Book Review

Parable Of The Talens written by Octavia E. Butler is a fascinating fictional tale of a future Christian America. A world where corrupt Christian America is starting more and more unnecessary war,and even more unnecessary "crusades" on their own people, Olamania tries to start her own community, her own religion, and her own way of life. Just as she gets her little compound progressing at a good pace the radical Christian Americans take it away, how will she survive the Nazi like behavior of her captors? With her super sensitive ability how will Olamania survive a world filled with such chaos and horror? The sequel of a trio trilogy this book will not allow you to put it down for even a second. If you are expecting to read this book prepare to be engrossed with it's contents. If you have an open mind and like to challenge your own beliefs then this book is a must read. You will be questioning your religion, your own being, and humanity in itself!
What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
Octavia Butler created this book as a reflection towards the human behavior. The way the Christian Americans see any other people that have a different religion or even a different variation of Christianity is immediately deemed as a heathen and sent to a correctional facility. Of course these facilities are not actually meant to correct you, but more as an imprisonment camp. Everyone inside the camp is forced to wear a shock collar, the perfect tool since it never leaves a mark AND creates so much pain when activated, the most efficient tool in the time. People are forced to destroy their own religious symbols in public and dig their friend's graves. Forced to memorize bible verses in conditions identical possibly worse then the Nazi camps. They hypocritical Christians who say sex is horrible before marriage go about raping girls and men as they please. I believe Octavia is trying to explain to us how it's not going to take much at all to revert back to times similar to the Nazis. Only this time noone is for certain what side of conflict you will be on. Anyone could be the oppressor and anyone could be the oppressed. Octavia is telling us without a complete acceptance of all religions, "races", and sexes average day life could turn out to be world full of chaos. Octavia brings up the idea of modern day slavery and how it is so much easier to accomplish with newly designed shock collars. While some people might think this is too horrid or grotesque to be true, it is already possible. A simple slip of a dog collar around a unknowing human can have the same effects. Above all I believe Ocatavia's main idea to try to get into people's minds is that your life's results depends on what you do. If you want something to thrive you have to put the effort, time, and wise planning to get the deed accomplished. The main character Olamania was constantly being told to give up on Earthseed. No matter what she paid them no mind and kept the belief and spread the word to as many people as possible. Having been through severe pain, rape, mugged, homeless, and all the terrible things you could think of Olmania does what ever is in her power to keep Earthseed's vision alive.
For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
This book is intended for people of young adults or people in search of finding out what they truly believe deep down. If you ever find yourself thinking, "Wow I'm not all to certain the religion i follow is that of a good one" then this book will make you really think WOW could this really happen? Could blind faith push people to do such disgusting things to their fellow human? For me i kind of found this books religious stand points amazing. I already have a biased towards the Christian religion and found the Earth Seed was a very nice change of pace then the normal teachings i hear from other religions. "God is change and change is God. You can influence God and therefore you have the power to change anything." I think that is a very solid way of thinking. People who would like to lose themselves in a good fiction book will get into this. This book will pull you inside and won't spit you back out until your eyes have poured over every single word. This book actually has quite a dark atmosphere. With the happy events occuring mainly in the beginning and sparse it's not a feel good book for those looking for one. This book is directed to people who have a knack for looking deeper into things. Not everything is as it seems in this book. Almost everything has a deeper meaning and reflects back on the mistakes we are making in the present that add up to the post apocalyptic world the Olmania lives in. Global warming is destroying crops and causing massive floods, the US is fighting countries (and states) that you would think would never be necessary and are still questionable, US has sold their space program to the Japanese even after they found life on Mars!, and other such things as gangs raiding each other. If you like knitty gritty survival books pick this up in a heart beat. You will be able to witness how people survive through these times of disorder and how other don't survive.
Although there are a few typos i have caught this book is very professional and intriguing. If anyone asks me about the book i would instantly tell them to just read a random page and dare them to stop reading. What really made me attracted to the book is the post apocalyptic setting. Parable of The Talents did a wonderful job capturing the whole roughness and realism. The fact that EVERYTHING in the book sounds actually quite plausible if applicated to real world settings, is what gives this book a position in my top 10 books.

