Everyone loves beautiful and peaceful places. Canyons or mountains or cliffs or rivers. What do you think draws people to graffiti these places?
Well, for some people its just to say: "I've been there." I don't really understand it myself, all graffiti for that matter. I guess its like a marking of territory but its not really yours and it won't be even if you put your name or your gang symbol there or whatever. To me it doesn't make sense to deface anything, especially something that not a whole lot of people will see anyway. I don't understand the need to do so but there are people that do and for one reason or another they will continue to do so.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
April 22-28 Blog Post
In some cultures dogs are part of daily cuisine. In some cows are worshiped. What would other cultures look at as strange or unacceptable in our culture, food or otherwise?
Well, look at how unhealthy we eat. I'm fairly certain that other cultures find that strange and or unacceptable. I mean, just look at the difference in food we eat compared to a different culture. We eat way more of everything, not to mention the snack food/soda stuff that everyone seems to go way overboard on. In France the biggest size of soda a mainstream fast food restaurant has is twelve ounces, here that's less than a small. And I'm not trying to bash on any fast food restaurant, I'm only saying our portion sizes are a lot bigger here.
Well, look at how unhealthy we eat. I'm fairly certain that other cultures find that strange and or unacceptable. I mean, just look at the difference in food we eat compared to a different culture. We eat way more of everything, not to mention the snack food/soda stuff that everyone seems to go way overboard on. In France the biggest size of soda a mainstream fast food restaurant has is twelve ounces, here that's less than a small. And I'm not trying to bash on any fast food restaurant, I'm only saying our portion sizes are a lot bigger here.
Monday, April 22, 2013
April 15-21 Blog Post
In what situations is it wise for a friend to give advice and when should they just listen?
Well you should quite simply give advice when they need it, when they just need someone to listen to them is when you should listen. If the situation calls for advice, when they need it give it to them, if not, listen. That is all there is to it. If someone was complaining to you, they don't need advice, but if they were to not know what to do next then they need it. Although the situations aren't always that simple, it is fairly easy to tell when you should help and when you should just listen.
Well you should quite simply give advice when they need it, when they just need someone to listen to them is when you should listen. If the situation calls for advice, when they need it give it to them, if not, listen. That is all there is to it. If someone was complaining to you, they don't need advice, but if they were to not know what to do next then they need it. Although the situations aren't always that simple, it is fairly easy to tell when you should help and when you should just listen.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
April 8-14 Blog Post
You have been struggling financially your whole life. You just won a million dollar lottery. Do you give any to charity?
Nope, screw them I won it, it's mine, just kidding. Yeah, I'd give some of the money to charity but I'd keep most of it, because, well I'm selfish. But hey, I won that money so I can do whatever I want with it, right? I'm not really sure what kind of charities are out there so I'm not exactly sure where I'd give the money to but it'd help somebody somewhere, or fix something. Or whatever, I don't know, it'd be for a good cause that's all that matters.
Nope, screw them I won it, it's mine, just kidding. Yeah, I'd give some of the money to charity but I'd keep most of it, because, well I'm selfish. But hey, I won that money so I can do whatever I want with it, right? I'm not really sure what kind of charities are out there so I'm not exactly sure where I'd give the money to but it'd help somebody somewhere, or fix something. Or whatever, I don't know, it'd be for a good cause that's all that matters.
April 2-7 Blog Post
If someone you loved was seriously injured or killed by a texting driver, would that stop you from ever texting while driving?
You know, I don't text and drive all that much. But when I do, its always on my road, which hardly ever has any people on it. I know, its still not safe but at least I'm not endangering anyone but myself. Back to the point though, if someone I loved were killed or injured by a texting driver, I would probably stop, not that it'd be that hard to stop anyway, but yes I would stop texting and driving.
