Dialectic Journals (Book 2)

I really have to read the book thoroughly before I type these things up... ah well. I'll finish Book 2 soon, but these things are more important right now. Picture explaining time! The Radiant Sun represents hope, courage and bravery. The Dark represents fear, lost, and malice. When both are together, an Eclipse, it represents the "end of hope" or "beginning of fear". It can also represent "dawn of new courage" after times of fear and cowardliness. Of course, I'm reading all of this off a symbolism book... but it fits into the subject, right?

Chapter 9, page 82 -

"A spasm of the lungs seized Alexandros; his throat constricted, he began to choke. My punch hesitated. A three-foot switch burned my back. "Hit him!" I obeyed; Alexandros dropped to one knee. His lungs had frozen, he was helpless. "Pound him, you whore's son!" a voice shouted from behind me. "Finish him!"

It was Dienekes."

You can hear the hate in his voice. You can hear the fury of that moment. When I read this quote, I held my breath, waiting for it all to finish. Alexandros and Xeones (I finally learned the narrators name...) brawled, a form of "training". Everyone gathered and cheered them to fight until one breath is cold. I couldn't believe it. The agony of the fighters, forced to battle. The blindness of the crowd, watching this "dance of death". Even one of the greatest warriors, Dienekes, urged this meaningless battle towards the end. I couldn't believe it myself. Battles like this happen everyday, its frightening to read it in a book. Its frightening to see two children fight like this.

Chapter 10, page 87 -

"The Spartans are schooled to regard the foe, any foe, as nameless and faceless. In their minds it is the mark of an ill-prepared and amateur army to rely in the moments before battle what they call pseudoandreia, false courage."

When I read this quote, I started thinking about what courage is. Courage is bravery and fearlessness. I wonder, who really has true courage? Even the fiercest warriors coward at the face of death. Every one person muster up false bravery, no matter what situation. Whether if its war, or facing one's fear, I've seen noone with true courage. The Spartans was taught to make every enemy faceless, every foe to be killed just as the last. Face up to them without thought of fear, and fear will not conquer you.

Chapter 11, page 101 -

"'It took no diverner's gift to discern their state of agitation. 'Watch their spearpoints,' Alexandros said, pointing to the massed foe as they jostled and jockeyed into their ranks. 'See them tremble. Even the plumes on their helmets are quaking.'"

Read the above journal for some idea of what I'm about to post about. When I read this, I put down the book and reflected on what life is today and was back then. Even before a great event, now and then, everyone would've been afraid. Even the bravest soilders in time tremble before the next battle. If you know whats going to happen, then you tense up and let fear take you over. Bravery is only something thats in your head, never to be there unless you replace its opposite, fear. Bravery is never there in the first place, you'd muster up everything you have just to try to conquer your fears, only to make too little room for courage. In war, fear would be your greatest enemy. And only that enemy will lead you to your death.

Dialectic Journals (Book 1)

You know, resizing pictures is a pain. Lets get this started.
This picture is a flame. A fire represents three things: burning passion, the flames of war, and betrayal. The fire is a beautiful thing, but used for destruction and battles. It can ruin and scar many things, including humans. Elegant, but dangerous. Many can control this element, but if you aren't careful, it will turn on you.


Chapter Four, page 21 –

"This I learned then: there is always fire.

An acrid haze hangs in the air night and day, and sulphurous smoke chokes the nostrils. The sun is the color of ash, and black stones litter the road, smoking. Everywhere one looks, some object is afire. Timber, flesh, the earth itself. Even water burns. The pitilessness of flame reinforces the sensation of the gods’ anger, of fate, retribution, deeds done and hell to pay."

Read the quote. Just read it! I enjoyed each and every word in this paragraph. This passage was incredibly written, it brings you into the world of the Spartans. The pure use of metaphors and descriptive writing is beautiful.
When I read this, my entire world changed from a peaceful, cold bedroom to a dark, burning battlefield. You can smell the ashes, you can feel the heat. You are surrounded by a malicious flame, ready to devour you whole. Everything is burning. Even your comrades next to you.
The blaze of war, happening in front of you, right in your hands. The indignation of one’s wrath, captured in the words in your eyes. You are there, in the “Gates of Fire”.

