A Dream in an All-Too-Real World

We just started reading Fences, and so far I've only gotten through the first scene. Something that's already starting to develop, though, is the relationship between Troy and his son Lyon. It seems that the two are relatively distant from each other, and the book has hinted that this is because Troy split from the mother and remarried and because the two characters live in quite different worlds. Troy is a bitter man who just works whatever job he can get for his next paycheck while Lyon dreams of bigger things and a life full of music and passion. Lyon, however, doesn't seem to accept anything short his of dreams and is forced to mooch off of his father for money. Do you think Lyon is lazy or irresponsible for choosing not to get a job and support himself and his wife, and do you think Troy should feel obligated to give away the money that he earned? I personally think that Lyon shouldn't rely on his father, and that he should at least try to provide for himself and his wife instead of chasing things that may never amount to anything, but that's just my opinion.

Family Obligations

One thing that keeps sticking out to me in the Metamorphosis is the idea of the duty and the debt Gregor has to his family. Throughout the first two chapters it has been indicated that Gregor's father lost his job several years before and since then Gregor has been making up the slack for his entire family and paying whatever debt there is between his family and his workplace. He unselfishly takes on this role and asks nothing in return even when he's transformed into a giant beetle and is in obvious need of help. One of his first thoughts upon awakening is whether he'll be able to make it to the train on time to get to work to pay off the debt, and he doesn't even think about how he's going to escape his own predicament. Even when his family is about to witness his horrendous transformation, he considers that they'll think his transformation isn't a big deal and that he can still make the 8:00 train. Later, when it's obvious everyone besides him is repulsed by the sight of him, he tries to catch the manager so that his reputation at the firm is not ruined. All the while, he is not worried about himself.

His unselfishness is depicted in the second chapter as well when he wonders how he can ease the pain of his family and sister in particular, when he is the one that's truly in pain. He ends up covering himself with sheets so that his sister doesn't have to bear the sight of him. He is also infinitely more concerned when his mother collapses upon seeing him, than he is at any time during his own turmoil.

Do you guys think the burden placed on Gregor is too great or unfair, and how differently do you think the family should react to Gregor's transformation?

What Happened to Morals?

As part of our collaboration, I've been reading the Hunger Games, and something that instantly sticks out his how outrageously cruel the society is. The Capitol (governing body of the new world) takes tributes every year from the 12 districts and throws them into a rink to battle to the death. To make things worse, the whole thing is televised and everyone in the remaining world watches their struggle for survival as if it were just another reality TV show. Some people watch to see if their friends or family will survive, but the others watch simply for entertainment. They cheer on every kill without the slightest pang of sympathy. While reading, I couldn't help but think that we are the same. It's incredible the things we watch on TV, and no show lasts without some sort of fighting or battle. Even more striking is how news channels are obsessed with death. There is no such thing as happy news, and this is solely because it's the only way to get ratings. Nobody would watch if they only preached happy things instead. We even willingly watch our family and friends fight each other in sports events. It's interesting that football is probably the most liked sport in our society. Is this because it's the most violent and destructive one?

My Interests

         School, although undoubtedly more work than leisure, has become my primary interest, which is sad I know, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it to be true. I dedicate myself fully for the eight hours we are forced to be there, and I find I spend even more time than necessary on work outside of school. I even enjoy it many times. I pride myself on doing well through hard work.
         Anyway, when I'm not too busy being a nerd, I turn to the more geeky side of me and play endless amounts of video games, RPG's in particular. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge each one poses, and I can't get enough of the sometimes-mindless carnage. On a more peaceful, but equally geeky, note I also am quite interested in fantasy novels. I've read my fair share in the past, but I seem to read less and less the deeper I go into high school. Who knows, maybe this class will change that. Among my favorite books are the Bartimaeus, Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Inheritance, and Wheel of Time and series. Oh, and there's also the Shannara series and the Great Tree of Avalon series. They're all good, check them out sometime.
       I've already listed my favorite books, but my favorite movie may be just as hard to pinpoint. I like almost any decent action-adventure movie. I love marvel comic book based superhero movies, and I like more fantasy-based themes like in Harry Potter, but I think the Pirates of the Caribbean may be my favorite. The first one is the best, and they've all gone downhill since then. I'm nervous about how the fourth one will turn out. I don't have very high expectations. 
      As far my post-high school plans go, I intend to go to the UW Madison and major in Biochemistry or a related field. I've never really considered going anywhere besides Madison, and I can't imagine going anywhere far away. I guess I'm not very ambitious, and I'm not desperate to escape my home. I quite enjoy my life, and I don't really want any drastic change.