You know, I don't text and drive all that much. But when I do, its always on my road, which hardly ever has any people on it. I know, its still not safe but at least I'm not endangering anyone but myself. Back to the point though, if someone I loved were killed or injured by a texting driver, I would probably stop, not that it'd be that hard to stop anyway, but yes I would stop texting and driving.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Mar. 4-10 Blog Post
What advice would you give to the upcoming freshman to help them be successful in high school? Consider Multiple aspects of success: academic, athletic, social.
Academic: School is not all that hard to be good at, it is however very boring and time-consuming. One piece of advice I can give is that homework is boring and cuts into the things you want to do, but to let it back up until you have to do it is a very bad idea. So, just do your homework when its given out, it makes life a lot easier.
Athletic: I never got into the sports, even as much as I was told to try them. I just didn't like any team sport in general. It's not that they can't be fun, it's just that I didn't find them very fun, especially after I got into motocross.
Social: Ha! I am not the person to ask about any social issue, that's for sure.
Academic: School is not all that hard to be good at, it is however very boring and time-consuming. One piece of advice I can give is that homework is boring and cuts into the things you want to do, but to let it back up until you have to do it is a very bad idea. So, just do your homework when its given out, it makes life a lot easier.
Athletic: I never got into the sports, even as much as I was told to try them. I just didn't like any team sport in general. It's not that they can't be fun, it's just that I didn't find them very fun, especially after I got into motocross.
Social: Ha! I am not the person to ask about any social issue, that's for sure.
Feb. 25- Mar. 3 Blog Post
Suppose you had a black box of your life. What would it contain?
Uh, I really don't know what that's supposed to mean. A black box of my life? Like something that I don't want people to know about? If that's the case, I don't want people to know about it. If I knew what it meant I'd write something more meaningful, but I, however, have no clue as to what that means. But I am fairly good at BS'ing my way through a paper, if you haven't already noticed. I'm not sure how far I am already but I'd say I'm three quarters of the way through. Oh, I just thought of something, if I go off topic do I get points marked off? If so, I only went off topic because I didn't understand what the topic was. Well, I guess I get what credit I get.
Uh, I really don't know what that's supposed to mean. A black box of my life? Like something that I don't want people to know about? If that's the case, I don't want people to know about it. If I knew what it meant I'd write something more meaningful, but I, however, have no clue as to what that means. But I am fairly good at BS'ing my way through a paper, if you haven't already noticed. I'm not sure how far I am already but I'd say I'm three quarters of the way through. Oh, I just thought of something, if I go off topic do I get points marked off? If so, I only went off topic because I didn't understand what the topic was. Well, I guess I get what credit I get.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Feb. 18-24 Blog Post
What is your favorite quote? Why and how has it affected your life?
My favorite quote is: "Live now, pay later." I know to most people it seems crazy but I have basically based my life around this. Life is a short thing and I feel that if you don't do what you wanted while you can, then how will you be able to do that later? I'll admit I've done some stupid things in my life, but at least I can say: been there, done that. You die anyway, might as well make this life worth dying for. Not much more I can say, but that is what I feel and yes I am already paying for it but that's alright in my mind.
My favorite quote is: "Live now, pay later." I know to most people it seems crazy but I have basically based my life around this. Life is a short thing and I feel that if you don't do what you wanted while you can, then how will you be able to do that later? I'll admit I've done some stupid things in my life, but at least I can say: been there, done that. You die anyway, might as well make this life worth dying for. Not much more I can say, but that is what I feel and yes I am already paying for it but that's alright in my mind.
Feb. 11-17 Blog Post
What do we need to do to encourage less fast food and more fruits and vegetables?
Well for one we could make fast food more expensive than fruits and vegetables, and put fruits and vegetables as sides for meals. Another thing we could do is sell a healthier meal at fast food restaurants that would come with whatever fruit or vegetable you wanted. The one thing people see in fast food is, well, its quick and easy, but what some people don't understand is that making your own meals is not only healthier it is a lot less expensive if you look at it in the long term and it doesn't have to take a lot of time to make. So, if you could make people more aware of how much better it was for you to make a meal for yourself, it would make it a lot easier to work out all the greasy fast food that everyone seems to go for.
