Some call me Nikki. Some call me Grimer. Most people, however, know me by Pocahontas. I am a nature Queen. I hate all things that could be considered technology, such as cell phones, computers, facebook, toilets, showers, sinks, microwaves, refrigerators, kindles, x ray machines, and all things that are not powered by the good Lord. I feel most comfortable when I am out in my wigwam made of sticks and the hides of animals I caught, killed, and skinned myself. I love running around with just the clothes I was born with when I left my mother's womb. It lets me get away from the crazy, hectic life of the city. I was not meant to live in the city. I cannot bond with brick buildings and honking cars; I need to smell the oak trees, taste the wild berries, and see the stars above me when I sleep.
The first time I bonded with nature, I was six years old. I was living with my parents at the time. Their names were Sunset and Grassland. They had been raised in the nature, but events had taken them in to the city, where they raised me. However, by the time I was six, they realized I too needed the nature around me. So there I was, surrounded by trees that seemed to go higher than the clouds and flowers that were brighter and bigger than any I had ever seen in my life. Without me even realizing it, my parents had slipped away to let me explore on my own. All of a sudden, I saw a wild boar. Instead of being afraid, I felt a sudden sense of peace come over me. I walked over to the boar, held out my hand, and began to gently pet his noggin. When my parents returned, they found me sound asleep, curled up with the boar. That day, I bonded with nature, and I have been bound ever sense.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Journal #16
My favorite animal is the ligerpus. It is a character that was discovered by scientists in 1979 on the banks of Africa, and it has also been found in the forests of Berlin, Germany. This incredible creature is no joke. It is a mix of the fierce tiger, the great and powerful lion, and the feared octopus. The liger was found on August thirty first, 1978 in the jungles of Beijing, China, and it was thought to be an extravagant discovery. Just imagine scientists utter and pure joy when the found the ligerpus! This beast just may potentially be the greatest discovery ever. I do not even think that aliens could compare to this. Speaking of aliens, one might wonder why the ligerpus is not a commonly known animal. The answer to this is simple. Scientists and animal protection people were afraid that people would go crazy when they heard about the ligerpus and try to hunt it for its unique fur. The fur is a leathery, thick, tough hide, but it is also as silky as silk. Of course this animal would be illegally hunted by the evil men of the world. Also, the knowledge of the ligerpus would probably just send people into shock because of the astounding greatness and beauty of it. Because of these reasons, the ligerpus was put into a building in Nevada protected by special agents. Not many people actually know what is located in this area, called Area 51, but since I am the great Nikki I was informed that the ligerpus is indeed kept there, not aliens as some may expect. There are still ligerpi running freely in their natural habitats, but there are some kept in Area 51 for studying and protecting. I myself actually own a mother ligerpus and two baby ligerpi. They are my pride and joy. The ligerpus is quite obviously my favorite animal. If others were allowed to know of this great animal, I am sure it would become their favorite as well. However, Luke, Paige, the special agents, and I are the only existing people on this universe that are aware of the great ligerpus's presence. We are very blessed people.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Journal #15
I use logic and reason a lot in my every day life. I mean, basically every decision I make has to do with logic and reason, and pretty much every action one makes in a day is based off a decision in one way or another. A decision is a choice based off of logic and reason; therefore, every little thing you do in life is based off of logic and reason.
The great Luke Reynolds is choosing to argue with me on this here topic. Luke states, "Well, what if you base a decision off of pure gut instinct? What if you make a choice based on the reaction you first feel; you use your instinct, not logic or reason? Then you would obviously not be using logic or reason."
I say, "Luke Reynolds, you are a foolish and petty boy. You must use some abstract thinking here, friend. At one point in your life, you made the conscious decision that you were accepting of using your gut instinct; it is a choice whether you want to follow that gut instinct or not. I can be making a decision and feel one way in my gut but consciously be aware that I should make a different choice. Therefore, I use or am using logic and reason even in making "gut instinct" decisions." Boom roasted, Luke. Nice try though.
