My Experiences

This last assignment was the hardest for me out of the three papers we wrote throughout the semester. All this religious talk made me question my own religious ideas and values. Change is a very hard thing for me to grasp, and these essays really had me thinking that I should change the way I view the world. The experience I had while reading the Thurman essay was negative and I wanted to throw the book in his face. The Abram essay on the other hand is really what made me think otherwise. He just had a gentler way of expressing the ideas of a more peaceful and meaningful lifestyle. My first reaction to Baraka was anger. I was really upset about what they were doing to the chicks. I'm not an animal rights activist, I just don't like to watch people doing mean things to helpless animals. But after Micaela mentioned how the chicks were being compared to the humans going through the turn style, I realized that the whole movie was just one connection after another. I noticed there was lots of rituals going on within many cultures. Ya know like those guys chanting and shouting and then those other people jumping and other people painting themselves and singing in groups. In my past I really haven't been very religious or spiritual and I think that is a direct connection to my negative outlook of the world. I feel like this assignment and more specifically the Abram reading has opened my eyes to a more sententious way of living.

This site was very helpful to me by supplying tons of articles on Buddhism. It especially helped me with the concept on finding ones self (enlightenment). Check it out.

http://www.lib.montana.edu/reserves/rels202/

3 Responses

1) I didn't realize that view of the two parallel worlds. Its a good point, especially when it switches from a semi-third world country to a big city or high class scene.

2) The wordless part of the movie could have been a negative but i agree that the images, shots, and scenes made it worth it.

3) Thats an interesting point to connect the movie to Abram. All the different culture and scenes did make me think of religion and all the contrasts.

I think it was a very good wordless documentary of the worlds culture. What I got out of it was that it left everything open for you to think and come up with whatever you want it to mean. It was pretty much a bunch of random scenes of the culture from around the world. The whole movie I would just observe and see where each scene and image would take my mind. It brought out a lot of memories for me. It helped my paper by giving me a bunch of cultural examples to reference as examples.

Buddhism

The most interesting thing that i have read about Buddhism is their views on abortion they believe in rebirth so they consider you a killer if you meet there requirement that define you a killer these requirements are

From website:

• "the thing killed must be a living being"
• "you, the killer, must know or be aware that it is a living being"
• "you must have the intention to kill it"
• "there must be an effort to kill"
• "the being must be killed as the result"

these views are very interesting but not all Buddhist have them some still believe it be a choice.

Iranian Blog

When i listened to the Iranian Radio the two that i found the most interesting were the ones about the election and the Iranian oil. When they were telling us about the election the things that i thought were interesting here how the leaders got appointed which is through the Counsel of Experts then it has to be approved through the 12 Members of Guardians. I also thought it was kinda interesting that the men and women were both able to vote a fact i didn't know before and they are able to vote when they are only 15.
The info on the Iranian oil i thought was very interesting because i had no idea that they had 10% of all the oil know to man. Even though they can not do much with it because they don't have the money to invest in oil sanctions. They also have to import more than half of the oil they use. Wow how crazy is that.

Baraka Film

I thought that this film was interresting and found it unique in the sense of how portrayed a world with two parallels. It showed how one society was comparable to another and these kinds of comparisons can be found all over the world. I also liked the movie bescause it showed many different aspects of the world that are not well known. Altough there were not many words in the film, you were able to see what the film makers wanted to get across to their audience.

Baraka Talk

I thought that this film was kinda interesting but at the same time hard to want to keep watching. I thought i was really cool how the transitions from one thing to another were all intertwined. This would have been a really good movie if it had not been so long after awhile you just did not want to watch anymore. I do think it tied in with the readings very well just in the way that it showed different cultures and how they do things in a more simplistic way compared to Americans.

Baraka

The film we just watched in English i really enjoyed.  I never thought that i would like a silent film but the things that they show, then compare and contrast make the film very cool and i got really into it.  The scenery was very cool.  All in All a very good movie.

Cool Movie Man

The movie Baraka is definitely the weirdest movie that I have ever watched. However I found it to be very interesting and insightful. The images were mind blowing and very cool. The writers went on a limb with this film and made a very amazing experience.

