Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan vs Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Postmodernism)

(Really long semester final)
(confused the screenplays and authors a couple of times, sorry for the confusion)
(Erob)
Yellow shirt entries filmed by K McGraw at the State Track meet (Mr. Langley- my iPhone videos were not compatible with my hp computer so I had to put this together on YouTube editor, sorry that the quality and editing isn't the best). Background music provided by Pandora.

Works Cited:
"George Lucas Biography." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 19 May 2012.
Hanson, Karen. "Literary Periods and their Characteristics." MTHS English. 14 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 May
2012.
Lucas, George. "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Script." BlueHarvest. Web. 20 May 2012.
Lye, John. "Some Attributes of Post-Modernist Literature." Department of English Language and   Literature. Brock University, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 May 2012.
Meyer, Nicholas. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Script." IMSDb. Web. 20 May 2012.
"Postmodernism." CHRISTIANITY AND TRUTH: Worldviews - Postmodernism. Web. 19 May 2012.
Werlock, Abby H. P. "Postmodernism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 19 May 2012.
Zerzan, John. "The Catastrophe of Postmodernism." Primitivism. Web. 19 May 2012. 

Journal 31 - Job Shadowing

I went to McClelland Aviation at the Springfield Capital Airport on Wednesday for job shadowing. It was very fun and interesting. I was there from noon to 7. Andrew Hamm, the flight instructor had a lesson at 1:00 with an experienced student who was close to graduating the program. I helped the student, AJ, go through the flight pre check before he could begin his lesson. There was a list of things to check to make sure the flight would go smoothly. Andrew was going to have AJ practice stalls, which is when the engine quits because the plane flew to high. That was awesome. The first time the alarm went off, I was scared since I did not know what was happening. The engine stopped and the plane dropped. AJ was practicing steering out of an engine failure. After the initial drop, the rest were fun and it was like a never ending roller coaster ride. When we landed, I got to help refuel the airplane and go through the post flight check list to make sure the plane was still in good condition. AJ, who also worked at McClelland, then showed us the different types of fuel and the trucks that stored the fuel. Later, Andrew showed us the planes that they store in the hangars. There was a private jet for a Springfield family (a rich Springfield family), an air show fighter plane, and smaller training planes. He explained the difference in the planes and how the rental process worked. Later I helped refuel the air show plane. Andrew had another lesson at 4 with a beginner student who was still learning the basics of flying - up, down, left, right. That was very interesting as I had headphones and could hear the instruction on the different gauges and instruments in the airplane as well as how to fly the plane. Both flights took place over the field in between Plains and Ashland. That was really cool as we could see the school from 3000 feet up in the air. The job shadowing experience showed me a different aspect of aviation (I previously only was familiar with airport and bigger companies). It definitely encouraged me in my job path. It was a really good experience and I am thankful for the opportunity..

"I, Too" Langston Hughes

Journal 30 - Favorite Whitman Poem

My favorite Whitman poem is "O Captain! My Captain!". That poem had a lasting impact on America. When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the nation was in shock. Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" to unite the country in the time of mourning. I also like the fact that it rhymes. I enjoy rhyming poems as it is easier for my to find the rhythm that the author intended. In "O Captain! My Captain!", the captain of the ship represents Abraham Lincoln. I also like the poem because it is easy to understand the symbolism. The ship is America and the captain is its dead president. The poem celebrates the Union winning the Civil War. I like the poem because it tells a story (and rhymes, rhyming poems are the best). But, seriously, rhyming poems rule. In my opinion, rhyming poems (specifically aabb or abab scheme poems) flow better. As I have never met any of the authors of the poems I have read, I do not know exactly how they intended on their poem being read. Maybe they would have emphasized a different word or phrase then what I would have emphasized when I read it out loud. That is why I like rhyming poems because I know how the author intended the rhythm to be. The emphasized words might be different in my mind, but it is definitely closer in a structured poem as opposed to a free verse. That is why out of Walt Whitman's poems I like "O Captain! My Captain!" because unlike the majority of his poems, it is not free verse. Whitman disliked the structure and constraint of structured rhyming poems, but knew that America could not handle a President Lincoln remembrance slash mourning poem involving his normal sexual innuendo and scandalous free verse. Instead of helping to heal the nation, that poem could have shocked the nation into healing, or scarred the already hurting nation more. Luckily "O Captain! My Captain!" was very successful and a very popular and non-offensive poem (that rhymes!).