Well for one we could make fast food more expensive than fruits and vegetables, and put fruits and vegetables as sides for meals. Another thing we could do is sell a healthier meal at fast food restaurants that would come with whatever fruit or vegetable you wanted. The one thing people see in fast food is, well, its quick and easy, but what some people don't understand is that making your own meals is not only healthier it is a lot less expensive if you look at it in the long term and it doesn't have to take a lot of time to make. So, if you could make people more aware of how much better it was for you to make a meal for yourself, it would make it a lot easier to work out all the greasy fast food that everyone seems to go for.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Feb. 4-10 Blog Post
Do you think rehabilitation of criminals works, or do you think punishment is the way to go? Would a combination of both work? In my opinion, rehabilitation works to a certain extent. But I also believe that punishment, although frowned upon, is needed in some cases. Of course it depends on the severity of the crime that they have committed, but I believe that a combination of both would work, because there should be a negative consequence for any crime, and some sort of rehabilitation to stop them from doing so in the future. It seems like nowadays that there is no consequence for actions, which is why I believe it should be this way.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Jan. 28- Feb. 3 Blog Post
Which superpower would be most useful to have as president of the United States to fix a struggling country? Being super intelligent would probably have to be the most useful thing for a president to have. Because then they could figure out how to fix the problems with our country with ease, hopefully. But, there may be a downfall to this, because if they wanted to they could take over our country if they see it fit. They could become the next Hitler, only worse... So, I say no super heros/villians, just in case.
Jan. 21-27 Blog Post
You have the opportunity for one day to take an all-expense paid trip to either Stonehenge or The Great Wall of China. Which do you choose and why? I would go to Stonehenge because, in all honesty, I do not see how you could make it to China, see the Great Wall, and get back in one day. Yes, I am finding any reason to get more words on this post but it is a valid question. But then again, could you make it to Stonehenge and back in one day? Eh, I don't know but I would like to Stonehenge more than the Great Wall anyway, because it is more interesting to me. I mean, how did they lift those rocks? That'd take a crazy amount of effort, and what for? What is stonehenge even there for? I would like to know.
Jan. 14-20 Blog Post
Why do you think we, as a society, care more about Hollywood than the Curiosity Rover exporing Mars? Because as a society we love stupid enteraining things. Pointlessness is entertaining, thus we care more about Hollywood than the Curiosity Rover exploring Mars, that could provide us with a new home in the future when our world goes to hell. We love to watch someone get shot on television, even though we know it is not real and just glorifies the act, instead of figuring a cure for cancer, or AIDs, ect.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Extreme Sports
Josh Pinneo
Mr. Gowans
Language Arts 12
1/16/2013
To get started we need to understand the term extreme sports. Although the term “extreme sport” is used to describe a bunch of different activities, its true meaning is hardly ever understood. “Extreme sport” is a term that is not easily defined because it is not an exact term and the sports that it refers to is debatable. However there is several characteristics that are common to most extreme sports. They involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion, and highly specialized gear. They differ from non-risk sports due to a higher number of uncontrollable events, which presents a major challenge that seems to motivate some to try and overcome these challenges. Some commonly considered extreme sports are: motorcross, skydiving, BASE jumping, and so on. So, basically “extreme sport” refers to any sport that requires a certain amount of risk on top of the physical exertion that comes with sports. The sports that are considered to be an extreme sport is up to your interpretation of the term, depending on what you feel is “extreme.”
