You graduate high school; don’t get into any great schools. What do you do? Join the army! You sign up and report to the base; you go to a bed and throw down your bag. The camp commander walks in and yells “You damn new comers; I bet most of you haven’t even held a gun. Well, the next couple of weeks you will be able to shoot, run and kill not in that order, good night ladies.” With that he walks away, the next morning you run a mile before breakfast. Then you have to do fifty push-ups before you can yet while the sergeants are yelling “see those guys there nothing there your meat for the week they’re insignificant, they’re nobody.” The Sergeant is using Stereotypes to teach you how to kill. Stereotypes can help one learn how to kill.
War Stereotypes were around as early as the Revolutionary war. Basil one of the main characters in Give Me Liberty says “To kill a man I would have to think down upon him” (128). By using stereotypes even in the revolution they were needed. Also, Basil joins the army and hears “They’re nothing but lobsters we’ll be eaten after their dead.” By this he is being taught that the British soldiers are immoral, and have an easier time pulling the trigger to kill another man. The more stereotypes that are fed are easier the killing becomes. Also the killing of one’s self becomes easier.
In 1945, when the axis fell and America invaded the Japanese island of Capon, once the military had been killed and no prisoners were taken (they believed they should fight to the death) the civilians started jumping off cliffs to avoid being captured by the Americans. The already captured civilians realized the Americans weren’t going to rape or kill them so they started yelling to not jump. But, 10,000 lives were lost because of the stereotype that the Americans were going to hurt them. Also Nathanial, the other main character, in Give Me Liberty sees the General of the Red Coats jump off the fort while shooting himself. He thought that being captured might make the Americans torture him for information. What if there were no stereotypes?
No stereotypes would make it so the bloodthirsty would do the killing, the marines for example are the most fit Americans but if they can’t look down the sight of a MP44 (type of sniper rifle) and not pull the trigger ending the man’s life. America and the whole world would be a much better place, except for the terrorists that really want people to die will be able to run around and kill as they please. Now your service is almost done.
You decided to forgo college and stay in the military now you’re the sergeant giving orders on the military base. You can sleep at night knowing that you helped keep your freedom and everyone else’s. The night before the new recruits come you remember your first day, the commander saying “You damn new comers; I bet most of you haven’t even held a gun. Well, the next couple of weeks you will be able to shoot, run and kill not in that order, good night ladies.” With that you drift into a dreamless sleep.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
EC#1
Myth Verses Myth
Many of the mothers in the stories we read are the mothers are killed by their son like in “Osiris and Isis” when the god Seth is born he rips a whole in his mother’s side killing her. Another example is in “World on the Turtles Back” the left handed comes out of his mother’s armpit killing her, and also the right handed twin kills his grandmother. To conclude a common theme from the myths are having the mothers die. Another motif of mothers that they are followed by children like in “Osiris and Isis” is while Isis is looking for Osiris’ body she is followed by children who help her on her journey and in “World on the Turtles Back” the left handed follows his grandmother because she favors him over the right handed twin. Overall Mothers tend to be followed by children.
All the myths that we read explained how the world was made like in “How the world was Made” it told of how Maheo and how he made the world by first making a salt lake then the fish and aquatic creatures, then Maheo made the aerial creatures and finally came the light. With some help from the coot Maheo made the Land on which we live on. Also in “World on the Turtles Back” a women falls from the Sky World and some birds save her, and place her on a turtles back then she says she needs food so some fish dive for silt and all but the muskrat ends up with the silt so she can grow a garden. The garden ends up being the world and she gave birth and both the women and her daughter make rituals to keep the sun moving and the crops growing. The major thing all the story’s had in common was that they all told of how the earth was created.
Gilgamesh is a hero but not for slaying a dragon or even saving anyone, is a hero because he managed an impressive feat by vanquishing the wild man Enkidu. With conquering Enkidu came a new friend for Gilgamesh and also a new rival. The two friends went and executed a demon that guarded the great Cedar Forest and then went on to level the forest. Then the Goddess Ishtar sends a bull because she is being very inquisitive about Gilgamesh. The due kill the bull enraging the gods and kills Enkidu. But like every great hero he suffers a loss that is Enkidu. But he gets over this loss and starts his quest for immortality. With all of Gilgamesh’s feats he is a hero but still went through a metamorphosis. Then Gilgamesh returns to his abode to live with this lesson that is bitterness and rage will not take him anywhere and to live life to the fullest.
Many of the mothers in the stories we read are the mothers are killed by their son like in “Osiris and Isis” when the god Seth is born he rips a whole in his mother’s side killing her. Another example is in “World on the Turtles Back” the left handed comes out of his mother’s armpit killing her, and also the right handed twin kills his grandmother. To conclude a common theme from the myths are having the mothers die. Another motif of mothers that they are followed by children like in “Osiris and Isis” is while Isis is looking for Osiris’ body she is followed by children who help her on her journey and in “World on the Turtles Back” the left handed follows his grandmother because she favors him over the right handed twin. Overall Mothers tend to be followed by children.
All the myths that we read explained how the world was made like in “How the world was Made” it told of how Maheo and how he made the world by first making a salt lake then the fish and aquatic creatures, then Maheo made the aerial creatures and finally came the light. With some help from the coot Maheo made the Land on which we live on. Also in “World on the Turtles Back” a women falls from the Sky World and some birds save her, and place her on a turtles back then she says she needs food so some fish dive for silt and all but the muskrat ends up with the silt so she can grow a garden. The garden ends up being the world and she gave birth and both the women and her daughter make rituals to keep the sun moving and the crops growing. The major thing all the story’s had in common was that they all told of how the earth was created.
Gilgamesh is a hero but not for slaying a dragon or even saving anyone, is a hero because he managed an impressive feat by vanquishing the wild man Enkidu. With conquering Enkidu came a new friend for Gilgamesh and also a new rival. The two friends went and executed a demon that guarded the great Cedar Forest and then went on to level the forest. Then the Goddess Ishtar sends a bull because she is being very inquisitive about Gilgamesh. The due kill the bull enraging the gods and kills Enkidu. But like every great hero he suffers a loss that is Enkidu. But he gets over this loss and starts his quest for immortality. With all of Gilgamesh’s feats he is a hero but still went through a metamorphosis. Then Gilgamesh returns to his abode to live with this lesson that is bitterness and rage will not take him anywhere and to live life to the fullest.
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