Without logic and reason, the people of America and the planet Earth would be foolish little organisms running around in circles, acting like chickens with their heads cut off. We would not be able to make smart decisions that could positively influence our state, our country, or even our world! What would we do? We would actually not be able to do anything at all; I really just do not think we would be able to live longer than a few days because we would not be able to make decisions about how to act of even the right nutrition and nourishment we need. People would probably live miserable lives, except without logic and reason, they probably would not even realize they were miserable. Our society would just be a wreck.
The great Luke Reynolds is choosing to argue with me on this here topic. Luke states, "Well, what if you base a decision off of pure gut instinct? What if you make a choice based on the reaction you first feel; you use your instinct, not logic or reason? Then you would obviously not be using logic or reason."
I say, "Luke Reynolds, you are a foolish and petty boy. You must use some abstract thinking here, friend. At one point in your life, you made the conscious decision that you were accepting of using your gut instinct; it is a choice whether you want to follow that gut instinct or not. I can be making a decision and feel one way in my gut but consciously be aware that I should make a different choice. Therefore, I use or am using logic and reason even in making "gut instinct" decisions." Boom roasted, Luke. Nice try though.
Without logic and reason, the people of America and the planet Earth would be foolish little organisms running around in circles, acting like chickens with their heads cut off. We would not be able to make smart decisions that could positively influence our state, our country, or even our world! What would we do? We would actually not be able to do anything at all; I really just do not think we would be able to live longer than a few days because we would not be able to make decisions about how to act of even the right nutrition and nourishment we need. People would probably live miserable lives, except without logic and reason, they probably would not even realize they were miserable. Our society would just be a wreck.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Thomas Paine was evidently not very happy about the English government. Written by Thomas Paine, “Common Sense” expresses very clearly how corrupt Paine believed the government to be. After reading what he had to say, I must say that I agree with him. He had some very strong points; a lot of his ideas had been expressed before in previous writings I had read, but he expressed them in a way that was a little bit stronger and made me believe them more. Thomas Paine does a great job in expressing his distaste towards the British government. There are some points where he rambles or where he does not really make any sense at all, but when I did understand what he was saying he made his point of view seem very logical and believable.
One of Thomas Paine’s arguments was that the British government was way too complex. He said that he would have preferred a much simpler government, as it could have been run much more efficiently. Paine states, “But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies, some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine” (Paine). Although this sentence is very long and complex, and the reader might have to read it slowly and more than once as I had to do, it actually makes a lot of sense. Basically, he was saying that since the government is so complicated, when something goes wrong, no one knows who to turn to, who to blame, and what to change. Therefore, the problem never really gets solved. I think this is a very valid point.
Paine also was not very satisfied with how the King fit in with the government. The King was issued power, but was supposed to have people look over his rulings and decisions. However, he was allowed final judgment, which basically means that the idea of having people watch over his doings is pointless. Paine words it way better than I can when he says, “But as the same constitution which gives the commons a power to check the king by withholding the supplies, gives afterwards the king a power to check the commons, by empowering him to reject their other bills; it again supposes that the king is wiser than those whom it has already supposed to be wiser than him. A mere absurdity!” (Paine). Again, this sentence written by Paine is probably a bit too wordy and could have been reduced to a much simple sentence that would have been much easier to understand. However, it does have a solid point and he presents his case very well. By reading this, I think one would easily believe what he was writing.
The way Paine states his argument is very clever; he writes in a way that expresses his views as being completely correct and the mere idea of him being wrong is just too silly of a statement to even question. While sometimes this writing style can get annoying because of the writer seeming arrogant or overly confident, it often is actually very effective at making someone believe your point of view. Paine was very efficient at making others see his ideas exactly how he wanted them to. After reading this article, I was definitely convinced that the English government was a bit ridiculous and corrupt.
WORKS CITED
Paine, Thomas. “Common Sense.” Archiving Early America. Online. 18 Oct. 2010.
One of Thomas Paine’s arguments was that the British government was way too complex. He said that he would have preferred a much simpler government, as it could have been run much more efficiently. Paine states, “But the constitution of England is so exceedingly complex, that the nation may suffer for years together without being able to discover in which part the fault lies, some will say in one and some in another, and every political physician will advise a different medicine” (Paine). Although this sentence is very long and complex, and the reader might have to read it slowly and more than once as I had to do, it actually makes a lot of sense. Basically, he was saying that since the government is so complicated, when something goes wrong, no one knows who to turn to, who to blame, and what to change. Therefore, the problem never really gets solved. I think this is a very valid point.