Most people consider these sports to be too dangerous, but with the addition of technology they are safer than ever. Football is actually at the top of the list of the most dangerous sports today with an approximate 275,000 head injuries, 145,000 shoulder injuries, 88,000 lower arm injuries, and 88,000 lower leg injuries according to. Basketball came in second with 2,560,000 injuries total. Approximately 258,000 of those were ankle injuries, 198,000 of those were finger/hand injuries, 175,500 of those were knee injuries, and 190,000 of those were face and cheek injuries. Motorsports came in third on that list, although the injury rate was not figured on the table it did say that motorsports has a high number of injuries, although it was behind football and basketball, but for what it is it would have a lot more, thanks to the new technology the injury rate was a lot less than it would be. (11 Most Dangerous Sports). With all of the new technology today and all the specialized gear that is required to wear while participating in these sports is the main reason that extreme sports is safer than they appear, and with new technology there are new ways to push the limits of any extreme sport, which makes for more excitement and a more enjoyable time, which makes people want to come back and try again.
What kind of personality does it take to participate in extreme sports? Well Tanj et al. decided they would compare a few personality traits of people that participated in high-risk sports, people that participated in non-risk sports, and non-athletes. They stated that the want to participate in these sports with the apparent danger involved is a sign of insanity and yet people still want to do them. But, they found that participants in high-risk sports scored highest in emotional stability, followed by non-athletes, with the lowest score going to non-athletes. The same was true for the next two categories, conscientiousness and energy. But in the openness category high-risk athletes scored the lowest. The study also showed that high-risk athletes are more likely to teach the sport to someone else than a non-risk athlete, which could explain the large growth rate in extreme sports.
These sports have become almost mainstream and why is that? Why are there so many people that would risk it all just for some rush? Well according to Young Ko there are more spectators and participants coming into the high-risk sports, a 10% increase in the last decade, whereas there has been a decline in spectators in the non-risk sports. But why is this? It’s because these sports show a rebellious and individualistic side that cannot be expressed otherwise.
So, why is it that anyone would want to watch these sports? Why is it that anyone wants to watch any sport? Because it brings some sense of enjoyment and the upredicitability of sports keep us waiting to see how it will end, but in extreme sports the excitement is raised to another level because of the risk involved in performing them. One of the main reasons for watching any sport is that we tend to identify ourselves with the winners, which is why we get upset when the team or person you wanted to win didn’t.
One major thing about extreme sports is they take a lot of effort to accomplish. Training and practice are a given but it requires a lot more attention than most sports because of the risk involved. It takes a lot of practice and training to be good at these sports, but for many it is worth the time, risk, and effort.
The challenging nature of an extreme sport is another motivator for the participants. To overcome some of the challenges that these sports present is one of the top driving factors to participate, it is these challenges however that present the major injuries that the sports see. But with the advancement of technology there has been a significant reduction in the resulting injuries, mainly with the development of new specialized gear. In any sport however there is an injury rate that comes with participating in it, that is something that the new developments are trying to prevent but in any case it happens.
There is a certain limitation to sports in general, which is one of the driving forces for people to participate in extreme sports, because by participating in extreme sports there is a way to push those limitations to as far as you are willing to take them. In fact, being able to push limitations is one of the most definitive reasons to participate in extreme sports, behind self-realization and enjoyment. Self-realization is simply getting to know your limitations and how far you are willing to push yourself in such a sport.
Another reason people participate in these sports is to increase skill level in those areas. Because these sports are fairly challenging it takes quite a bit of skill to even participate in them, and with mastery of a sport comes the showing off, which is why so many people try to emulate the participants of these sports, which could explain the large growth rate in the last decade.
According to Hetland et al. there are two main motivating forces, the desire for challenges and to increase mastery and skill. The other is quite simply the feeling of joy they feel from doing so. This does explain why someone would want to try something of this nature, but does it make it worth the risk? In my opinion it does, but that is something you have to decide.
