of Central Florida was the right place to go. I was getting more scholarship money, it was a better location for college, and a better location for post-college. It's also an easier place to travel to being right outside of Orlando, Florida. The location, and scholarship money decisions were aimed at my family. In the future, I will have to decide what major I want to pursue, what kind of education I would like to get after my 4 years at UCF, and what career I would like to involve myself in.

Want an Ape? Prompt #2, Chapter #24

In the beginning of the chapter, the narrator is thinking about what is going to happen to him when he is found. He is thinking about the kind of punishment he is going to have to go through. "Riinnnngggg...No, they wouldn't call first. Once they decided to take me, they would probably set and ambush in the elevator: first mace, then a gang-swarm. It would come with no warning. So I picked up the phone. It was my friend Bruce Innes, calling from the Circus-Circus. He had located the man who wanted to see the ape I'd been inquiring about." (Thompson 188) Just as the narrator is reviewing what would happen to him, his friend calls about an ape? How random. When was an ape part of the picture? And what timing to bring it in. I had to question what Hunter Thompson was on when he wrote the book to put something as random as that in. Just a little bit confusing, and rather random. 

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies Prompt #13, Chapter #17

In this chapter, the attorney calls Lucy at her hotel and tells her the cops are looking for him and not to call to prevent to cops from looking for her as well. This is a blatant lie. The attorney realizes what he did was wrong and is now realizing the consequences. Nothing good will come out of the situation, so the men must lie to her so she can forget about them and leave them alone. "I have to leave here right away. That bastard cashed a bad check downstairs and gave you as a reference, so they'll be looking for both of you... yeah, I know, but you can't judge a book by its cover, Lucy; some people are just basically rotten... anyway, the last thinkg in the world you want to do is call this hotel again; they'll trace the call and put you straight behind bars..." (Thompson 130) Not only does the attorney lie to Lucy about what is going on, but he blames it on the narrator who has done nothing. The choices made by the attorney the past few chapters have just been appalling. It's hard to give advice to a drugged out attorney. You can't say don't do anything illegal because he has been the whole time. Instead, I would just say use better judgement. Think again before you drug and take advantage of a minor. But then again, thinking straight probably wasn't very easy for the man. 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Prompt #4, Chapter #15

Throughout the novel, the drugged out attorney is constantly having violent reactions, but I never saw this coming. The narrator returns to his room after thinking about how to deal with the upcoming seminar. As he opens the door, he feels it hit what feels like a person. He finds out his attorney had an underage girl in his room who he drugged and took advantage of. "He was twisted. I could see that. And so was Lucy. HEr eyes were feverish and crazy. She was staring at me like I was something that would have to be rendered helpless before life could get back to whatever she considered normal." (Thompson 111) The attorney showed another side here. A criminal side, and a dangerous side. It was very surprising to see the attorney act like this. Being publicly violent was one story, but drugging and taking advantage of an underage girl was another.

The Irony is Killing Me Prompt #12, Chapter #13

In this chapter, the narrator stops to pick up more alcohol and ether. While in the parking lot, he picks up a newspaper and sees the headline, "Surgery Uncertain After Eyes Removed". It is an article about a 25 year old who, "pulled out his eyes while suffering the effects of a drug overdose in a jail cell." (Thompson 101) This is not the first 3rd party drug reference in the book. The narrator just covered a seminar about illegal narcotics. The entire book, the narrator is high on all kinds of drugs. I love the irony in putting things like this in. At the beginning of the book, the narrator is reading a newspaper and all the headlines are about drug tragedies. Thompson brilliantly uses this irony to enhance to book and show just how messed up the narrator is. The narrator is exposed multiple times references like this, yet his drug consumption does not slow down at all. We have had 3 or 4 encounters with this kind of irony by this point in the book, and I would not ask for any more. They are timed perfectly, at times when the narrator is in deep thought about which path to chose. 

