Thoughts

This original, adolescent classic by Lois Lowry is interesting just as much for its message as it is for its story. Set in an unnamed and fictional community that has known nothing but order and routine, the story centers on a twelve year-old boy named Jonas, whose perceptions of the world broaden as he is exposed to what life was like before the community reached perfection. It is an old, wise man-- known only as "The Giver"-- who introduced this knowledge to Jonas and who is charged with preparing Jonas to become the new "Giver" and so take on all the memories of the past, so that the rest of society does not have to. By unwillingly taking on this responsibility-- he was chosen for the role-- Jonas thus becomes somewhat of a messiah to the community, saving them from remembering the true extent of human depravity and suffering that has been locked away in history. In fact, Lowry uses her work as commentary on topics as broad as the utopian ideal, human feelings, r...

One of my classes is reading this classic novel by William Golding, who uses it to express the dangers of lawlessness. Set on a lush and isolated island, several boys have flown from Great Britain, in the throes of World War II, only to crash and be left alone. Golding's theme-- that civil behavior between people will dissolve without the structure of rules-- revolves around and is informed by a growing conflict between two boys who represent discipline, on the one hand, and leisure on the other. There is an irony in the characters who represent these two sides, for the one who begins carefree-- the protagonist and "chief," named Ralph-- becomes increasingly preoccupied with maintaining discipline for the sake of rescue; while the other, Jack, is introduced as an exacting and efficient leader of a boys' choir, but whose interest turns almost exclusively to the fun of hunting pig. Ralph's interest in maintaining a smoke signal becomes obsessive, as does Jack's ...

If I could redecorate my house, here is what I would do. I would knock out all of my inside walls so that my home was one large room. I would then establish a miniature Disneyland, with each quadrant being a new "land" and around which would circle a human-sized train. The train would have a whistle. Rides fitting to each land would be constructed. 1. Frozen Yogurt Land would have a frozen yogurt shop and frozen yogurt. 2. Air Born Land would have a trampoline, a huge fan that can hold people stationary in the air and so imitate skydiving, and one of those plane rides you see at the grocery store that you sit in and rock back and forth. 3. Government Land would have lego sets that represent the three branches of the United States government, with little lego figures debating in their lego congress and other little lego figures protesting. 4. Finally would be Puppies-Versus-Kittens Land. Here, puppies and kittens would be dressed as gladiators. Several bow...

On Saturday, I dropped syrup on my shoe. The stains are still there, so I thought I would celebrate the event with a poem. It is called "Syrup on the Shoe." Syrup on the Shoe Pancake clouds in skies of blue Dropped sugared glassy beads on cue And rained their maple goodness goo These drops of sticky sap fell through Left shiny stains alit with hue But, lo, the act was seen by few Was seen by precious privileged few Those who did found life anew Intrigued by this what seemed askew But all their wit and all they knew And all the thought and high IQ With all their intellect in view Left learned men without a clue Their guess, that it was formed from dew A lamb, a simple village ewe Could see that this would be untrue But thinking men see red for blue See red for green and gold and blue Not the booming of a Jersey’s moo Nor quiet of a kitten’s mew Nor the scent of every mother’s stew Could now distract this thoughtful c...

Those who make fun of others try in vain to reverse the damage done to them. When someone is on the receiving end of this fun, he or she learns to strike back, avoid those who mocked, or console himself with vengeful thoughts or escapism. When he or she chooses to strike back, a cycle can begin. The mocked becomes the mocker, and spreads a mindset of cynicism and defensiveness like a vector spreads a disease. On and on this cycle goes until one of these hurt ones breaks it. He breaks it when he finds a purpose into which he can invest himself wholeheartedly. She breaks it when she seeks people who help to reverse the damage for her, searching out healthy and encouraging friendships. She finds it when she begins to understand the self-same hurt in others that she herself has known; and most of all, he breaks it when faced with his own depravity, finding that forgiveness-- to borrow from Scripture-- is a debt paid in an amount far greater for himself than that which is owed to him. Espec...

The heart is like a turnstile, At times turning to the beat of men; At others returning to itself again. And when it ceases to let them in, It knows its time is through; For the heart is not alone meant for me, But is always meant to be turned by you.

Sigmund Freud believed dreams are the mind's way of fulfilling wishes. In an excerpt from his Interpretation of Dreams , he offers several examples of dreams with obvious ties to wish fulfillment. One of these is from a young medical student who had difficulty waking up in the morning. To help, he asked his landlady to wake him each morning. On one of these mornings, she yelled through his door, "Wake up, Herr Pepi! It's time to go to the hospital!" He dreamed in response that he lay in a sick bed in the same hospital as a patient. In his dream, he said, "As I'm already in the hospital, there's no need for me to go there," and continued sleeping. This dream was a way to reconcile his need to get to the hospital and his desire to continue sleeping. The examples Freud uses in this excerpt are exclusively positive. They are all dreams that represent some desire being fulfilled, whether it is a dream of Freud himself drinking water to quench his real ...