Chapter Five, page 36 –

“Have your instructors taught you why the Spartans excuse without penalty the warrior who loses his helmet or breastplate in battle, but punish with loss of all citizenship rights the man who discards his shield?”

They had, Alexandros replied.

“Because a warrior carries helmet and breastplate for his own protection, but his shield for the safety of the whole line.”

“I shall be a protector as long as I bear this shield; I shall be a warrior as long as I bear this sword.” It’s a pledge for most knights during the Dark Ages, and the moral reigned through most centuries, even before the Medieval times.
When I read this part, I couldn’t help but think of a bunch of quotes that relate to this. One in particular was from the movie 300, said by Leonidas. How did it go…? “A Spartan warrior fights not only to defend himself, but the man fighting beside him. He protects his friend from neck to thigh [with his shield].”
One of the Spartan battle formations was the doctrine, where all the solders prepare a defense with a wall of shields. “Punish… …the man who discards his shield”, his shield is to protect everyone, not just himself. It is “for the safety of the whole line.”
I found this as an interesting concept. A Spartan must be synchronized and act as a whole, and with one fault the entire formation and defense is lost.

Chapter 6, page 40 –

"I called out again and again to the gods but received no whisper in reply. They had abandoned us, it was clear, now that we no longer possessed ourselves or were possessed by our polis."

“Believe in it, even if no one else does.”
This passage struck me. The feeling of abandonment and loss is something you cannot overlook, especially if you have felt it so many times already. Someone, or something, that you would look up to and ask for guidance, but no signs appear to help you.
When you are completely lost, when you can’t walk on your own two feet, when you really need that sign… then “maybe” kicks in and flips a coin.
“I called out again and again to the gods but received no whisper in reply”, do you really think something you believe in would magically come down and put you on the right path? There is no coincidence in this world; there is only what fate decides. And usually, fate can be cruel.
I’ve felt this way before; I almost said the exact lines too. When you lose all faith; when you refuse to open your eyes to the truth, when you keep denying that you can’t go on without a sign; then you lose all reasoning to go on with anything: with work, with love, or with life.
In the passage, the narrator lost both his hands’ ability to move his fingers. He wanted to protect the ones he loved, and he believed he couldn’t because he couldn’t hold a spear anymore. He lost his family, his home, and now his hands. When he prayed to God, they never replied to guide him (they did, but not immediately). Narrator resolved to end all of his misery, a life of which cannot fight any longer.
When “want” isn’t pleased, then births greed. And with greed, expectations become significantly large. When greed isn’t fed, it leads to distrust.

Political Blog Post - Election 2008

Wow... either I've been sleeping too much or I forgot about this until now... God, why do I procrastinate? Gee, I feel brain dead right now.... Wait, I'm always brain dead when I write these things. Must be something wrong with me...

I really don't want to do this, but its my nature to finish all work I have started. Gah... I hate politics.

To think, one average man can change a not-so-average campaign. Joe Wurzelbacher, now formally known as "Joe the Plumber", unintentionally walked into the political scene in Holland, Ohio. Meeting Senator Barack Obama, he had questions about the tax plan. Wurzelbacher thought about buying a company that could make over $250,000 per year, but was afraid that Obama might tax him for because of it.

"I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody," Obama told Wurzelbacher. Obama explained his plan to Wurzelbacher, telling him its better to lower taxes for Americans doesn't make as much money as others so they can make end's meet. In the upcoming debates, Obama and Senator John McCain mention his name various times, making appeal to win his vote.

Wurzelbacher made his name public for all to hear, it even caught the upcoming presidents ears. He wandered into a scene, now "Joe the Plumber" is chanted in debates. An "Average Joe" (no pun intended) who is now mentioned everywhere.

God, this topic is hard to do... I'm leaving it there because (I believe) it meets requirements ¬_¬ Sue me. My grades are good enough as it is, I'm going to be lazy for a while. I'll comment soon, just not right now.

Note: This was posted on Sunday, Blogger senses it as a Thursday because I made a draft of it during school.