From Freedom to Prison Prompt #3, Chapter #10

In this chapter, the narrator is leaving the hotel, and not just leaving, but fleeing. He thinks about the numerous room service bills he must pay, not to mention the room bill, and realizes he can't pay it off. He tells the valet to get his car and begins walking towards it. As he approaches the car, he hears a clerk calling after him. Thoughts of all the great books that have been written in prison come to mind. The clerk catches up to him and informs him of a telegram that had been sent to him. The clerk says he had been calling the narrators room and looking for him. "I felt dizzy. It was too much to absorb all at once. From freedom, to prison, and then back to freedom again-all in thirty seconds." (Thompson 75) The narrator started going through all the scenarios of prison in his head as the clerk was approaching him. He says the warden would recognize him because he once interviewed him for the New York Times. In the telegram, it says there is a room ready at the Flamingo Hotel and to cover the National Conference of District Attorneys. They are having a four-day seminar on illegal narcotics. Noticing the irony of the situation, the narrator decides to follow his attorneys request and cover the seminar after planning on escaping Las Vegas.  

It Got Hectic, and It Got Wild Prompt #7, Chapter #7

My prediction from chapter 6 was correct. The drugged out attorney pulls out a knife on a crowd in an elevator. The two men were set up to meet with a photographer. The attorney imagines the photographer had stolen a girl he met earlier. In reality the photographer has done nothing. "You cheap honky faggots. Which one of you wants to get cut?" (Thompson 55) This is the scene from the elevator before the narrator drags him out. 

It's Gettin' Hectic, It's Gettin' Wild Prompt #6, Chapter #6

The two men have consumed a mass amount of drugs and the only thing I can predict is that the attorney has another violent breakout like he did in chapter 3. Not only is the attorney in a state few people experience in their lives, but he also says, "One more hour in this town and I'll kill somebody!" (Thompson 48)

Baking in the Sun Prompt #17, Chapter #3

It is only the 3rd chapter in the book and the desert heat is starting to get to the two men, not to mention the heat mixed with the hardcore drugs the have been abusing. As the narrator and his attorney continue their voyage, they begin to get hostile. They pick up a hitchhiker and almost offer for him to drive because neither of them can handle themselves under the condition they are in. The two men end up getting in a fight over some spilled cocaine and the attorney pulls out a gun. "'Checking into a Vegas hotel under a phony name with intent to commit capital fraud and a head full of acid?' He was laughing again, then he jammed hisnose down toward the salt shaker, aiming the thin green roll of a $20 bill straight into what was left of the powder." (Thompson 22) The heat and the cocaine infected minds of the men have driven them insane. 

Your Brain on Drugs Prompt #14, Chapter #2

"Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only real cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas. To relax, as it were, in the womb of the desert sun. Just roll the roof back and screw it on, grease the face with white tanning butter and move out with the music a top volume, and at least a pint of ether." (Thompson 12) To me, this quote is the basis of the two mens car journey. They had very little money, the narrator doesn't like the California heat, and they certainly don't want to make the drive from Hollywood to Las Vegas sober. 

Put the Drugs in the Trunk Prompt #1 Chapter #1

I liked how the book began. I've seen the movie before so I knew the main gist of the plot but I was not expecting Thompson to jump right into the drug abuse. It's a different topic for a book, but also a very interesting one and i really liked how the book started. "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of he desert swhen the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I fee a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive...' And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car..." (Thompson 1) This is how the book begins and I thought it was a very strange, yet original beginning. 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Intro

I will be reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. It is a novel about a two man road trip where they are driving from Hollywood to Las Vegas. The two men decide to load up on alcohol and illegal drugs to make the trip more interesting. A trunk full of paraphernalia keeps the two men over for the duration of the excursion. Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist/author most known for Fear and Loathing. Thompson is also credited with creating Gonzo journalism where the author includes himself in the story and usually becomes the central figure. Thompson was also a wide user of alcohol and psychedelics. He also had a great distaste for any authority. Fear and Loathing is based off of a trip Thompson took with a friend to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race, the same scenario in the novel. The article Thompson wrote from this trip was much too long for any magazine, and the result was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I have seen parts of the movie, so reading the book seemed very interesting to me.  

TMD Wrap Up

What was your favorite location Ernesto visited and why?