Letter 2

Wow so much has happened in these last couple of chapters. Lets start from the beginning. Woah! she met her brother who supposedly died. I was super happy to hear this bit of information the family gets bigger! Low blow though when we find out he is a super Christian. Although Olamania gave him shelter and allowed him to preach to her people about his own ideals, he still seemed rather un-grateful. Eventually he runs off, im not too sad about his lose he didn't help the community in any big way.
She's PREGNANT!!! I see how shes happy and all but in my own opinion i wouldnt want to bring a baby into a world like that. What if her baby turned out to be a sharer that would cuase so many troubles (luckily she isnt). In the back of my head i was kind of hoping her baby would gain some other power or side effect since Olamania is a sharer, darn.
The Joy of the baby was very short lived. Soon after the Maggots, which sound incredibly fun to use, storm in and take over Acorn. If i was harry i would have spent my time upgrading the fighter trucks. Anywho the Christian enthusiasts completely took over Acorn with the help of their immobilizing gas. They are quickly rounded up and collared. Somthing I though Olamania would never have to go through. Soon Acorn begins looking like a nazi concentration camp. Being forced to work for no reason. CA thought they were doing good since these people were not christian but they were just hypocrites. They raped all of them which from my understanding of Christianity is a no no. It bothers me how CA would take over Acorn a community sticking to itself but not people like Cougar who are selling little boys and girls as sex slaves. 17 months of that torture, Bankole died but no huge surprise.
It seems our characters have split off and went on their own way. How long will it take Olamania to be reunited with her daughter? Will they ever be reunited? I think Olamania should have another husband. She could use the company and protection. Hopefully by the end of all of this Earth seed will leave earth and travel space, but the future looks bleak. =(

genocide final

Genocide is purely a human species invention. You don’t see other species of animals killing each other for a stupid reason like different shade of fur. It’s quite ridiculous how humans, as such an “advanced” species who has developed such a complex array of language and comprehension we still revert to violence when we see it most effective. What is the use of words if we don’t even take them in account and go straight for our fists and guns? Animals may be violent, yes, but they do it to survive. They never go overboard and wipe out a whole species. Dolphins and whales have a huge brain size compared to their body hinting that they are rather intellectual beings. They even have one more layer of brain that humans don’t have (if my recollection is correct from an article I read) some would say they are more intelligent then us. Humans (in my eyes) seem to judge intelligence on how advanced animals are at using and creating tools. The way I see it when species do this they rapidly deplete their resources. In like what, a tiny three thousand years, give or take? A single species has never tormented the Earth in such a way, that was not caused by natural forces. I believe an intelligent species is one that doesn’t make its environment turn on them and support its own food source. Dolphins are friendly to most species. It eats small fish and dolphins even protect other marine life by taking on a shark now and then. It isn’t rare to hear stories of dolphins saving people whom are under attack from a shark. Dolphins have even used a tool that other animals use and turned that into a language, sonar. Point being species with similar brains and diverse biological tools don't use those tools to eliminate what they need to survive. They keep the circle of life revolving instead or diverging on a different path.
A philosopher I studied a few months ago, Thomas Hobbes, believed that humans were born evil. That if a human were to be left unobserved they would take the selfish and naturally evil course of actions. Hobbes continues to say that humans need a single person (philosopher) to lead the rest of us like sheep, for we cannot make the correct decision on our own. To some extent I agree with Hobbes. It truly takes an evil being to even process the thoughts of genocide let alone actually commit to the idea and carry it out. I don’t think all of humanity would agree to killing off a certain race or religion, but sadly I think there is still a percentage that would gladly agree. Humans are rather easy to give in to pressure. Fear could make parents throw away their own children if they are scared enough, whether for the children or themselves. Other just like the power if being "superior" to another group of people that is not them. Either really confused or not bright people may think genocide is better for the world. "Maybe that race IS out to get us all. We must band together and get rid of them before they get rid of us." Hypocrisy thy name is humanity. People like Hitler actualy though they were doing the world a favor by eliminating people that were not "good enough" What in nature could inspire this way of thought? I don't think nature has the ability to be so hateful. Instead of Hobbe's idea i believe that society shapes the individual human, depending on how they see the world and universe around them. A chaos filled environment will have some obvious side effects on the development of a person.
I think religion has a huge impact on this also. As far as we know humans are the only species who can think of the idea of religion. Personally i don't really have a religion i strictly follow, although my family is Muslim.
A lot of people blame their radical ideas on their religion. I bet when i say this a lot of people instantly think of Muslims. Hitler was on a religious craze and he wasn't Muslim. People interpert their religious beliefs their own way even Christians start shooting people if a certain message in the bible seems like thats what it is saying. I don't like religion because it gives people an excuse. In my eyes religion has a huge similarity to the shocking( not adjective) experiment that took place in Europe. There is one authority figure giving out directions. It's not all too clear what his true objective is, but it seems to be important. People sign up for their own accord and listen to instructions. When things start to become scary and uncertain they ask the authority figure for conformation. This is when some people can choose to leave or continue on blindly following what he says. It seems like you can replace several words in the past couple sentences with religious words and it would make perfect sense. I'm not trying to bash on religion saying its the cause of genocide, but it dosnt always condemn it either. "I just did what i was told, i wasn't aware that I was doing anythign truely harmful." is a nice resemblance to what nazi soldiers have said and the shock experiment. Blindly following orders is always a dangerous idea.
People who have given up and just don't give a damn anymore. Yet people who have a drive to achieve something that is correct and great in their own mind, both can be the sparks leading to the bonfire of genocide. Brilliant people, stupid people, and even regular joes can commit genocide. Humans are the ones stupid enough to commit genocide and humans are the ones with the complexity to commit genocide. We are in need of an upgrade, hopefully we will do something about it before we are on earth version 5 in a different galaxy.
"Humans are like a virus. They feed off of a host, once its not useful we just move on to the next host. Rinse Wash Repeat."