Paine also was not very satisfied with how the King fit in with the government. The King was issued power, but was supposed to have people look over his rulings and decisions. However, he was allowed final judgment, which basically means that the idea of having people watch over his doings is pointless. Paine words it way better than I can when he says, “But as the same constitution which gives the commons a power to check the king by withholding the supplies, gives afterwards the king a power to check the commons, by empowering him to reject their other bills; it again supposes that the king is wiser than those whom it has already supposed to be wiser than him. A mere absurdity!” (Paine). Again, this sentence written by Paine is probably a bit too wordy and could have been reduced to a much simple sentence that would have been much easier to understand. However, it does have a solid point and he presents his case very well. By reading this, I think one would easily believe what he was writing.
The way Paine states his argument is very clever; he writes in a way that expresses his views as being completely correct and the mere idea of him being wrong is just too silly of a statement to even question. While sometimes this writing style can get annoying because of the writer seeming arrogant or overly confident, it often is actually very effective at making someone believe your point of view. Paine was very efficient at making others see his ideas exactly how he wanted them to. After reading this article, I was definitely convinced that the English government was a bit ridiculous and corrupt.
WORKS CITED
Paine, Thomas. “Common Sense.” Archiving Early America. Online. 18 Oct. 2010.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
"Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream" Reflection
The article written by Lemay was both interesting and insightful. It gave me ideas that I had previously not thought of as well as ideas that I had not previously thought were very important. However, I do think that Lemay portrayed his ideas in a very effective way. I think that he kind of drew everything out; he made everything much longer than it needed to be. He could have gotten his point across in a much more efficient way that would have been even more influential and inspiring to readers. However, once read through very carefully and deliberately, one sees the true thought process behind Lemay's ideas. While it is boring to read, Lemay certainly did let readers know his thoughts on every subject.
I think it is very interesting that Lemay things of Franklin's "Autobiography" as the "singe most important book" in American literature (Lemay). While, yes, I do agree that the writings of Benjamin Franklin were incredibly intruiging and filled with new ideas, I do not necessarily think it is the single most important book in American Literature. Lemay argued that this book introduced all these new ideas to America that basically shaped it into what America is today. I do think that Franklin influenced a lot of people through the book, but I think that other factors were included. Franklin was not the only Rationalist that was popular at the time; the whole idea of Rationalism was booming. It was not just Franklin himself that changed the course of life, I think it was the mere fact that Rationalism was becoming popular and known. I do definitely agree that Franklin helped spread Rationalism; Franklin was obviously a well known man of high status that was clearly a Rationalist. However, I do think that people were at the point where they were already done with the Puritan or Catholic Church and were ready to move on to the Rationalism period. I do not find it very probable that almost every individual read this work of literature by Franklin and automatically converted.
One thing I did like in Lemay's writing was how he described the American Dream. Sometimes, things get kind of mixed up in translation, and while the American Dream that Franklin thought about is not a necessarily hard concept to grasp, there were a lot of details that went along with it. However, Lemay paraphrased it in a way that was both clear and effective. He wrote, "the American Dream is the hope for a better world, a new world, free of the ills of the old, existing world. And for the individual, it is the hope for aProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
ew beginning for any of the numerous things that this incredible variety of human beings may want to do" (Lemay)
I think that the way Lemay wrote that better helps individuals understand the point Franklin was trying to get across. Although I still think Lemay wrote a little bit too wordy and in kind of a boring fashion, I do have to admit that he definitely did his research and knew his stuff. He was also very good with words, as demonstrated in the quote above. Lemay showed how Franklin's views and ideas still apply today, and he wrote in a way that can allow individuals such as ourselves to understand and apply Franklin's words to our own lives.
WORKS CITED
Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 11, 2010).