Hetland, Auden. Vitterso, Joar. “The Feelings of Extreme Risk: Exploring Emotional Quality and Variability in Skydiving and BASE Jumping.” Journal of Sport Behavior 35.2 (2011): 154-180. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Ko, Young Jae. Park, Hyewon. Clausse, Cathryn L. “Action sports participation: consumer motivation.” International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. 9.2 (2008): 111-124. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Rauter, Samo. Topic, Mojca Doupona. “Perspectives Of The Sport-Oriented Public In Slovenia On Extreme Sports.” Kinesiology 43.1 (2011): 82-90. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Tanja, Kajtna. Et al. “Personality In High-Risk Sports Athletes.” Kinesiology 36.1 (2004): 24-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Mr. Gowans
Language Arts 12
1/16/2013
Extreme Sports
Have you ever wondered why anyone in their right mind would participate in any sport that they could potentially die in? Well, there is no simple explanation. Even after years of these sports becoming, somewhat, mainstream there has been little to no research to explain the want to participate in such a sport. What I’m going to cover in this paper is the main reason why people participate in these sports and why we like to watch them.To get started we need to understand the term extreme sports. Although the term “extreme sport” is used to describe a bunch of different activities, its true meaning is hardly ever understood. “Extreme sport” is a term that is not easily defined because it is not an exact term and the sports that it refers to is debatable. However there is several characteristics that are common to most extreme sports. They involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion, and highly specialized gear. They differ from non-risk sports due to a higher number of uncontrollable events, which presents a major challenge that seems to motivate some to try and overcome these challenges. Some commonly considered extreme sports are: motorcross, skydiving, BASE jumping, and so on. So, basically “extreme sport” refers to any sport that requires a certain amount of risk on top of the physical exertion that comes with sports. The sports that are considered to be an extreme sport is up to your interpretation of the term, depending on what you feel is “extreme.”
Most people consider these sports to be too dangerous, but with the addition of technology they are safer than ever. Football is actually at the top of the list of the most dangerous sports today with an approximate 275,000 head injuries, 145,000 shoulder injuries, 88,000 lower arm injuries, and 88,000 lower leg injuries according to. Basketball came in second with 2,560,000 injuries total. Approximately 258,000 of those were ankle injuries, 198,000 of those were finger/hand injuries, 175,500 of those were knee injuries, and 190,000 of those were face and cheek injuries. Motorsports came in third on that list, although the injury rate was not figured on the table it did say that motorsports has a high number of injuries, although it was behind football and basketball, but for what it is it would have a lot more, thanks to the new technology the injury rate was a lot less than it would be. (11 Most Dangerous Sports). With all of the new technology today and all the specialized gear that is required to wear while participating in these sports is the main reason that extreme sports is safer than they appear, and with new technology there are new ways to push the limits of any extreme sport, which makes for more excitement and a more enjoyable time, which makes people want to come back and try again.
What kind of personality does it take to participate in extreme sports? Well Tanj et al. decided they would compare a few personality traits of people that participated in high-risk sports, people that participated in non-risk sports, and non-athletes. They stated that the want to participate in these sports with the apparent danger involved is a sign of insanity and yet people still want to do them. But, they found that participants in high-risk sports scored highest in emotional stability, followed by non-athletes, with the lowest score going to non-athletes. The same was true for the next two categories, conscientiousness and energy. But in the openness category high-risk athletes scored the lowest. The study also showed that high-risk athletes are more likely to teach the sport to someone else than a non-risk athlete, which could explain the large growth rate in extreme sports.
These sports have become almost mainstream and why is that? Why are there so many people that would risk it all just for some rush? Well according to Young Ko there are more spectators and participants coming into the high-risk sports, a 10% increase in the last decade, whereas there has been a decline in spectators in the non-risk sports. But why is this? It’s because these sports show a rebellious and individualistic side that cannot be expressed otherwise.
So, why is it that anyone would want to watch these sports? Why is it that anyone wants to watch any sport? Because it brings some sense of enjoyment and the upredicitability of sports keep us waiting to see how it will end, but in extreme sports the excitement is raised to another level because of the risk involved in performing them. One of the main reasons for watching any sport is that we tend to identify ourselves with the winners, which is why we get upset when the team or person you wanted to win didn’t.