"Hero in My Eyes" Project Reflection

1. Project Description - What was the assignment?
   We had to write a two page (double spaced) character sketch about a person who changed our life, or more accurately a "Hero". In this writing, you had to use sensory details and precise description to bring to life a moment where your chosen person is most "heroic". If a person were to read the piece, they must understand who they were, how they are like, how they are a hero to you.
   
2. Process - What steps did you take to get to the final product?
   I had a hard time deciding who my hero was... there was a controversy of "I don't have a hero" and "I don't know who my hero is". Eventually, I narrowed it down to one person who I remember the most: my friend "Hermit". When I did decide on my hero, the newest problem was "What's the heroic moment?". How fun was that? For the first two or three drafts, I completely ignored the concept of a heroic moment and wrote down a bunch of nonsense that made it look like I tried to incorporate it (:P) The fourth, and pretty much last, draft I finally started to incorporate something that could be considered a heroic moment (see Artifact for more info). And I thought that was the worst part (laughs). The character sketch was only half of the project! I had to get two pictures of my hero and post them up onto a page for a book (note to self, post Side Photo up later), and the worst part was I had to get those two pictures. I didn't have any photos of my friend, nor did he have any to leave behind (T~T) I improvised with Charlotte and had to draw them from scratch. Thank God I still knew what he looked like, or I would've to start the entire process over (laugh).
3. Reflection - What did you learn? What challenges did you encounter? What would you do the same or different? How will this help you later?
   What did I learn, hm? Can't recall learning anything, just a refresher course. ¬_¬ It has been a long time since I wrote like this, so it does seem like something new to me.
   Challenges... challenges... I think I already stated them in the above post! (laugh) The only other challenge I had (and still do have) is spelling and grammer mistakes.
   What would I have done differently...? Well, for starters I would've taken pictures of my friend when he was still alive (laugh). What I can do is what I would enjoy to do. I like the work I have done. I have no regrets.
   How would this help me later? Do I really have to answer that... this would help me later on to write better stories and improve my writing tenfold. There, meets requirements ¬_¬
4. Artifact - A physical piece of evidence

Yeah... Sue me. I took Jame's ideas and used them for myself. And this computer can't do my usual keystrokes (Sigh...). Click on the picture for the final product

Hero in My Eye's Character Sketch Template

Thanks to James, it is now complete. Download below and finish the task on hand.

Download Template

After downloading the file, double-click on the ".zip" and it will begin un-compressing. Inside, you will find a folder filled with 3 documents. The first document, "template.ai" is the Adobe Illustrator document you will use to put your character sketch and side photo on. The second and third, "eight.ai" & "full.ai", you will use for your hero picture, depending on which format your image is in. If your image is in 8x8 ratio format, you will use "eight.ai". If your image is in the 8.5x11 ratio format, you will use "full.ai".

Notes:

In the document "template.ai" place your side photo where the image of the water polo players are. There are bright blue guidelines where you should place your image. After you have completed, delete the original image of the water polo players. The latin you see on that image, is just a place holder for where the words go. Simply "Select All" and place your story in the same area. The "-James Armenta" is where you put your name. PLEASE be sure to keep the first letter of your name green. The same goes with the first word of your story. Thanks.

If you have a question, please ask your peers BEFORE you come to us for help.

Two Blog Posts: Pictures and My Hero (Part Two)

I think I'm brain dead right now... the second part of this post is down (A blurb of my hero). I need to post a picture of them too... this is going to be a loooooooooooong weekend...

Note: I had to draw this picture because I didn't have an actual photo to use ¬_¬ Please don't kill me >.<
With eyes of passion, and a heart of gold, he became one with the World. With open arms, he accepted another life into his own. He was a man who lost his past, reborn anew to share his story. He was my hero, and his name was Hermit.

Two Blog Posts: Pictures and My Hero

Gee, I thought I stated this a few posts ago... I don't have anyone (any public figurehead) I respect enough to be a "hero"...
That's it, I think I'm going crazy... I'm going to post this and fall asleep...

This person, as you all might know, is Barrack Obama. This picture shows him standing uniformly in front of what appears to be the White House. At first glance, this picture shows Obama's strive and determination. I like this photo because of its angles and lighting, it looks nice. I believe this photo shows Obama's cheerfulness and his charisma.

I really don't know how to finish that paragraph... ¬_¬ It meets requirements, thats all I care about.