Response to Baraka

I enjoyed Baraka, the cinematography was very beautiful. Despite the absence of dialogue, it seems to me the creators had a message they wanted to communicate. Though they left a lot open to interpretation, I think that similar to Abram, they wanted their audience to consider environmental and religious issues, and how they have changed in modern times. This is evident in their footage, from locations all over the world, contrasting scenes of religious rituals with mundane practices, and wilderness environments with modern cites.

Schuyler

Baraka

This is a very artsy movie that i feel bounces around all over the world. It shows tons of culture and amazing scenery. The only criticism i have is that it could flow between sections a bit well. It feels to me that it dives you in and builds you up for a certain area or culture and then changes. Guess we'll just wait to see the rest.

Website...

I was shocked when i read 'Buddhist teaching don't explicitly forbid slavery'. How can you be whole or selfless when you have someone serving you? Isn't that selfish? I was also suprised with 'restrictions placed on monks required them to have some form of servent'. This all seems very contradictary to me and i don't fully understand what the religion is trying to get at.

I didn't particularly like the two essays that we recently read in class. I felt that they weren't being realistic. In the United States it's hard to practice Buddhism because the US's idea of life is sucess and power, opposite of what Buddhists believe. I'm not really sure what the benefits are of becoming 'selfless', is there actually anything or is it just a feeling? Thurman didn't change my mind views of the differences of western and eastern culture differences.

Webpages Response

I read into the history of buddhism on the BBC website, and I never knew that the Buddha was an actual person who was once known as Siddhartha. He went on a spiritual journey, and eventually found enlightenment underneath a Bodhi tree. I guess i just never knew anything about Buddhism except that he was a round chubby man who was always protrayed as sitting down.

Baraka response

Apparently, Baraka is an ancient Sufi word that can be translated as "blessing." I think they're trying to capture some of the best and worse moments of humankind. Without a script or plot, they can focus on making their shots and settings more profound.

I really liked the scene with the Japanese snow monkeys in the hot springs. It made me think of meditation. The monkey looked like he had it all figured out in that warm water. It seemed almost anthropomorphic.

Buddhism Resources

Hi again,

Here are some resources I would like you to peruse through in order to gain a better understanding. I am posting the link to a BBC Buddhist homepage, and a radio program. Please click on some of the links that interest you on the homepage, and listen to the program. Post a response to what you read, heard or experienced.

Micaela

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20020314.shtml

Baraka Response

Hi guys,

I would like to get your thoughts on the film Baraka. Your response can be fairly informal as I care most about hearing your ideas and reactions. Also please visit the link below and read through "Training the Mind." I didn't want to say anything before you read the Thurman essay, but I personally had a mildly negative reaction to his approach. The Dalai Lama has a much kinder, softer, approach and I enjoy listening to him. Some of you also expressed a distaste for the Thurman approach, even though some of his ideas were interesting. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts...

Micaela

http://www.dalailama.com/page.17.htm

Something to think about

I thought this was kinda fun.

�Dalai Lama Personality Test�

The Dalai Lama said read it to see if it works for you.

Just 4 questions. Do not cheat by looking up the answers. The mind is like a parachute it works best when it is opened.

This is fun to do, but you have to follow the instructions very closely. Do not cheat. 

A Warning! Answer the questions as you go along..

There are only four questions and if you see them all before finishing you will not have honest results. Go down slowly and do each exercise as you scroll down. Don't look ahead. Get pencil and paper to write your answers as you go along. You will need it at the end. This is an honest questionnaire, which will tell you a lot about your true self.

Put the following 5 animals in the order of your preference:

a. Cow

b. Tiger

c. Sheep

d. Horse

e. Pig

Write one word that describes each one of the following:

a. Dog

b. Cat

c. Rat

d. Coffee

e. Sea

Think of someone (who also knows you and is important to you) that you can relate them to the following colors: (Please do not repeat your answer twice. Name just one person for each color.)

a. Yellow

b. Orange

c. Red

d. White

e. Green

Finished? Please be sure that your answers are what you REALLY feel... last chance...

Look at the interpretations below.: 

This will define your priorities in your life.

Cow: signifies CAREER

Tiger Signifies PRIDE

Sheep Signifies LOVE

Horse Signifies FAMILY

Pig Signifies MONEY

Your description of dog implies YOUR OWN PERSONALITY.

Your description of cat implies the personality of your partner.

Your description of rat implies the personality of your enemies.

