JE17 The Romantic American Hero

           Romantic heroes understand their inner world and the value of their experience through emotion and intuition rather than logical reasoning and formal learning. They are young, innocent, and pure or possessed these qualities. They love nature and seek for higher truth in it. They society’s guideline and follow their own morality and higher principles. Today’s heroes are considered to be strong and handsome. Fictionally, some are described as super heroes who have super powers, wear costumes, defeat evils and save girls. The similarity between them is that they both follow their instincts rather than laws. For example, when heroes are trying to save people, they also destroy buildings and public infrastructures. The different side is that Romantic heroes seem to have more emotions and are more intellectual because they seek for truth. Heroes today usually live in big cities, where bad guys usually appear. Romantic heroes love nature and avoid lives in cities.

            I like the definition of Romantic heroes. Unlike today’s heroes, they are not being praised and intensely admired. They seek for truth, which is good for a person to do. However, I don't think there’s a definite meaning for hero. I would actually define it as someone who makes a positive impact in someone’s life. It is someone who you admired because he or she has done something and saved you from the edge of abyss. A hero doesn't have to be famous, extremely smart or powerful. It should be someone whom you will always remember because of his or her contribution in your life. 

JE16 Into Romanticism

           During the period of American Romanticism, people valued feeling and intuition over reason. They placed faith in inner experience and the power of imagination. They also sought for unspoiled nature, preferred youthful innocence, championed individual freedom and its worth, reflected on nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development, looked backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress, found beauty and truth in exotic locales, saw poetry as the highest expression of the imagination, and found inspiration in myth, legend, and folklore.

            The Transcendentalists are those who believed in the idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important maters, one must transcend, or go beyond, everyday human experience in the physical world. Transcendentalism still has an impact on American today. Actually, transcendentalism is similar to idealism, which was introduced by Greek philosophers before century. Many Americans today believed in human perfectibility and they work to achieve this goal like the transcendentalists did.

            There are some dark sides of Romanticism, such as the original sin and the sense of the innate wickedness of human beings. Their views developed from mystical and the melancholy aspects of Puritan thought. They explored the conflict between good and evil, the effects of guilt and sin, and the destructive underside of appearances. 

JE15 The American Ideal

         We will walk on our feet means they will develop their own unique culture independently. We will work with our own hands illustrates that people are being responsible and practical. We will speak with our own minds further represents the idea of freedom. It reflected that America wanted to be a free country that work hard and develop its own culture. It actually meant something to the society that I am living in. Taiwan has been regarded as a “derivative” of China. It was partially true. However, like the relationship between England and America, Taiwan wanted freedom. At the beginning, Taiwanese people worked really hard to prove the world that we don't need China’s help. And, of course, we did it.  Taiwan is now one of the most advanced countries in the world and has a good economy. Although Taiwan is a small country, people on this land fight for their own freedom and their cultural identity.

            If I were to re-write the quote to reflect my own ideas, I would probably write:

            “I will work hard, reaching for perfection

            Anything that stops me, I will fight against it”

For now, I wish I had the spirit to work hard to achieve my goals. Recently, I am a little lost with my motivation. I hope to find it back soon.

           

JE14: Persuade Me

                  At this point, I definitely need a break. Even a week would satisfy me. Since the first day of school, I rarely have my own time to do something I really want for a whole day. Every time I go home, there must be some activities waiting for me. I was tired to follow the schedules. And the endless homework is chasing after me as well. I have been a little sick and there are lots of things going on. I only hope I can have some time to restore myself, read some novels and have some fun. I know it is not that reasonable to ask for a break in the middle of the semester. But I think the break would help me do a better job after I come back to school. Think of it, if I took a week off and had enough rest, I would be able to come back and keep fighting. I would also be work as hard as the beginning of the semester. However, if I did not have a break, then my health condition would just gradually being eroded. If I really don't receive this break, I might just have a physical breakdown. So please! I need it!

JE13 Give Me Liberty or...

            In Chinese society, both China and Taiwan, not much freedom exists during the time of being students. Taking Taiwan as an example, students have to wear uniforms to schools and have to follow lots of rule in order to be the “good kids” in parents’ eyes. Throughout the Chinese history, China has valued the importance of etiquette. However, it was actually because of the lack of manners. When there’s a need of something, people import it. It is the same as promoting etiquette. But when promoting doesn’t work, people make rules to restrict people’s behavior. This shaped the Chinese society to be suppressive and restrictive. When we speak of freedom, most Taiwanese people would describe it as the freedom of speech and being themselves. Another reason is that Taiwan only has one race of people so it is harder for us to accept a different looking or culture. Conversely, America is like a big home to everyone in the world.

When I think of freedom, I think of it both politically and personally. Politically, I feel glad that my government is democratic, allowing me to be who I am and can almost do whatever I want. Personally, I think of freedom as my relationships with people and environments around me. In some places, or to some people, I cannot fully express who I am and have to behave under some restrictions. 

JE12 Sin

            Sin is a crime. The society may define it as a behavior that most people disapproved of. I define it as a guilt that one makes against his or her moral consciousness. I think sin tends to be a certain level of crime that has more to do with self-cognition. The definition of sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. The difference between them is that by definition, sin has more to do with religion, while the society and I think it has to do with morality. In my experiences, I have done things that people would consider as sins. For example, eating something not vegetarian was illegal in my previous school. Once I furtively had a bowl of instant noodles with meat ingredients in it in my school. It was a big sin because it was against the law, especially in the teacher’s eyes. However, most students don't care and do the same thing as well.

            I have witnessed my classmates smoking at the campus. They don't consider it as a sin because they thought it is a cool thing to do. For those who smoke a lot, they might encourage people to do so because in “their” experiences, that’s what makes them happy. In my point of view, I think it is a sin because it was against the law and it contaminated the air other people are breathing. My classmates were being accused, of course, and being punished. They had to do something like community service to atone for their sins. Nevertheless, most of them were not that willing to change since smoking is addictive.