FINALE

7. What have you learned from your struggles with writer's block? Why do you tend to get stuck? How do you tend to get unstuck? Notice any progress?

When I first heard that we were going to blog 300 words (minimum)a week I felt really excited. It was a chance for me to get ideas flowing through my brain. I have already considered myself an amateur author since I began writing my own book a few years ago. Sadly I have not written any new material since 8th grade. I blamed writer’s block, this so called being that stopped one from writing! After thinking about I've come up with a new belief that writer’s block is something that your brain subconsciously creates for you. Not some being that travels from writer to writer picking random victims to torture.
Writer’s block is your mind telling you to double think about your writing. Maybe you could be writing in more detail and something is making you hesitate until you notice it. Once you catch on you would get into a better rhythm and write at a nice steady speed. Sometimes I would be on a very good rhythm thinking and writing all working together, when suddenly my brain just stops. In a situation like this I would follow your (Mr. Sutherland's) advice. Even if your brain has stopped thinking don't let your hands stop typing or writing. I found it's better when this happens to write on a different piece of paper then once your mind starts getting back in gear continue with your original work. This seems to be especially helpful if you are writing on a topic that doesn't particularly interest you or just seems to take forever. It lets your brain take a slight rest on the subject while keeping your hands ready for the work ahead. I also get stuck when another person talking sidetracks me. The best way to prevent this block is to take a preemptive strike, and make sure that you are in an environment where people won't bother you. One way that probably won't work for a lot of people, but works for me is to listen to music. Most people, like we talked about in that one quick write (multitasking), say that they would get too distracted when music is in the background while trying to work. For me I get really inspired when I hear music I am really into. All the different instruments playing together to make one solid being makes me want to replicate their work, and write more fluidly.
Really obvious patterns I notice is when I write on a subject I’m not interested or dedicated in. When it’s a lame subject my mind wanders on it’s own looking for a way to save itself from wasting time on the work. Another pattern I see is when I’m trying to get writing done in front of my friends or the TV. The smallest break in the rhythm or my writing is moment something can distract me. With friends or the TV talking in the background it’s like a constant attack on your attention. It’s better to spend your time working in a nice safe environment free from known things that will ultimately distract you.