Your description of coffee is how you interpret SEX.

Your description of the Sea implies your own life.

Yellow: Someone you will never forget.

Orange: Someone you consider your true friend.

Red: Someone that you really love.

White: Your twin soul.

Green: Someone that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Does mental imagery have meaning and function? Researcher Robert Roerich, 

M.D. thinks so. Visit http:///www.roadmind.com to read statistical 

validation that shows mental imagery reveals hidden stress and issues.

Children of Revolution

Where I am from probable 70% of the population is high in their senior years and in Iran it is completely opposite, witht he 70% under the age of 30! This huge step in a bigger younger generation has increased the population from 25-68 million. This increase is because the government wanted bigger families to support the armies. Many of these younger adults have to go to certain place to 'flirt' with others, while here in the United States we can openly flirt if we choose whenever we want. This way of life is hard to imagine.

On Football

Iranians take pride in their teams and enthusiastically cheer them on, just as we do here in the United States. It suprised me how much spirit they had and other than the language I couldn't tell a difference between Iranian football and U.S. football. We are more similar then we let ourselves believe.

Oil in Iran

It makes sense that Iranians are fighting in a 'war' with us over oil because oil production is the country's main and almost only form of employment. It the U.S. had limited resources I'm sure that we would act the same because we want to be a superpower, just as everyone else.

Youth Culture & Mad Drivers

I thought it was amazing that most of the population is under 30. that must mean that their health is poor, also healthcare offers a lot of jobs, especially in elderly care, but since they do not have a large population of elderly to take care of there are far less jobs. i also thought it was interesting that more than half of university graduates are women, yet more than 50% of women are unemployed.

I did not know that poeple in iran had a lot of cars. i always thought they got around by foot or camel. it was interesting that the woman said the people do whatever they want in their cars becuase they do not feel ruled by the government.

Geography and Religion in Iran

Iran Geography
The people that talked are completely right in saying people think their country is a desert. When ever i have heard anyone talk about the geography in Iran it has always been hot and dry. I was pretty surprised to hear they had mountains that they skied on.

Religion in Iran
Iran is a really big country and with so many different clashing religions in it, it is bound to start violence. Religion is one of the number one reasons for violence and it's always hard to try and accept other views when you are told that thats the way it is while you grow up.

Iran football and Iranian oil post

Iranian Football:

-Its crazy how big of a deal the football games were for the people. it deffinetly was good for them to get out from their restricted and fearsome lives and a experience such a fun and exciting event. Also its amazing that it was so huge that women were almost allowed to go.

Iranian Oil:

-Oil is the complete economy and way of life for Iranians. Iran contains 10% of the known oil in the world and is ranked third highest oil excavator. They dont even have enough refineries for the amount of oil they are uncovering. 

Iran Geography

I never knew how crazy the geography was there. Like most other people i just assumed it was a flat desert. That'd be an experience to go skiing in Iran and then go back down in elevation and be in a desert. I also never knew how big it was, as described in the sound clip. It sounds like it would be an interesting place to visit.

Mad Drivers

I honestly didn't know that they even had alot of cars over there. i thought they just mostly walked. But it sounds like it wouldn't be too fun to drive around over there. Since they are all angry drivers you might be able to get around quicker though because there would be less slow people on the roads. I wonder if their elderly drivers are angry too?

Geography

I listened to the Geography one and, man, Iran sounds like a beautiful place.  Like the lady says, I too thought that Iran was a dry desert landscape.  I had no idea there was skiing there.  Very cool.  Those of you who listened to it did you notice the girl being interviewed sounds like she's going into a black hole towards the end when she says, "it's not very far from each other."  Very strange. 

Post on Children of Revolution

I am still amazed that 70% of the Iranian population is under 30 years old and have a 50% unemployment rate.  It is very interesting to here peoples views about what they want as far a a republic and the role of the religion in their government.  The people said that if there was never a revolution in the 1980's that they wouldn't have the type of freedoms that they have now, but they still don't have too many freedoms, i find that interesting.  The push on the government to be able to publish music and produce it is getting a lot of attention and is helping people support more freedoms.  

Class Schedule

As promised, here is the updated class schedule. I have also sent a copy of it to each of your personal emails.

Have a great weekend.

Micaela

ENGL 121-31
Instructor: Micaela Young
Schedule
Fall 2008

This schedule is subject to change, and I will do my best to notify you when I anticipate changes.