One major thing about extreme sports is they take a lot of effort to accomplish. Training and practice are a given but it requires a lot more attention than most sports because of the risk involved. It takes a lot of practice and training to be good at these sports, but for many it is worth the time, risk, and effort.
The challenging nature of an extreme sport is another motivator for the participants. To overcome some of the challenges that these sports present is one of the top driving factors to participate, it is these challenges however that present the major injuries that the sports see. But with the advancement of technology there has been a significant reduction in the resulting injuries, mainly with the development of new specialized gear. In any sport however there is an injury rate that comes with participating in it, that is something that the new developments are trying to prevent but in any case it happens.
There is a certain limitation to sports in general, which is one of the driving forces for people to participate in extreme sports, because by participating in extreme sports there is a way to push those limitations to as far as you are willing to take them. In fact, being able to push limitations is one of the most definitive reasons to participate in extreme sports, behind self-realization and enjoyment. Self-realization is simply getting to know your limitations and how far you are willing to push yourself in such a sport.
Another reason people participate in these sports is to increase skill level in those areas. Because these sports are fairly challenging it takes quite a bit of skill to even participate in them, and with mastery of a sport comes the showing off, which is why so many people try to emulate the participants of these sports, which could explain the large growth rate in the last decade.
According to Hetland et al. there are two main motivating forces, the desire for challenges and to increase mastery and skill. The other is quite simply the feeling of joy they feel from doing so. This does explain why someone would want to try something of this nature, but does it make it worth the risk? In my opinion it does, but that is something you have to decide.
Work Cited
“11 Most Dangerous Sports.” Totalprosports. n.d. n.p. Web. Jan. 19 2013.Hetland, Auden. Vitterso, Joar. “The Feelings of Extreme Risk: Exploring Emotional Quality and Variability in Skydiving and BASE Jumping.” Journal of Sport Behavior 35.2 (2011): 154-180. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Ko, Young Jae. Park, Hyewon. Clausse, Cathryn L. “Action sports participation: consumer motivation.” International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. 9.2 (2008): 111-124. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Rauter, Samo. Topic, Mojca Doupona. “Perspectives Of The Sport-Oriented Public In Slovenia On Extreme Sports.” Kinesiology 43.1 (2011): 82-90. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Tanja, Kajtna. Et al. “Personality In High-Risk Sports Athletes.” Kinesiology 36.1 (2004): 24-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. Jan. 11 2013.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Giver/ Anthem Essay
Josh Pinneo
Mr. Gowans
L. A. 12
12/12/12
“We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden.” (Rand 18). Equality is born with the capacity to be different, he learns and comprehends better than any of his brothers. He also wants to know more but is made to believe that this is evil, to be different from his brothers in any way. He figures out that there is more to the world than what his brothers lead on to, but he still feels that what he is doing is wrong, yet he continues to pursue these thoughts. In this sense he is the rule breaker, but nonetheless he is clear evidence that equality cannot truly be achieved because there is always going to be someone or something to break the rule.
In both the stories, the main characters both leave their communities.They are both born with a certain difference, which drives them to leave. Although if the communities they lived in were truly equal, why were they born different in the first place and why were they allowed to live in a community that saw them as different? Even in a “perfect” society they cannot stop one person from thinking, which is their downfall, because it is human nature to be different, it might be in just small ways but different nonetheless.
A community can only hold us back if we choose to let it, there are those of us who will choose to fight it, even when they stand alone. Even when they face uncertainty there is always going to be someone that will be different from the rest and stand up against all odds for it. There is always someone or something to break a rule, that is why true equality can never be achieved even under the best conditions for it.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Dutton, 1995. Print
Mr. Gowans
L. A. 12
12/12/12
Title
In The Giver, Jonas (the main character) becomes the new receiver of memories; the receiver of memories, get this, receives memories from the past, when they could still see colors. As the new receiver of memories, he witnesses the pain and anguish along with the joyful and happy memories. He learns to love and wishes that upon the rest of his community but they cannot comprehend. The Giver comes up with a plan for Jonas to leave the community, because when he leaves all of his memories come back to them.
