This Land is Your Land- Woodie Guthrie

1. I think this is an individualist message because he separates himself from everyone. He is alone on his walk on the "freedom highway", which signifies that he is alone on his journey. Also, it says you and me, not "this land was made for us".
2. I think this song is anti-government because it separates himself and the people from the government. It also shows that he thinks the government is taking away some of that freedom that was supposed to belong to the people.

1984- Part Two

        I think Winston is having trouble buying into what Big Brother is selling because a lot of it doesn't make sense to him. He doesn't understand why the children sell their parents to the Thought Police and why people get excited over a hanging, things like that. He wants the freedoms that he doesn't have access to, like the freedom to choose things like his job and his wife and his family. Even though he wants a future with Julia, he can't, and it is because of the Party that he is stripped of this choice.
        I believe his questioning is a form of rebellion because the people in this society are supposed to agree with the Party in every way, but Winston thinks differently and wonders who else thinks the same way. His rebellion, though small, can be compared with Occupy Wall Street because both Winston and the protesters are fighting the government for what they think is right. However, it is a little different because Winston is fighting for more freedom and less government control and the protesters are asking the government to take a certain action. Overall, our society has adapted the common parts of the Orwellian society, but it is no where near the level that takes place in 1984. Our citizens protest what they think is wrong and disagree in certain aspects, and the difference between the two is that in our society, we have the freedom to think.

The Egg

1. I think the conflict is external, between the man and society. The father wants to do great things and has ambitions, but the society rejects his ideas and ambitions. For instance, the man that sat at the restaurant got up after his tricks and "stopped at the door, turned and laughed" (Anderson pg. 7).
2. I think the chickens represent all the obstacles that the family has to go through, and the eggs represent the ideas and ambitions that hatch from them. The eggs may be hatched, but are not good at staying up and are not perfect, and is why the eggs are sometimes not there or not good. On page two, Anderson writes, "to go squashed and dead back to their maker."
3. I think he is saying these things because he was bored and had a lot of time to think and ponder about life. The narrator wants to see the darker side of life because the lighter side is getting pretty boring.
4. One time, I wanted to go to the moon, but I couldn't fly so I couldn't go to the moon. This is an external conflict between my want to go to the moon and the inability to fly there.

Aristotle Quote

    This quote is saying that an educated person can understand and elaborate on a thought or opinion, but not adopt it as one's own. I agree with this because you can be aware and knowledgeable on a topic, but not necessarily agree with the statement it is making. For instance, you may not agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement, but you should still stay up to date with the current issues and topics.

American Friendships

Americans could be percieved in this way because they value their independence, the might feel inferior to others if they can't manage alone, and they have a different connotation of the word 'friend'. This connotation may be more similar to an acquantaince, and not at true friend. The difference in meanings is a big part of why Americans are percieved this way.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

1. In a collectivist society, people tend to be selfless, giving credit to others instead of focusing on their own accomplishments. The individualist society, people are more selfish and take credit for what they've done.
2. I think it is true that the oldest of PhD gets the most credit or approval in any society. However, it may not be taken as seriously in a collectivist society.
3. The quality of work may be less in an individualistic society because there are not as many people to work on it.
4. An acquaintance is someone who you know, but would never hang out with outside the environment you normally see them in. I think it is a negative connotation because they don't meet the standards of being a true friend.

Radiohead- 2+2=5

1. Lyrically, I think the song is saying that some things are never going to be perfect, and the people who believe that a Utopia is possible are unrealistic.
2. The music starts slow, then gets faster. The difference in pace of the music shows the unpredictableness of life sometimes, and the irregularity that it can bring. It reinforces the idea that a Utopia is not possible.
3. I think this relates to 1984 because in that book, a dystopia is occuring, and when people in the book think it is a Utopia, they are mistaken, as stated by the lyrics of the song.

Islam- Globalization and Gender

1. One of the conflicts is external, and it involves the problem of Western society influencing the rest of the world. We are looked at as the quintessential society and the 'right' way to do things. Our culture spreads, blocking out and even removing other cultures and customs in other worlds because we force Western culture on everyone else.
2. Globalization is the spread of an idea, or rather a culture. The speaker sees it as a one-way street because our role models are looked up to and respected in other countries and cultures, but we don't accept other people's role models because they are different.
3. The benefit of globalization is that it opens up the opportunity for many role models, whether people want it or not.
4. The Qu'ran and the Constitution.

1984- Part 1

The society in the book 1984, written by George Orwell, is meant by the government to be a utopia, but has become more of a dystopia, even if many of the citizens cannot recognize this fact. The government has tried to make all citizens appear equal and happy by way of the same opportunities, homes, foods, etc. for all citizens. However, the citizens have been stripped of all rights-freedom of speech, religion, and even their thoughts have been compromised. Only Goldstein, a traitor who is meant to be hated and despised by all, suggests that people should have such rights, and the people follow the government in saying that this idea is crazy. Even though this is a crazy idea to us, the people conform because the government is all-powerful and often arrests people or makes it so that they simply "no longer exist" if they are not cooperating with the rules. Enough people think that they are happy that there is no wheels underneath the thought of a revolution. The people are told that they live in a perfect world, even with their patched clothes and disgusting food and smelly houses, proving that this is a dystopia in meant to be a utopia.

Utopia

1. A Utopian society is the perfect world, the quintessential society in which to live in. No crime, disease, conflict, or any other harmful things would exist in a Utopian society.
2. My ideal world would include me and my family and friends all hanging out together and enjoying the things we love. School and church would be combined and everyone would be Christian. I could watch TV all the time and just do whatever I wanted. There would also be no sickness or diseases, and everyone would get along.
3. My soundtrack would include some Bob Marley, some OutKast, and some other funky and fun music to live my life to.

Built to Spill- "You Were Right"

1. The lyrical content of the song alludes to the frustrating and sad time in the artist's life, and the depressing and sad lyrics reflect that.
2. The musical content, the hard guitar and loud drums, reflects a rough time or frustrating period the artist is going through.
3. I think the song was very effective. The lyrics were saying that this person was right about the bad things in life, and now he is feeling these things, as shown through the lyrics as well as the musical content.