10/10-Friday--“Reading Lolita…” Essay Two (draft one) due. Peer workshop.

10/13-Monday-- In class discussion on blog postings. Collective workshop.

10/15-Wednesday-- Read Tim O‘ Brien‘s “How to Tell a True War Story.”

10/17-Friday-- Discuss reading and class exercise.

10/20-Monday-- Discuss reading and draft two of essay.

10/22-Wednesday--Essay Two (draft two) due. Peer workshop.

10/24-Friday-- In class discussion and workshop of draft two.

10/27-Monday-- Conferences. Classes cancelled.

10/29-Wednesday-- Conferences. Classes cancelled.

10/31-Friday-- Conferences. Classes cancelled.

11/3-Monday--Essay Two (FINAL draft) due. Peer workshop.

11/5-Wednesday--Critical analysis of pop culture: SNL, music, comics.

11/7-Friday--Read new essay selection.

11/10-Monday--Discussion/exercise.

11/12-Wednesday--Essay Three (first draft) due. Peer workshop-exercise.

11/14- Friday-- In class discussion/exercise.

Long-term/tentative:
11/28-Friday--Thanksgiving Holiday. No class.

12/12-Friday--Last day of classes.

FOOTBALL, DRIVERS

I thought it was interesting to hear how much the people in Iran love to watch soccer. Even when they can get in trouble for going they still take that risk. That day the police could not stop them showed how much they wanted to see the game.

The driving in Iran sounds real crazy. I did not think that 3000 people died from car accidents. The pollution sounds real bad since the kids at the school can not breath. It shows how lucky we are to live in the United States.

I found it very interesting, agreeing with another blog on how the population has grown so much in so little time and that the percentage under 30 is so high. I also found it sad that college graduates can barely get a job as a taxi driver and how high the poverty rate. Also, the fact that due to lack of "culture" i guess you could say, how one of the past time activities is drugs. The fact that a shot of heroin is cheaper than a pack of foreign cigarettes and that over 2 millions kids over 15 are addicted to one of the several drugs out there. I found it almost difficult to listen to the entire blog becasue none of it was positive, and I found myself feeling awful for the choices they make due to lack of opportunities.

Interesting...

What I found interesting was the fact that Iran has a wide range of climates in a country the size of the UK.  You can go to the dry, sandy desert in the morning and be skiing by afternoon in the mountains of this middle eastern country.

I also thought it was interesting that Iran has an estimated 10% of the worlds oil but exports 1/2 of what it uses from outside sources.  The reason they have to do this is because the country lacks enough of the equiptment to extract the oil they have.  With the demand for oil the way it is today, Iran could hold a lot of world power in the near future... 

New Iran Program

Everyone:

Please listen to this program, and then listen to program two. We will talk about it in class, and it will contribute greatly to your writing.

Micaela

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2008/09/080925_children_of_revolution_one.shtml

Blogging in Iran

I found it interesting that blogging is so popular in Iran. Blogs could provide a medium to express ideas anonymously that would get people in trouble otherwise. Though it was mentioned that some people were arrested for their blogs, I think it should be possible to remain relatively anonymous. It is also interesting that Iranian conservatives are embracing blogs, especially since the potential anonymity does not benefit them as it does liberals/reformists. Perhaps the popularity of blogging in Iran indicates a desire for change that is more widespread then the government portrays.

Love of Football / Islamic Rant

All the fans are dancing, cheering, having fun and they point out the fact "the police coulden't do anything." It was blocked for being anti-Islami, whatever that means. This solidifies my theory that there might, possibly, be nothing more ridiculous then the teachings of the Islamic Qur'an.

I would like to end this blog post with the following:

Allah made the stars as missiles to throw at devils. 67:5

A fire has been prepared for the disbelievers, whose fuel is men and stones. 2:24
-Disbelievers will be burned with fire. 2:39, 90

Allah's object also is to purge those that are true in Faith and to deprive of blessing Those that resist Faith. 3:141

And if ye are slain, or die, in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they could amass. 3:157

But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment 4:14

....................

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME, GUYS

Mad Drivers

I found the comparison between the two countries interesting. 20,000 people die every year on roads in Iran versus another country with the same population, only 3,000 people die annually (I coulden't understand the name of the country, the guys english is hard as hell to understand.)