In Anthem, Equality 7-2521 (the main character) is born different than the rest of his brothers. He comprehends and learns faster than his brothers, which in this community is a sin because he could know more which would not be equal. In the story Equality wishes to be a scholar, because he believes that he could bring more help to the community, but in a community that is afraid of change, they designate him to street sweeper. He sees this as a way to repent for the great “sin” but in turn he becomes more knowledgeable because of a tunnel from the past he found while on the job. He discovers a light bulb which he later figures out how to work. This drives him to want to learn more, to want to bring knowledge to his community for the better of it. But they do not see this, they see someone who has broken every rule for some lost cause. He escapes from the community later on, and decides that he will create a community better, one that lets a person be a person.
Both these communities have one thing in common, they want to promote equality. This, however, is impossible. They cannot stop one person from thinking different from another, although they can get close there is always something or someone to break the rule. Therefore, true equality can never be achieved.
In The Giver, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories, this means that he gets memories from the past, when people could see color, know what love and hate meant, and know pain. In his community they have effectively removed these memories from the population, except there is a catch, someone has to know about them, that’s where The Giver and Jonas come in.
The Giver has to bear the weight of all the memories of the past because the community decided that those memories in the hands of the people, they chose to let live, would give them the means to be an individual, which would not be equal by any means. Yet they have to have these memories somehow, somewhere, and even if it is just with one person it could not be considered true equality.
In a world where equality rules, there is still some things the community couldn’t get a handle on; unexpected events that the community cannot deal with because they do not have the wisdom, that’s where The Giver comes in. He uses his vast knowledge of the past, that the community has taken away from the minds of all individuals, to help come to a resolution. In a sense he is above all, because he has more wisdom, more experience than all other men or women in his community, thus it cannot be true equality.
“And that’s the real reason The Receiver is so vital to them, and so honored. They selected me-and you- to lift that burden from themselves.” (Lowry 113). In a supposed perfect community, why do they need the Receiver or the Giver? It’s because they couldn’t technically achieve equality. There are still unexpected events that they have no control over. In looking to prevent that they have technically ruined their shot at true equality, by giving memories (that not all people possess) he becomes different than the rest.
In Anthem, there are people that take on the role of Scholar, which is like a researcher. They come up with all the technology that the rest of the community uses, but technically doesn’t that make them more knowledgeable than their brothers? And being more knowledgeable than their brothers would mean that they are more of an individual. And being an individual would mean they are breaking the rule of equality. “We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden.” (Rand 18). Equality is born with the capacity to be different, he learns and comprehends better than any of his brothers. He also wants to know more but is made to believe that this is evil, to be different from his brothers in any way. He figures out that there is more to the world than what his brothers lead on to, but he still feels that what he is doing is wrong, yet he continues to pursue these thoughts. In this sense he is the rule breaker, but nonetheless he is clear evidence that equality cannot truly be achieved because there is always going to be someone or something to break the rule.
In both the stories, the main characters both leave their communities.They are both born with a certain difference, which drives them to leave. Although if the communities they lived in were truly equal, why were they born different in the first place and why were they allowed to live in a community that saw them as different? Even in a “perfect” society they cannot stop one person from thinking, which is their downfall, because it is human nature to be different, it might be in just small ways but different nonetheless.
A community can only hold us back if we choose to let it, there are those of us who will choose to fight it, even when they stand alone. Even when they face uncertainty there is always going to be someone that will be different from the rest and stand up against all odds for it. There is always someone or something to break a rule, that is why true equality can never be achieved even under the best conditions for it.
Works Cited
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Dutton, 1995. Print
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