I felt that the first submission by John Updike had a very reassuring feel to it. Updike gave his whole account of the day to capture the terror of the moment so that he could get his final point across. His final point was that even in the face horror, America can recover and stand tall. He says in the second to last paragraph that 'this is worth fighting for'. Even after all of our mistakes, blunders, and setbacks, America is worth fighting for. This essay seemed to be very patriotic and uplifting in a time of emotional need, but I believe that it was only for that purpose.
The second essay hit more of the technicalities of the event. Susan Sontag, I believe, was trying to say that things aren't always all 'America', 'guns', and 'apple pie' anymore. Don't get me wrong, 9/11 was a terrible thing to happen on our home front. But when Sontag questions 'How many citizens are aware of the ongoing American bombing of Iraq?', she is saying that things like this happen almost daily on their home front. This only happened once here. She states that calling the enemy 'cowards' is invalid. Terrorism is always cowardly. They gave their lives for a cause, and there is at least a shred of bravery in that. She covers most of this in her first and second paragraphs, and then she moves on to criticize the way that our government handles situations like this. From what I interpreted, she says that our government is trying to console us when what they really should be doing is figuring out what to do next. I liked this essay because it challenged what the norm believed, and looking at it, it brings up some good points that show that some of what our media and politicians had been saying was wrong.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
An Introduction for an Innovator
Turns out I'm not that much of an innovator, but this is still my introduction. I guess that the post title is only 50% true then.
But to introduce myself, my formal name is Hartman Carl Hoel, which is shortened to 'Hartman', unless you are my angry mother. I will be a Senior this year. I have several hobbies, likes, and aspirations, as do we all. I maintain a job at our local greasy spoon, the Green Lantern. I mainly wash dishes, but you can also find me preparing your food from time to time.
As far as my basic, conversation-starting likes go, I enjoy several things such as Soccer, Band, and stage lighting in theatre. I've played soccer since I was six, and unlike almost all of the rest of kids who played soccer when they were six, I am still playing today. I hope to gain the privilege of playing on the Varsity squad this fall. In the off-season, I have also been seen managing the Girls Varsity team.
Music has been a big part of my life ever since middle school. I've been included in the various McFarland Bands since I was in sixth grade. I have participated in Marching, Pep, Jazz, Concert, and Pit Orchestra bands, and I enjoy all of the music that we make together. My main instrument (and perhaps to some, my only instrument) is the Trumpet. I can also play a mean 'When the Saints Go Marching In' on the Alto Saxophone and the Euphonium. You can also occasionally hear me belting out some solid Baritone notes in the Kittens Mittens, our school's unofficial men's vocal group. I'm not that good of singer, and I never really have been, but it's still all good fun.
I have also been working in our school's auditorium doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff since I was a Sophomore. Previous to that year, I was an actor, but Stage Tech really caught my eye. I participated in our school's Aud Squad program in the summer between my Freshmen and Sophomore year so that I could gain a higher position when I made the transformation from Actor to Techie. I worked towards the position of Lighting Designer, and every show that I have done on tech has been a fun and rewarding experience. You can usually find me messing around in the Light Booth illuminating the stage for our wonderful, sometimes difficult actors.
That's the basic Me. Soccer player, music lover, and lighting director. Oh, and cat lover. I can't forget that.
But to introduce myself, my formal name is Hartman Carl Hoel, which is shortened to 'Hartman', unless you are my angry mother. I will be a Senior this year. I have several hobbies, likes, and aspirations, as do we all. I maintain a job at our local greasy spoon, the Green Lantern. I mainly wash dishes, but you can also find me preparing your food from time to time.
As far as my basic, conversation-starting likes go, I enjoy several things such as Soccer, Band, and stage lighting in theatre. I've played soccer since I was six, and unlike almost all of the rest of kids who played soccer when they were six, I am still playing today. I hope to gain the privilege of playing on the Varsity squad this fall. In the off-season, I have also been seen managing the Girls Varsity team.
Music has been a big part of my life ever since middle school. I've been included in the various McFarland Bands since I was in sixth grade. I have participated in Marching, Pep, Jazz, Concert, and Pit Orchestra bands, and I enjoy all of the music that we make together. My main instrument (and perhaps to some, my only instrument) is the Trumpet. I can also play a mean 'When the Saints Go Marching In' on the Alto Saxophone and the Euphonium. You can also occasionally hear me belting out some solid Baritone notes in the Kittens Mittens, our school's unofficial men's vocal group. I'm not that good of singer, and I never really have been, but it's still all good fun.
I have also been working in our school's auditorium doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff since I was a Sophomore. Previous to that year, I was an actor, but Stage Tech really caught my eye. I participated in our school's Aud Squad program in the summer between my Freshmen and Sophomore year so that I could gain a higher position when I made the transformation from Actor to Techie. I worked towards the position of Lighting Designer, and every show that I have done on tech has been a fun and rewarding experience. You can usually find me messing around in the Light Booth illuminating the stage for our wonderful, sometimes difficult actors.
That's the basic Me. Soccer player, music lover, and lighting director. Oh, and cat lover. I can't forget that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)