Colombia & Venezuela

"It was...as if everything solid melted away in to the ether, eliminating all individuality and absorbing us, rigid, into the immense darkness." (p. 163) This is when Ernesto is talking about the poor people and how no one really notices them or cares about them, and he wants to help. They don't have any voice, and Ernesto feels almost obligated to help these people.

"Revolution is impersonal; it will take their lives, even utilizing their memory as an example or as an instrument for domesticating the youth who follow them." (p. 164) This is alluding to the courage of Che in fighting what he believes for. He is fighting for his people and a country to protect them from being taken over by an invading group of people. The picture shows him leading his people in a fight for freedom. 

"I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I would be with the people." (p. 164) This quotation talks about Che being split into two separate antagonistic halves. And in the end, he would choose to be with the people. The yin-yang below represents the two halves Che was talking about. 

Theme #6 Introduction

I think the site http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Thesis.html was the most helpful. It told you how to make one, and what to include in it that makes it a good thesis. This includes anticipating the opposite argument, where to put it in your paper, and what aspects of the main question to look at in order to pin down a good thesis. It has good suggestions as to how to make your thesis a respectable one, and one that would lead to a good paper. 

Ernesto set out on his motorcycle searching for ways to reach his supposed destiny as a doctor. In reality, he became Che, a revolutionist who led millions in the fight for freedom. 

Peru Diction Quiz

The tumultuous travels of Alberto and Che continue through Peru. The weather proves irrefutable as the two men encounter brutally hot days and cold South American nights. As they enter Peru, they catch a ride through Tarata from a passing truck. The man driving was transporting Indians ridden with indigence who were waiting to be sold. This scene shows the readers how much the South Americans abhorred and affront the Indians. The truck continues and the men see the relics of the Incan civilization. The remains are placid, and have a certain alluring beauty attracting the two men. They witness the restorative irrigation channels “built by the Incas for the well being of their subjects”. Thousands of sustenant waterfalls flowed from the mountain through the valley. The journey moves to Machu Picchu where Che and Alberto encounter the enigmatic scene that is Machu Picchu. Later in their trip through Peru, Che and Alberto come to Lima, the capital. The cathedral in the center of the city is the main attraction. The cathedral is said to have been crudely glorified by the conquistadores. The bestial outside was proof to the men that the conquistadors took their stagnate culture seriously.

 

 

 

Chile

One thing that happened while Ernesto was in Chile was that the two men were followed by the local newspaper while they were in the country. Often, the two men are called "the experts" and they were treated very highly by the Chileans. Multiple times, the men went to different houses and asked for food and hospitality and were given it. The people of Chile were much more accepting of the vagabonds. These experiences showed Ernesto that although the people in some places are very forbidding and inhospitable, there are some who reach out to others and will help when called upon. "Two Argentine Leprosy Experts Tour Latin America by Motorcycle...They are in Temuco and want to visit Rapa-Nui" (p. 59) Rapa-Nui is Easter Island, a former Leper colony. 

Six Word Memoir

The numbers are falling. Save up.

Apples To Apples

This is very similar to what Che did because he tried to help the people in the other countries with the guerilla warfare and other military tactics. In this article, The United States is supplying Pakistan with supplies to help them battle the Taliban and Al Qaeda. It is not an example of hypocrisy because both instances are examples of helping other groups of people in foreign areas. 

Argentina

"My quinine tablets made no difference, my head was like a drum hammering out strange rhythms, bizarre colors shifted shapelessly across the walls and some desperate heaving produced a green vomit." (p. 41)
The description he uses in this quotation is present throughout the section. In this passage, his diction really paints a picture for the reader and shows exactly how he felt. He is very precise with his word choice to show what was going on with him at the time.

"Allergic as I am to the cold, those 20 meters there and back that I swam to retrieve what Alberto had shot down made me suffer like a Bedouin. Just as well that roast duck, flavored as usual with our hunger, is one exquisite dish." (p. 48)
This scene painted by Che shows us that he is: allergic to the cold, a retriever for Alberto's game, and extremely hungry. He shows us in these two sentences that he was extremely hungry and swam for the duck that Alberto shot down. I like how he depicted this scene especially.