Whitman, Walt. "O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!" The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Chanting the Square Deific"

Walt Whitman's "Chanting the Square Deific" interprets a different spin on the classic Christian Holy Trinity. Instead of a trinity, Whitman writes of a "quaternity" of figures (Oliver). The first side of the square is God, but not just the Christian God. Whitman's first side of the "Square Deific" is the God of Hebrews, "Jehovah"; God of Hindu religion, "Brahm"; God of Romans, "Saturn", and God of Greeks, "Kronos" (Whitman). The main thing that the gods have in common is that they represent the leader or chief of their respective religious deities, just like God of Christianity's Holy Trinity is the top of the triangle. As opposed the the Christian God, the first side of the "Square Deific" is not merciless as He "forgives no man" and "lets none expect mercy" (Whitman). That is a major difference separating the Holy Trinity and the Square Deific. The first stanza exhibits the power of the first deity. The God decides "judgments without the least remorse" and has all of His subjects and followers' lives in His hands (Whitman). The extent of His power is shown when the seasons and Earth's gravitation pull are mentioned, as the Square Deity is as constant, reliable, and relentless as the aforementioned acts of nature (Whitman).

The second stanza describes the next side of the Square, the son of the first side. The knowledge that the second side deity is the offspring of the first comes from the mythological references of the "Lord Jesus", "Hercules", and "Hermes" (Whitman). Jesus was the next part of the Christian Holy Trinity, which seems to be a model for the Square Deific. Hercules was the son of Zeus, another chief deity and rose to power and eventually became a god himself. Hermes was another son of Zeus, ruler of Greek Gods. The Square Deific second side diety represents the people better than the first deity as he "absorbs the suffering", "crucified", "taunted", "cheer bringer", and His "charity has no death" (Whitman). That signifies that His influence and support will always be present in whatever way is desired and can bring comfort to the people that He is there (Oliver).

The third stanza, the third side of the Square, is the opposite of the deity representing the first side. In Christianity the Devil is the opposite of God, as well as evil is the opposite of goodness. But the "Square Deific" version of Satan is not as evil as the Christian version. The Square Deity is the "brother to the slaves" and is not necessarily evil (Whitman). The deity is stubborn and will live up to his "permanent" vows and decisions (Whitman). That makes Him a respectable God as one can always trust him to keep his word, but with the knowledge that He is not looking out for their benefit as well as the second side of the Square Deific will be.

The final side of the Square is the equivalent of the last part of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit in Christianity represents the invisible acts from God that help His followers better understand their religion and Him. The "Santa Spirita" is the "breather of life" which is very similar to the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit is the most "solid" part of the square, therefore the most important part (Whitman). The Spirit triumphs over Heaven and Hell ( "lighter than light", "flames of hell", "Paradise" ) and "including God, the Saviour, and the Satan" in Its rank (Whitman). The last line of the poem makes the reader assume that the narrator, Walt Whitman, either is the "Santa Spirita" or has the "Santa Spirita" within him, which is another trait of the Christian Holy Spirt (Oliver). Whitman's "Square Deific" is a well rounded Holy Trinity, with all sides of humanity represented in good and evil as well as self and savior. Whitman expanded on the classic Trinity, but improved it to represent what he envisioned as the deities of man.



Oliver, Charles M. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 02 Apr. 2012.

Whitman, Walt. "Chanting the Square Deific." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.

