Prompt #5

To me Wikipedia seems like one of the nicest places to find information. You just type in whatever you want and more often than not there is a web page with much of what you could want to know on the subject. The pitfall to this page is not all of the information may be valid as it is not all proven.
To avoid taking the wrong information and using it in a work of my own, I try to find a second source varifying what Wikipedia has. For example on premarital sex, Wikipedia has a lot of information on the laws in other countries. It states that in many Muslim countries fornication is illegal. This is a good basis for information on premarital sex but it is a good idea to look deeper into the subject and find out not only if the information is true but if there is more to the laws. So although Wikipedia may not have all of the facts and the information may not always be valid, it can be a good start on a subject. The important issue with it is that you double check with another source that the information is valid.

Prompt #4: What Celebrity has influenced your notion of the Good Life?

When I think about the good life, I constantly come to the conclusion that making enough money to be financially stable doing something you love will make life so much easier. For this reason I am envious of Dave Chapelle and his life style. He spends his days making people laugh and earns more than enough money to have everything he needs. I've seen him live and being able to just sit and talk to people for an hour or so and make them laugh is quite a talent. I also respect that even though he could live a very extravagant life, he doesn't. He doesn't feel the need to flaunt his wealth by wearing "bling" or "ice". In fact, he makes light of his wealth in some of the skits on his television show. When is comes down to it he has taken advantage of his ability to entertian people and has been able to make a living. Although at times all jobs can be stressful when expectations are high, for the most part I think having your own television show and doing whatever you want on it would be a good job. I am jealous of Dave Chappelle's life style and hope that I find some talent I am passionate about that I can use to establish a solid profession and generate enough wealth to have everything I desire. The American Dream is to get rich without having to work and like I've said before if you love your job, you'll never have to work a day in your life. The secret is finding that job that gives you adequate funds to live the life you want.

Prompt #3

An analysis is innovative when it brings something to the table that no one has thought of before. There are many opinons about works that come to mind right away upon reading but when the reader deeply looks into the passage and comes up with a unique way of looking at the work, they then have something innovative. An innovative analysis should open the reader' mind and allow them to think about the subject in a different manner.
Both works "Bop" by Langston Huges and ""How It Feels to Be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston, have disctinct language and style that allows for innovative analysis. The dialogue in "Bop" really show the reader about the racism in the country back then in a different manner. Rather than just stating there is racism in our country, Huges uses a conversation to show how he was treated in our country. This in itself is an innovative way of think about racism and how it affected people. Hurston also uses a different way to show the racism in our country. Through her story, we find out that, to her race did not matter and it was other people that told her that race was a big issue. The story really hits home because we are all just people when it comes down to it, so what is setting us so far apart? Her description of her memories really help show the reader what her experiences were like. Both of these works help illustrate what racism was like for the author. Their innovative approach at describing their lives help the reader come up with innvovative analysis as to why racism is such a big issue in our society.

Prompt #2: What does the individual owe the community? And vice versa?

Because the community is made up of individuals, it owes everything to the individual. Without the individual there would be no community and no sense of belonging in our society. Even if you are put into a community against your will, you are a part of that community. Martin Luther King talks about the struggles of being part of the black community back then by saying they all were, “humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"”. There was nothing they could do to change who they were born as or what they looked like. (Yea, I know Michael Jackson.) None of them chose to be discriminated and segregated into separate communities, but because of the racist feelings at that time, they were segregated in many ways of life. There were segregated schools, bathrooms, water fountains and even parts of town- the whites always getting what is best. Instead of giving up as individuals they banded together as a community and worked to promote equality for all. The community depended on the work of the individuals for it to survive, so in that sense they community owes its success to the individuals.
At the same time, the individual depends on the community for much of its success. In a country this big, there is little one person can do to make a change. The way to get things done these days is to make your change desired by most. If there is popular consensus for your cause, then it is possible to get results. Although Martin Luther King was a great leader and very persuasive, he is not solely responsive for the equality in our country today. It was the entire black community that finally got the changes they needed to live freely and without discrimination. Each individual person in the community could not do it alone and depended on the person next to them to help get the job done. If there were only 5 people at the March on Washington to listen to Luther’s “I Have A Dream” speech instead of 200,000, there would not have been as much attention. The 200,000 people created a scene and attracted other people’s awareness. Then once more and more people started finding out about the injustice and discrimination, it gained more support but without the base community, no one would even notice. This example shows how not only the community depends on the individual, but the individual depends on the community. Separate, they may not get the job done, but when you put them together, the individual can work for the community make the community work for the individual.

Prompt #1

If everyone lived life without questioning anything, would we be here today? If our forefathers had not questioned the establishment governing them we might all be English today. We are brought up in a country established on questioning what you believe is wrong and not settling for ignorance, but how far should we take this mentality today? Does this hold true in every incidence or are there specific examples in which ignorace is bliss?
When I go to McDonalds and I'm in the mood for a Big Mac, knowing that it has 30 grams of fat can ruin the experience. Sometimes you just crave a Big Mac but hearing that it has almost half of the fat you are supposed to consume in one day will usually kill that craving. What if you are half way through your Big Mac and someone then imforms you of this information? Would you eat the other half? I know that could potentially ruin my meal. For me when I have a craving and I'm eating a Big Mac I would just rather not know how terrible it is for me. In this case ignorance is bliss temporarily. The issue with thinking this way is if you go through life never knowing that Big Macs aren't good for you and you eat them daily, you will end up with some serious health issues. It could be very dangerous and lead to your death. In this case ignorance is not bliss and it is important to question what you are eating. So where do you draw the line?
I believe it is important to question life and how we live when we could end up being hurt. There are cases, however, that it is just better to not know everything and although you may end up believing something false, the truth of the matter would end up soley hurting you. If a mother sends her only son to war and he ends up a POW who is severely tortured and killed, would it be better for this mother to know the truth? I think that her knowing that her son fought valiently for their country and died a heroic death is plently of information. She already has to cope with the fact that she lost her only son, why should we give her more to grieve about?
So then should we live the unquestioned life? Yes and no. When dealing with issues in which information can help us live better lives, we should question. We should find out all we need to know that will keep us safe, healthy and happy. By exploring these issues we will further understand what is wrong and what is right and what will lead to a better life. In issues where information will only hurt us, what is the point in knowing? What is the point in questioning when the only possible outcome is sadness. When we are not in danger of anything then ignorance is, in fact, protecting us. So there is a fine line and its placement depends all on the person. Some people can not rest until they get to the bottom of things whereas others are perfectly content just not knowing. Knowing yourself is the key to knowing how much you should question.