I think it is very interesting that Lemay things of Franklin's "Autobiography" as the "singe most important book" in American literature (Lemay). While, yes, I do agree that the writings of Benjamin Franklin were incredibly intruiging and filled with new ideas, I do not necessarily think it is the single most important book in American Literature. Lemay argued that this book introduced all these new ideas to America that basically shaped it into what America is today. I do think that Franklin influenced a lot of people through the book, but I think that other factors were included. Franklin was not the only Rationalist that was popular at the time; the whole idea of Rationalism was booming. It was not just Franklin himself that changed the course of life, I think it was the mere fact that Rationalism was becoming popular and known. I do definitely agree that Franklin helped spread Rationalism; Franklin was obviously a well known man of high status that was clearly a Rationalist. However, I do think that people were at the point where they were already done with the Puritan or Catholic Church and were ready to move on to the Rationalism period. I do not find it very probable that almost every individual read this work of literature by Franklin and automatically converted.
One thing I did like in Lemay's writing was how he described the American Dream. Sometimes, things get kind of mixed up in translation, and while the American Dream that Franklin thought about is not a necessarily hard concept to grasp, there were a lot of details that went along with it. However, Lemay paraphrased it in a way that was both clear and effective. He wrote, "the American Dream is the hope for a better world, a new world, free of the ills of the old, existing world. And for the individual, it is the hope for aProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
ew beginning for any of the numerous things that this incredible variety of human beings may want to do" (Lemay)
I think that the way Lemay wrote that better helps individuals understand the point Franklin was trying to get across. Although I still think Lemay wrote a little bit too wordy and in kind of a boring fashion, I do have to admit that he definitely did his research and knew his stuff. He was also very good with words, as demonstrated in the quote above. Lemay showed how Franklin's views and ideas still apply today, and he wrote in a way that can allow individuals such as ourselves to understand and apply Franklin's words to our own lives.
WORKS CITED
Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 11, 2010).
Journal #14
The Declaration of Nikki
I am writing what is to be known by people all over the world as The Declaration of Nikki. The Declaration of Nikki is to state the views, goals, hopes, and dreams of me, Nicole Elise Steinwart, also known as Nikki.
We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, will stop being idiots and learn to respect each other. There is enough negativity in this world to last us all lifetimes. We need to become a strong, supportive community in which people are not necessarily the same but learn to accept each others' differences. In that same way, we need to accept our own differences. If you are born one way, embrace it! Love yourself! We should not feel the need to change who we are just to become someone else. In the world of today, too many young people, adolescents if you will, are becoming so caught up in fitting a certain image. Unfortunately, this image is not a positive one. Many of these people feel that, in order to fit into their culture and society, they must do stupid things in order to be funny and gain respect. We shall not stand for this behavior any longer! Why should it be "cool" for a thirteen year old to be smoking weed? Why are fourteen year old kids getting pregnant? Why are mere middle schoolers out partying on weekends and getting drunk? Heck, why do high school kids even do it? People are trying to fit in to this corrupt society that has been created, and it can not stand for much longer. It is up to us to knock down these walls of negativity. We must take a stand for what is right, and we must sit down against what is wrong. It is up to us, good people, to make a change. Obviously Obama has done nothing, so hand me the golden, flaming torch. Together, WE can be the change you want to see in the world. We will be the change.
I am writing what is to be known by people all over the world as The Declaration of Nikki. The Declaration of Nikki is to state the views, goals, hopes, and dreams of me, Nicole Elise Steinwart, also known as Nikki.
