Foster's Long Unit

1) One point that Thomas Foster made was that literature is open to interpretation and he also mentions symbolism quite frequently. He says that symbols (unless they are an allegory) are never meant to only represent one specific thing. That they differ from person to person based on personal experiences and how much knowledge the reader has on a specific subject.

2) We should have learned the main ideas from reading the text. However I feel that most of the knowledge about the main points of the book was gained from in-class discussion. Also the learn-it/teach-it/review-it assignment was a good way of learning the main points of Foster's book.

3) I feel the class discussions went well because students conversing with the teacher about a topic almost always go well. As long as the students grasp a better understanding of the topic at hand, then the lesson is always successful and I believe, in our discussions at least, that my class mates and I grasped a better understanding of Foster's book.

4) Unemployed people need work. Mr. Kain's lessons do not.

5) Next time, I think reading the book in order would make more sense to me. It's just in the cases where he mentions something from a previous chapter (that we haven't read yet) and I don't fully understand it.

6) At first, I was skeptical of Foster saying that almost all literature fits into a mold, but after reading more of his book, it makes more sense to me. I think Foster is an intelligent man with a bit of wisdom about literature to share with the world.

Not A Very Traditional Title

     Tradition is something I feel is necessary, but when it is unjust, it is time to be done away with. Tradition should be something that brings people together, but it cannot be a thing that brings harm to anybody. Many traditions in today's society are fine the way they are, but I feel that some need to be changed.     
     Thanksgiving is a tradition in America that I feel is very good for society. Family members that wouldn't normally see each other (sometimes all year) are brought together for a feast. People get a chance to put any previous grudges/hard feelings/ect. to the side for a meal of unity.  Nobody (except a few hundred thousand turkeys) is harmed during the common practice of Thanksgiving, therefore in my book, it is a very beneficial tradition.
     Sometimes, traditions must be changed because they harm or oppress people. In the movie, Whale Rider, it was traditional for the Chief to be male. This is very oppressive to women because they don't have any say in how the tribe is governed. This would be an example for a tradition in need of abolition or at least  alteration.
     What do you think about oppressive/destructive traditions?

"iPhone Models 5s and 5c Sell, Sell, Sell"- USA Today

     It's no surprise that apple has come out with a new iPhone recently. Almost every six months, a new "innovating, mind-blowing, ground-breaking" iPhone comes out. What are we going to do without the best camera in a smartphone yet? How could we fathom existence if we didn't have a fingerprint scanner on our handheld device? Nobody knows.

     

     Personally it's not the useless technology that I don't understand, it's the iPhone. The marketing team at Apple has to be one of the best in the world. The iPhone is composed of virtually no significant features in the newer models that don't come with the software update to the older devices. Apple has delivered a sub-par product, model after model (compared to competitors devices) but it continues to be one of the best selling electronic devices of all time.  Also, guess which government will have access to what will soon be the largest name-to-fingerprint database in the world? The government that spies on and lies to you. Seriously, why do people keep crawling back to the apple store twice a year?