Journal 29 - Self

Well, this is going to be a hard journal. My transcendentalist self is deep within me and will be hard to locate and describe. My real self, according to Anna Sakach is "a stunningly intellect" (insert a British accent). My personality and self perception is harder to determine as it is more of a private thing. I am a different person when I am alone and do not have peer pressure and stereotypes to act under. Everyone assumes in a "real me" way that I am a smart, nerdy, person. I am, but not to the extent that others think. I am way more nerdier at home by myself. When I meet new people, I try to restrain myself to meet the criteria of accepted behavior in society today. People frown upon the ability to speak the equivalent of Spanish 1 in Klingon and to be able to quote line for line, 10 out of the 11 Star Trek movies. Especially because I am a girl. And not in my 40s or 50s, as a typical and stereotypical Trekkie is. I feel like I am introverted in a way when I am in public. There is a little fear in me about not meeting people's expectations. That is hard and stressful for me a lot of the time because people, especially my peers, assume that I am getting good grades and ranked first in our class, and will go to college and accomplish great things. I think that the pressure to succeed has actually made me a better person, stomach ulcers aside. Because I try to meet the expectations, and normally succeed, my work ethic increased and the desire to be first grew. Self- confidence came as a byproduct of the peer pressure and social stereotypes. My spiritual self is a different story. I do not know where I am spiritually, which means I need to do some soul searching. Because I do not have a specific religion (who knows maybe down the road I will be a devoted follower to Hestia), there is more for me to discover.

"Nature, the Gentlest Mother"

"Nature, the Gentlest Mother" by Emily Dickinson describes Mother Earth and how she takes care of her "children" and "household" (Dickinson). Nature is "impatient of no child" which symbolizes how Mother Earth takes care of everyone on the planet and even when her "children" harm her (carbon emissions, fires, ecosystem meddling), she will always be their mother and take care of them from the "feeblest" to the "waywardest" (Dickinson). The next stanza in the poem describes how Nature aids her children. She is present in the forests and hills, and is "heard by travelers" (Dickinson). "Hearing" nature invokes onomatopoeia of wind whistling and rustling the trees in the forests and whipping the tall grass and wildflowers on the tall and rolling hills. Also the animals making a variety of noises in the forest are a sign of Nature's presence. The flowers growing on the hills represent the gentle loving touch of Mother Earth as life on the hill. The third stanza uses personification. Emily Dickinson describes all of the flora and fauna, as well as the creatures and critters that roam the Earth, as Nature's "household" and "assembly" (Dickinson). Nature has "fair conversation" with her "household" (Dickinson). The conversation is a representation of the interaction between Nature and the living things on the Earth. Without sun light and rain the plants and trees could not survive. Also, the changing seasons effect the ecosystems and the animals. Mother Earth takes care of her "children" by providing "warm summer days" and not having freezing, deadly winters (Dickinson).

Emily Dickinson explains that nature, or Mother Nature, has an effect on every creature, whether it is the “minutest cricket” or “the most unworthy flower” (Dickinson). Dickinson has done a great job of personifying nature in this poem also. She says that “her voice among the aisles incites the timid prayer”, so she has given nature a voice that reaches all creatures she has created (Dickinson). She also says that “with infinite affection and infiniter care, her golden finger on her lip, wills silence everywhere” (Dickinson). She has given nature not just a finger but a golden finger. That symbolizes that nature’s finger is of a more important significance because gold represents more noble or distinguished feature. She clearly has a deep affection for nature in this poem. This poem also has a good amount of imagery. Her descriptions are very strong and animated. She creates the image of children sleeping, a very miniscule cricket, an ugly or ‘unworthy’ flower, and how when nature turns to darkness it creates silence everywhere. She presents rhymes in the final stanza, but it is only with the second and fourth lines. The rhyme scheme does not seem to matter as much to her as a good rhythm. She keeps a constant rhythm that is different, but makes the reading flow. The syllables do not always match up with each line, but she creates a certain element of poetry that makes this poem, “Nature, the gentlest Mother”, worth reading.



Dickinson, Emily . "Nature, the Gentlest Mother." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.