One of the characters we have been introduced to so far in Point Counterpoint is Frank Illidge.  Frank is an assistant to Lord Edward in the science lab. He has redish hair and is not very tall. He is also part of the lower class and dislikes the rich very much. He does not like to be ignored and he cares a lot about what other people think about him. Because he cares so much, he is also very insecure and self conscious because he is always feeling judged. He believes that the rich ignore him at the party because of his physical appearance even though Illidge believes himself to be very knowledgeable. Illidge says, "If I looked like that enormous lout, Webley, they wouldn't neglect me, even if my mind were like Newtons...You're lucky you know, you look like a gentleman or at least an artist. You have no idea what a nuisance it is to look like an intellectual of the lower class" (pg. 52). By analyzing this quote and Illidge's other ideas about life we can tell he feels segregated because of his social status. He believes the rich only care about titles and physical appearances. This makes him hate them because he is knowledgable but others do not see him as that because of his status.

2,387 memories

When I was younger I used to get so annoyed whenever my Grammy would take photos of me at different events. It was always such a hassle back then. Now that I am a senior in high school I have looked back at those photos and learned to appreciate them.
Every once in a while I will scroll through my camera roll on my phone or look at my iPhoto on my computer and my mind will travel back in time to those moments that were captured. When I am out with my friends we love to take photos. My guy friends always make fun of us and say we take too many photos (especially Tyler Maruyama lol) but I don't think you can ever have enough photos. One of the things that makes me happiest in life is remembering memories. When I look at all of my old photos my mind time travels and I begin to remember all of the details about that day or night when the photo was taken. Sometimes I will see a photo from forever ago and think to my self, "Omg I totally forgot about this." You could say I don't mind forgetting memories, because when I finally remember them the feelings of excitement comes back and it's like I'm living that moment all over again.
Currently I have 2,297 photos and 90 videos on my phone. That is 2,387 memories that I can look back on whenever I want. If I didn't have all of these photos and videos I definitely would not remember some of the moments that shaped my life. Now that I am a senior, I've collected a lot of photos and videos throughout my high school years. When I look at photos that were taken when I was a freshman I realize how much my life has changed since then. I look different and the things I used to do are different. Even though change really scares me, I like to see the transition that I have made throughout high school and these photos I have can help me remember them.
I always love when my friends send old photos to me and we laugh because of our horrible outfits or our braces. But those memories are what keeps us connected. I don't care how annoyed people get when I ask them to take a photo, or when people comment on the amount of photos I take because 10 years from now, even 6 months from now I am going to be grateful that I can look back and remember all of these moments.

At what point in the book does Mersault finally make a choice that would give his existence essence? In other words, at what point does he finally become a person, an identity, a 'self'? Discuss.  



Throughout The Stranger Mersault never explains most of his feelings. The only feelings we are ever given by him is what makes him annoyed or irritated, and those are expressed without reason. He never seems sad and he never seems happy. Being able to express feelings is what I would consider a big part of being a person. After Mersault shoots the Arab and goes to trial this is when I would consider him to turn into a person. Finally after everything, he ends up in jail and surprisingly this is when he acts like a person for the first time. Mersault says, "As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate" (pg 123). Mersault finally finds him self happy even though he is a criminal in society. When he was able to open up to human existence he no longer felt as alone as a did earlier in the book. He realized the world as a whole is indifferent just like himself. Because the two are indifferent this connects the two. He has a place now and a chance to restart. 

It frustrates me though because the quote stated above and the point where he finally becomes a person, is in the last few pages of the book and then it just ends.  I want to know if he stays a person or if this was just a one time expression of feelings. 

Part VI, Song of Myself

Growing among black folks as among white,

Kanuck, Tackahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them

the same, I receive them the same. 

In this poem Walt Whitman discusses the question asked by a child, "What is the grass?". Like Whitman does in most of his works, he takes a simple question and gives a very un-simple answer. His answer to the literal question is a figurative answer. In this case, he describes the grass as the cycle of life, or a symbol for equality since the life cycle is the same for everybody; we are born, we live, and then we die.
These specific lines of the poem demonstrate how Whitman sees different groups of people and how the "grass" effects them. This poem was written at a time when people like African-Americans were looked down upon and segregated because of the color of their skin. These lines show how Whitman felt about the segregation of different types of people. To him, everybody was the same no matter the color of their skin, where they were from, or the job they had. The life cycle was the same for everybody. If talking in figurative forms, the grass grows everywhere no matter what because the life cycle is the same for everyone. This poem shows Whitman's view of American in a disguised form. 

Reflect on a moment (or event, or person, or...?) in your life that has played a significant role in shaping who you are today?

MASON

Summer going into my junior year I watched my friend Mason pass away. I had never experience death before. No one in my extended family had ever passed away so the concept of death was brand new to me. I literally did not know what to do. Mason and I were so close he was like my brother, and the thought of him gone did not make sense to me. That summer was really hard on everybody. The only good thing that came out of it is that my friend group, boys and girls, became insanely close. We all spent almost every waking minute together because we needed each other to feel whole again. When we would be together people would always reflect on memories they had with him or say they wish they had more. The death of Mason has taught me that I need to make more good memories. I know that life can end in any second and I don’t want to regret not creating memories with that person. Everyone who knew Mason knew that he was always ready for a good time no matter the circumstances. I now try to live my life like he did. On the weekends and at school I try to be the nicest I can to the people around me. I strive to create memories with all of my friends that we can look back on and be so thankful we did that.

Socratic Seminar: End-of-Book, Lewis' Warning to Humanity

During the socratic seminar the thing that stood out to me the most is what we considered to be evil was different when talking about animals versus humans. When talking about what evil means to humans we all came up with the same answer. Killing somebody is always always considered evil. But then somebody asked the question, "What about animals? If a bear kills another animal is that evil?" Many people replied to this question, "no". I agree that an animal killing another animal is not considered evil because that is the only way many animals can get their food. Animals do not have the luxury we have of walking into a market and buying food that they can eat. But then I got confused. How can we define evil if it is different to every species?

Thinking about this over the past day, I've made the conclusion that "evil" cannot be universally defined. Everybody's interpretation of evil is different and special to them. Many people still to this day would consider being gay, lesbian, transexual, etc. as evil. They think of these people in a evil way just because they are considered "different". I for one do not believe those people are considered evil at all. They are just normal people like anybody else. This is only one example of how I believe defining evil is different for everybody.

I do not think we should try and define evil in a universal way. Everybody has the right to decide what they think is evil and what they think is not. If we define evil then we are forcing people to all believe the same idea of evil, and to me forcing people to believe something is considered evil. But that's just me.

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth." (Marcus Aurelius, Roman leader, philosopher, Stoic).  Discuss.

I don't think absolutely everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Some things we hear may be opinion and other things we hear may be facts. We cannot classify everything people say under just opinion or a fact. If there were no opinions then people would not be individuals. If there were no facts, than there would be no trust.