8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?

Blogging is a great thing in my life right now. In the past I used to really despise bloggers thinking that they were just ego maniacal attention grabbers. I was obviously wrong. I learned that there are some really interesting and thought provoking blogs out there, you just have to give the time to look for them. Blogging has given me a special time frame where I can take a break from the hectic school focused week to type about stuff I am really interested in. Being able to talk to friends about these things have really made my weeks more survivable. I also owe a great deal to these blog posts since they allowed me to peek into the minds of my not so close friends and class mates to see what they are interested in. I also enjoyed it since I’m one of those people who can say more through typing/writing then actually talking. There’s something that just seems more natural to me by typing, and when I talk I sometimes get so nervous I just decide to not share what I am thinking. Blogging has definitely been an experience I thought would be horrible, but turned out to be for the better.
I believe writing on a blog has drastically changed the way I write. The blog style is more straight forward for me. I’m more used to writing in complete detail, but when I blog it seems like I’m talking straight to friends so I just cut back on all the useless details. I was always a novel writer trying to add as many describing words as possible to paint a picture in the reader’s head. Instead my new way of writing for class was like trying to get something straight across. To allow a discussion to start was another great feature I wasn’t used to. Writing in this new way allowed for faster conversations that went straight to the point. I think this type of typing is a lot more social.
When I blog I have to change my mindset to a certain degree. I think. “What can I write about that will have enough substance to interest my friends, classmates, and Sutherland?” I admit that sometimes I rush through my blog post and just tell my day out of haste. I get disappointed with those posts. I’m happy when I get to think really hard on a certain subject to hook my readers and engage them to think in the I do, even if its just for the short period of time they are reading. When I blog my thinking pattern has to always be different. I prefer to write about different subjects rather then stick to one. It lets me explore on my own interests and improve my variety of knowledge (in my opinion). I’ve always liked writing and starting this blog has done nothing but improve my view on writing. You get to shout to the world the stuff you are into as a significant being. I think that’s the most special thing about blogging with a class or on your own.

10. Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?

Most of my ideas come straight from my imagining in my own fantasy then trying to connect it to the closest thing I can in reality. My favorite blog idea that I posted was probably on replacing human body parts with robotic ones. I’ve often dreamt of being able to replace the frail sensitive human parts with more efficient technological ones. I blame it on all the anime where you get all of these amazing powers. To replace your body with certain parts is the closest that will I will ever reach in trying to control fire. Typical daily things can spark ideas for my blog posts. Even the whole day itself could become the subject of a post if I decide that it’s interesting enough. My friends influence me a lot, sometimes during a conversation one sentence could spark a whole idea for a blog later that night. The quick writes we do in English class assist me immensely by giving me topics I wouldn’t normally think of, but in the end it turns out to be an amazing subject.
When I read novels, books, poems, or any other form of writing it inspires me to create a writing that would make another reader glued to every word. When I understand a certain type of writing I’m over overwhelmed with joy that I have a new writing style in my arsenal. Sometimes certain people who accomplish such ridiculously hard tasks given their environment inspires me to write about them, and how my own opinions on what they accomplished. My friends inspire me all the time in the form of competition. Creating the more interesting and convincing blog is always a fun thing to do. Technological advances in humans inspire me with the idea, “ If humans as a species can advance so much with tools, then I should be able to advance my writing to capture more readers!”