We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, will stop being idiots and learn to respect each other. There is enough negativity in this world to last us all lifetimes. We need to become a strong, supportive community in which people are not necessarily the same but learn to accept each others' differences. In that same way, we need to accept our own differences. If you are born one way, embrace it! Love yourself! We should not feel the need to change who we are just to become someone else. In the world of today, too many young people, adolescents if you will, are becoming so caught up in fitting a certain image. Unfortunately, this image is not a positive one. Many of these people feel that, in order to fit into their culture and society, they must do stupid things in order to be funny and gain respect. We shall not stand for this behavior any longer! Why should it be "cool" for a thirteen year old to be smoking weed? Why are fourteen year old kids getting pregnant? Why are mere middle schoolers out partying on weekends and getting drunk? Heck, why do high school kids even do it? People are trying to fit in to this corrupt society that has been created, and it can not stand for much longer. It is up to us to knock down these walls of negativity. We must take a stand for what is right, and we must sit down against what is wrong. It is up to us, good people, to make a change. Obviously Obama has done nothing, so hand me the golden, flaming torch. Together, WE can be the change you want to see in the world. We will be the change.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Journal #13
Homecoming week is the best week of the school year. We get to dress up and just be ridiculous without getting in trouble for it. I love it. However, people in our class are terrible. They are absolutely terrible. Our class of two thousand twelve sucks, to be blunt about it. There are like no kids in my grade that are dressed up today, and today is eighties day, which is the most fun day this year. I do not know if kids are too embarrassed or what, but it is so dumb. I mean, come on, how hard is it to put your hair up in a side pony tail? On hat and jersey day, I do not think anyone at all had a good excuse. I confronted one girl in my grade about it, we will call her Kay. Kay said, "I do not have any jerseys at my house!" I then asked her why the heck she was not wearing a hat then, since I knew she owned at least one hat. She just kind of sat there sputtering. I was like, you have no school spirit, you disgust me. I did not actually say that out loud because that would be rude. However, I think I would have had a legitimate right to be rude since she was being rude towards our entire class. It just does not make me happy. What does make me happy is that we won for the float contest. I rode on the float, and it was freezing. We had sand, and somehow it had gotten wet. Therefore, the sand was absolutely freezing. I am not exaggerating right now. My feet were numb. All the people on the float had taken off their shoes and rolled up their pants so that we looked awesome, but it was so incredibly cold. It was still fun, though. We won, which made up for the coldness. I sure do love homecoming week.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Journal #12
Will was working with a partner. He did not actually like working with other people, but the teacher said that he had to. So, there Will was, working with this kid in the class named Lucille. Lucille was not exactly a nice person. Actually, she was extremely mean, negative, and pretty much just did not have a very good outlook on life. She complained all through every class, and no person in the entire school liked her. It was just Will's luck that he would be paired with her. There was no going back now, though, especially since Will and Lucille's teacher was mean and would not let them work individually or pick a different partner.
"Let us get started," Will said. "I mean, if we have to do this, we might as well get it done as soon as possible." Lucille just looked at him with an ugly sneer on her face. "Okay then," Will said, "I guess I will just get started." They were supposed to build a boat that was able to sail down a creek without sinking. I guess it would be better to say they had to build a canoe, since a boat is kind of extravagant. This project was to be due in one week, as in seven days, which really was not a lot of time. See, the teacher really was mean. Will just did not know how this project would ever get done.
Will tried to be as polite as possible during the following week, but Lucille was just the biggest jerk ever. Will tried to set up different times outside of school where they could work on the canoe together, but Lucille would either not show up or she would show up and just sit there. Will just did not know what to do. He pretty much just wanted to cry. This project was work one hundred percent of their grade, and he knew that if they failed, he would not be able to graduate at the top of his class. Will worked day and night, all by himself, with his hammer and nails just trying to get the project done. He managed to finally get it done, and it was perfect. However, Lucille never did a lick of work and she still got an A. Will does not like to work with partners anymore.
"Let us get started," Will said. "I mean, if we have to do this, we might as well get it done as soon as possible." Lucille just looked at him with an ugly sneer on her face. "Okay then," Will said, "I guess I will just get started." They were supposed to build a boat that was able to sail down a creek without sinking. I guess it would be better to say they had to build a canoe, since a boat is kind of extravagant. This project was to be due in one week, as in seven days, which really was not a lot of time. See, the teacher really was mean. Will just did not know how this project would ever get done.
Will tried to be as polite as possible during the following week, but Lucille was just the biggest jerk ever. Will tried to set up different times outside of school where they could work on the canoe together, but Lucille would either not show up or she would show up and just sit there. Will just did not know what to do. He pretty much just wanted to cry. This project was work one hundred percent of their grade, and he knew that if they failed, he would not be able to graduate at the top of his class. Will worked day and night, all by himself, with his hammer and nails just trying to get the project done. He managed to finally get it done, and it was perfect. However, Lucille never did a lick of work and she still got an A. Will does not like to work with partners anymore.
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