They also talk about how people are so used to being ruled over by a dictatorship that they feel like they can do whatever they want in a car. It's their release, maybe, from the censorship (I can't find the word I'm looking for) they are subjected to every day by their government.

Iranian Culture

I found it very interesting that Iranian People arn't arabs, they are Persians. Although they are musilums they are very differnet. They are very proud of their heritage. I also found the clip on blogging to be very interesting. I thought that their government was a lot more strick on their freedoms such as internet. But one fact that was very cool was that there are over 100 million people in the world that speak arabic and it's the 4th most blogged language. It kind of shows how young our country is.

The Youth Culture In Iran

I thought that the Iranian Youth culture was very interesting. That 70% of the population in Iran is under the age of 30 years old and that 50% of women looking for a job are unemployed and that half of college graduates are women. I would have to say that this could tie in with what joyce was saying about how they do not export anything else except oil. So all of the countries jobs for the most part are in the oil industry.

Religion in Iran

Although the majority of the country is Muslim, there is still enough room and enough tolerance to house people of the Jewish faith. As a matter of fact, Iran is home to the second largest population of Jews, outside of Israel, in the middle east. there are also several other religions, but the religion that was in the Iran area before Muslim is no longer there.

Oil in Iran

It was amazing to me that Iran has the second or third largest oil reserve in the world. That reserve is about ten percent of the worlds oil, but that is the only thing that Iran's economy is based on. Iran exports the oil because it does not have any domestic refineries and that is putting Iran into turmoil. It is sad because Iran has the possibility of being a superpower, but it lacks a few links in the chain when it comes to uniting the nation in order to do so.

Iran Assignment

Hi Everyone: (Due Wednesday, October 8th)

Please go to this link and listen to the short clips on different aspects of Iranian culture. There are ten different short audio streams. Listen to them all and please post a response on two of the audio streams you thought were interesting. Also, please read through your classmates responses, and respond to one of their postings. The aim here is to engage in an online discussion about what you learned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/iran_country.shtml

ALSO...

Please watch this interview with Azar Nafisi on her book. Its about 15 minutes long. We will discuss it on class on Wednesday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M02xYwKAJIM

In Class Theory Exercise

Hi Everyone:

It looks like all of our people are not on board for blog participation. So, those of you who have taken the time to read through some of the theory will be a little ahead. That's alright. We can still "talk theory" and work on an exercise in class for Wednesday. We can also revisit some of the theory stuff and talk about the next essay over the next couple days. For those of you that are just logging on, go ahead and read through the theory assignment. See you tomorrow!

Micaela

Critical Theory Resource

Hi Class:

For Wednesday, I would like you to read through the content on this site so that you have a preliminary understanding of critical theory. This will help you all to develop stronger theses which will in turn naturally guide the direction of your essays. Please take notes and be prepared to discuss in class. We will be doing a thesis development exercise utilizing these theories.

~Micaela

http://www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htm

Cool Resource and Entertainment...

I dont know about you guys, but I listen to a lot of music. Every so often, I get sick of music and like to listen to the audio streams from this site for something new. Its a pretty cool resource and free too!
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Chris McCandless Video

Hi Everyone:

I found an interesting montage on Chris McCandless. Check it out. Find a couple on your own if you can...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-d8q6qDTKQ

Related Sites and Blogs

Some of the Related Sites and Blogs have a few bugs and I am working on them. You can get around most of them easily by doing a little bobbing and weaving. If you have time and are interested, you can browse around the sites. We will address them each directly later in the course.

Welcome to English 121--College Writing!

Hi Class:

Welcome to English 121--College Writing. I hope your first week of classes goes well. In brief, we will be writing and reading ALOT in this class, and the faster you have your required text books, the better! On our first day, you should have the course syllabus, a timeline of important dates, the university policies, and a couple other pertinent handouts. Make sure to keep your syllabus in a safe place, as you will need it the entire semester.

In order to contribute to this blog, you will need to create a profile. During the first week of class, I will collect your email addresses and send you an invite for the blog. The email should thoroughly explain the necessary steps, but if you get hung up, let me know and I can help you.

I am looking forward to meeting you all this coming week! Please feel free to contact me if any questions come up for you.

Sincerely,

Micaela Young