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comcast is screwin with my interent =(

Writing Group Opinons

First of all i would like to express my discontent for group work. In my mind i work more efficiently by myself without having to pay attention or tend to the needs of other people, yes a tad selfish. Besides that i will still try to give you the best feed back i can on your questions.
If i do end up working with other people i would be the most excited on how they feel on my writing. Discussion is good depending on the subject, whether it is agreeing with me on the whole or engaging on a debate, i love it all. When in a group it would also be better for more people to bounce different ideas back and forth. To those people writing could become a whole lot smoother, easy, and maybe even enjoyable for those die-hard anti writers. Commenting on blog posts is something i could really get into. So far i have only commented on friends posts because it just seems a bit awkward to just say something about a strangers writing.
I would not be a good candidate for spell checking and grammar nazi-ism. I am way more open to the idea of " as long as the point gets across" its perfectly fine.
For me personally i would prefer working with friends. Then i can just relax and concentrate on working on my own work. For the good of the group i would think its better to work with the same topic rather then your friends. You get the opportunity to meet new people who are at least slightly into subjects you are into. And you get a whole bunch of different view points on the same subject.
A nice guide line would be to always be supportive of those around you. I also think that its better if your just gonna not pay attention then pay attention and not every now and then. Either get with the program completely or dont bother the people who want to work

Re-Statement of purpose

I just finished re reading all of my past blog posts and I'm kinda sad. I thought i would talk about waaay more interesting stuff but i apparently i was wrong. No worries though im determined to get more into my writings. My biggest hope was to share my novel that I am having trouble continuing. Sadly I am not all that motivated to post let alone come up with new material for it. The remainder of my posts have almost no plan behind them and was just on my mind at the time i decided to post. Albeit i did touch on a few subjects i planned on writing on before.
I noticed i write in "chapters" almost, meaning i write as much as i want (or as little) then post the remainder relevancy of the story in my next post or a future one. I wrote mainly on personal things and topics that mainly involved me, myself, and I. This quarter i feel like i should take an ego check and write on something more universal and that more people would not normally know about.
Space has peeked my interest beyond belief right now. I am finding more and more as i mindlessly surf through sites. Did you know Scientists discovered a "ribbon" that surrounds our galaxy. It protects us from other galaxies colliding with ours and screwing up all of what we know.
I was excited to type about Japan and Indonesia but soon lost courage to. As i was thinking of what to write about them i though, "Hmm i really shouldn't right about Japan as i have only been there for a week. Being a wanna-be native will make over glorify Japan and create many statements bigger then life." So i decided to stay clear of Japan (for now)
Recently i have been looking up on studying abroad. I have spent countless hours, finding out about foreign schools that accept foreigners for a year, when i should have been doing PreCal homework.It's not too hard to guess which too countries are on my mind for this trip. Indonesia is my first choice. I was born there and i love everything about Indonesia so much, plus i have a basic language advantage. Japan, the land of my dreams which i have set foot on there soil only once before. I'm not super familiar with the language, but i wouldnt mind that.
Expect to see posts about traveling, space, random shizz, and hopefully my novel (dont hold your breath)
( I am also feeling super better then i was a week ago, beware God you cant kill me with just disease i am becoming immortal) ;D
P.S Looking for someone who will help me rule the world~

Blog Statement

For my blog i plan to write a variety of subjects. I would get terribly bored if i didn't. The topic I'm most interested about posting is the story I've been stalling on for about a year now. Hopefully posting it publicly i will get some readers who will give me feedback and hopefully let me improve my overall story.
Another topic i would love to write about is Indonesia. I was born there and i love everything about Indonesia from the terrible polluted cities to the beautiful forests. It would be awesome if other people read what i type and become more interested in Indonesia, and even for them to travel there or find out more about it. I have the best memories from Indonesia and it would be cool to share them.
Talking about Aliens/Conspiracies would be fun. I'll put some links and talk about what i think about it. Hopefully it'll make other people think or even get them interested in whatever it is that i post, and that they might be able to have a conversation about it later. Some of the stuff could be super awesome evidence while others could be poorly made hoaxes.
Japan is another country i would love to share my views on. Anything from Otaku stuff to technology and even history stuff; anything that i find especially interesting. Japan is just going to be fun to talk about. Ive been in japan for about a week and it was pure awesomeness~ I will undoubtedly add more topics as i stumble upon more interesting stuff.
I want to use this blog as a means to improve my grammar, typing speed/skills, and to get to my point without beating around the bush too much. Plus I can improve and gain researching skills on topics that I've been interested in for years but was too lazy to get around to.
~Wow thanks for reading my wall of text~