Essential Question

I don't know right now what I want to become. Whatever it is though, I want to be happy with my job. I want to have a job that makes me get up in the morning excited to go to work. As of now, I would like to write commercials. I am very good at the creative aspect of marketing and advertising and I think that would be a good fit for me. If that is what I end up becoming, I want to be the main commercial writer for a major company.

TMD Introduction

Dust

Clouds

The crisp clean air runs through my hair like a river

The wind picking up debris like a vacuum and spitting it back out

Trails with footprints from years past of unknown souls

Traveling without knowledge, searching for yourself

There is nothing lonelier than adventure.

Ideology

I don't have any ideals I believe very strongly in. I do have opinions for controversial topics such as gay rights and abortion, but at the same time, freedom of speech is very big to me. For me to stand up against other people because of what they feel would be going against what I am for. Having an opinion is a natural human trait. But telling someone else they are wrong for what they believe is in my mind unacceptable and close minded. Freedom of speech is a right of being a United States citizen, and who am I to take that away from someone else. 

El Che Reaction #1

I thought it was interesting how Ernesto Guevara went from a man who traveled throughout South America on a motorcycle, to a man who worked with Fidel Castro in liberating Cuba. The two men Che encompassed were polar opposites. One was a young man who was taking a random trip to see what he normally wouldn't see, and the other was a man who led revolts and a revolution. We are going to watch more of his story but knowing this much is enough to show the diversity in his life, and the lives he affected. 

TMD Timeline Post

Easy Rider and Das Kapital might never have been used in the same sentence if it wasn't for The Motorcycle Diaries. Che combined two polar opposite ideas into one. He combined the thoughts of socialism and communism into a road trip. He combines searching the world and laying loose and going with flow into what he eventually became: a communism supporter and enforcer. 

TMD Bio & Intro Post

Personally, I am excited to read TMD. I enjoy non-novels more than novels. I have never read a travel diary before, but I am excited to, especially one of this magnitude. I am expecting some memories that are more graphic than others, some experiences that you wouldn't normally hear about, and the travel of a man who would later become a new person and change the world. The 2 prefaces we read were very different, but they told us a lot. One from the lively daughter who told us of the magical ride that is explained in the book, and the other from the less enthusiastic second wife. I am excited to hear the various experiences Che encountered during his trip, and the documented material he chose to include in his travel diary. 

TMD Preface Comparison

What really helped me understand the books we have studied more is learning about the lives of the authors. Knowing about the life of the author and some of the major events from their life can help give a reason for some of the things in the books. Maybe a character goes through a certain event that you wouldn't expect, but at the same time, that event might be from the life of the author. Knowing about the life of the author may also give some reason as to why a character reacts a certain way, or why they chose a certain path in life. Another way for me to understand the books better was to learn about the political events surrounding the book, and world events from that time. 

TMD Preview Post

An epiphany is a moment when you question what is the right choice. When you have to take a step back and look at your options and really decide what path to take. An epiphany makes you realize something about yourself and makes you think about which way to tackle a situation. It shows you who you are and an epiphany usually occurs in a big decision time. An epiphany is when you don't just go with your gut, but you really take back to make a decision that is the best one not just for the present but also for the future and what decision will prove best down the road. 

Glenn Beck Response On Che

I agree with what Glenn had to say about Che. I knew he was a communist, and do see many people wearing shirts with him on it. However, those people usually don't know who he is. Glenn Beck uses words like "useful idiots" when he talks about Hollywood celebrities and other people who have chosen to idolize him because they see him as an "idealist". The truth is, Che helped Castro set up his regime and executed thousands of people. Glenn Beck's style is very affective in getting his point across on this topic. He goes off on how could people support this man? How can celebrities think that what Che did was good? His point is that Che might have been an idealist, but those ideals helped set up a Stalinist government. Glenn does an excellent job in getting his point across that Che is not who most people think he is. His guest, the author of a book about the other side of Che, agrees with Beck and explores the absurdity of support for a man like Che. Beck talks about what Che did that people don't necessarily know about and how horrible it was. Beck explores the prisons he ran, the crazy numbers of people who were executed under his command and his watch, and government that were set up because of his "ideals". Che is not the man most people think he is. In fact, he is quite the opposite.