Manly Men - what's up w/ that?

This week we started to learn about Ernest Hemingway and his style of writing. He wrote about tough masculine prose. His characters were fishermen, hunters, and soldiers that were hard drinkers and involved in sports or crime. He wrote about all his life experiences.

Do you like his style of writing? Why do you think he writes about manly men? Is he trying to over compensate for his lack of manliness?

Michelle U.

What's your fav EH short story?

We just started to read Ernest Hemingway's short stories. Any first impressions? For me the stories lack a bit of depth, and sometimes can be confusion. "Hills Like White Elephants" was one of the stories that made me think more and figure out the actual meaning. You have to search for a long time and figure out what the man and woman are actually talking about. What do you think they are talking about? I think that they are talking about an abortion, and how they are deciding whether the woman should go through with it or not. Could it have been about something else?



What was your favorite story and why? Please express your overall feelings about Ernest Hemingway's style of writing.
Anna S.

Something doesn't seem right about Joseph coming back from the grave!

In the movie, Far and Away, Joseph and Shannon finally got together at the end of the movie. I thought it was really strange how Joseph suddenly came back to life. I liked the movie and I thought it had a great plot, but it didn't seem right that he magically came back to life because he looked up into the sky. Am I the only one who thought that? Did you like the movie all together? Do you think the movie should have ended when Joseph died or do you think it was better that he came back to life?
Haley B.

Tax Cuts for the Poor and Raising Taxes on the Rich

The other day in class we discussed poor people and others who are well off. Some said that they thought if you are poor, it is your fault and you should be able to get yourself back up...no excuses. Others thought the government should help them out a lot, and they (the poor) were helpless in some aspects.

This ties into one day in Mr.Wickersham's elective on presidential elections, we discussed how Clinton cut taxes for poor people and made them greater for rich people. Many thought this was not fair because they worked hard for their money and it was the poor peoples fault, some did not agree. What are your views?

Kaelin R.

Jordan asks "What else don't we know?"

During our discussion the other day, we talked about how the whole sterilization idea was started here in the United States. Personally, I was completely shocked to hear this. The fact that Germany and other parts of Europe were not the originators changed my thinking process quite a bit. I am not saying that it's ok that they did that, but it's interesting to keep uncovering things about our government that have been hidden all these years.

I know I don't keep up with the news religiously but I watch it enough to have an idea about current events. This sort of reminded me of when we learned about FEMA and their lack of effectiveness, and other events where the government was sneaking around without revealing the whole truth until much later. I am wondering; were you shocked to hear this? Did it get you thinking about what other secrets or scandals are kept within our government? If not, explain your reaction. Why do you feel this way?

Jordan H.

Today's discussion about America's history of Eugenics

Lauren asks:

What did you think of today's class discussion. I know the topic was a little out of the ordinary from what we usually talk about, but did you like it. Was it more interesting than other types of discussion? What did you like about it, what didn't you like about it? Also, what are your thoughts about forced sterilization and the rich vs the poor? Do you think society had anything to do with people being rich or poor, or do you think it was only their fault for the way their life turned out? Do you think sterilization was the right thing to do by the government?

Editor's note: Check out www.eugenicsarchive.org sponsored by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, America's former home for eugenics research in the early 20th Century. They have compiled an archive of thousands of documents that portray the chilling thoughts and psuedo-science that spawned the Holocaust.