JE59 A Change of Heart

            During the Romantic period, people pictured their lives ideally. They valued intuition over logic, were more optimistic toward life, and believed that they would return to nature as a cycle. They liked nature more than cities because that’s where they thought they belong and where they would find the “Divine Soul”.

            The pictures in the part of “The Rise of Realism” give the viewers a sad, gloomy feeling. There were pictures about wars, feud, and people suffering. These things happen because of the war. They realized the Earth is not the “ideal” place they thought it was. The effects of wars – death, pain, loss, and suffer – brought people back to reality. They realized they got problems to solve, instead of hiding in nature and avoid civilization. There’s one picture of people’s feet were chained, showing that they might be the hostages or captured slaves during the war. There was also another one showing people fighting and killing each other. It was a bit violent, however, that was what happened during the war: cruel and heartless. The pictures generally showed that the society was chaotic, unlike those in the romantic period, which would take you away from civilization and make you enjoy the beauty of nature. 

JE58 I Exist

            Before the Civil War, people believed in romanticism, in which people relied on intuition and believed they belong to nature. However, the cruelty and hardships people endure in war has changed their minds and philosophies toward life. They became more realistic and practical about the world they are living. Nevertheless, the Dark Romantics probably could already have explored this part of the world.

            I believe Crane was trying to say the men’s existence were insignificant to the universe. The God does not pay attention to every single person on Earth. The “obligation” described in the poem means the responsibility that the universe has to watch over the people He created. However, the obligation was not created among people because it would be hard to pay attention to everyone.

            I think my relationship with universe is in a direct relationship. According to the Law of Attraction, we think of what we want and the universe would get us what we want. I think the universe is omnipotent because of its infinity of space. I believe the universe has the power to give everyone things they want as long as people work really hard. I know this might sound a little supernatural and bizarre, but that’s what I believe. There’s an international best-seller called “Secret”, which is about the Law of Attraction too. 

JE57 Free Write

            I would like to talk about the problem I faced recently. I usually went home at around 4 and would start to work. At around 7, after I finished my dinner, I would start to feel sleepy. My working efficiency would largely decrease around that time until 10, after I took shower. When it gets closer to midnight, I would be more able to work efficiently and concentrated on my work. I feel bad because it feels like I am losing the sleeping time I should get. And the worse thing is I had no way to increase my efficiency form 7 to 10. I was thinking maybe I should get some sleep around that time and get less sleep after midnight. In that way maybe I could get more sleep and do more work. However, the sleep I get would split into fractions, in which may not be good for my health, especially when the APs and SATs are coming soon. One time I saw the news that there are certain people in America has the short-sleep genes, which allows them to sleep 4 hours a day and be as energetic as or even more energetic than those who sleep 7 hours a day. I hope they can implanted this kind of genes into my body so that I would not have to sleep so much and feel tired all the time. 

JE56 Power

            In the story, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, people live in polluted places that caused many women to be infertile. The government set up an organization so that men could still give birth to children. The fertile women are the handmaids, who were forced to have sex with men who have infertile wives. The government has the overt power over then handmaids. The covert relationships existed between the affairs between the men and the handmaids, and the handmaid’s secret organization. There’s also a covert relationships between human and the environment. The narrator does not have power over anyone because she was limited.

            In my life, my parents have power over me before I turned 18. But I think they would still control me after I turn 18 because they are going to pay for my college tuition. However, they do not really care what am I doing because they know I can be responsible for myself. The government of Taiwan and USA has some power over me because I belong to them. As a citizen, (or citizens), I need to perform some obligations, such as paying taxes (in the future) and getting education. Teachers at school also have power over me because I am at school to learn and follow instructions. I don't really have any power over anyone except for my cat because I am responsible for it. 

JE55 Public Speaking

            Public speaking used to be something I am really afraid of. I had serious stage fright that my legs would start shaking and my body would start sweating when I was on stage, especially in front of a lot of people. I think sharing something I am not really good at would make me nervous. Conversely, presenting something I know pretty well, such as math and science, would make me feel more confident about it. Now I feel more confident on stage and I would not be that nervous, though I still have spaces for improvement.

I think it is easier to recite a poem because it is shorter. People can also feel it with the imagery the poem creates. A prose might be longer and the audience would get bored.

People like to shout from the crowd because his or her face is seen by everyone in the crowd. And that person would just be a temporary effect to the whole show. However, the person on stage has to carry the pressure that everyone is watching him. The person on stage is responsible for controlling the crowd’s mood and makes the presenting topic or performance interesting. He or she might even have to answer questions from the audience. 

JE54 Nature's Nature

            In the poem, “Apparently With No Surprise”, Emily Dickinson described the flower was killed by the frost. It showed that nature can be as lovely as the flower, and it can also be as cruel as the frost. Personally, I do not think nature is a lovely place. Apart from artificial made parks, farms, which are definitely friendly, the real nature, where all animals live can be somehow scary. I understand that plants are helpful and responsible for the air cycle on earth; however, some wild animals can be deleterious for human. I really cannot imagine me living with wild animals and insects. I remember last time I went to Camp PAS, I was so frustrated by the mosquitos. Also, without Internet connection, or even just a place to charge my cell phone, I feel like going back to the past. In real nature, people need to find food by themselves. They may not have a stable place to live because the lack of food sources.  They may be attacked by wild animals and stung by poisonous insects. They even have to adapt the whether. I think it depends on each person’s opinion of deciding whether nature is helpful or threatening. If one lives in a city and seldom goes visit nature, it might be lovely and friendly. However, if one lives in nature, it is the same as living in harsh environments.