Blogpost 4

Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Explain how the character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.
In this excerpt of Jane Eyre, Jane is the character Charlotte Bronte uses to display the characteristics of England’s culture around the time period of the book, which is 1847. Jane is seen as an outcast, and because of this, she is forced to be shamed when the judge deems her punishment to be to stand on a stool for half an hour, and for not a single person to speak to her for the remainder of the day. According to the selection, Mr. Brocklehurst accuses Jane of being punishable by saying, “this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut--this girl is--a liar!” Jane’s lie however is not clarified. In the excerpt, Jane describes her own alienation when she says, “he promise pledged by Mr. Brocklehurst to apprise Miss Temple and the teachers of my vicious nature. All along I had been dreading the fulfilment of this promise,--I had been looking out daily for the ‘Coming Man,’ whose information respecting my past life and conversation was to brand me as a bad child for ever: now there he was.”
To reveal the moral values of the culture during this time period, the reader has to look at what Mr. Brocklehurst rants about during his visit to the orphanage. When he says, “it ought to be improved to the spiritual edification of the pupils, by encouraging them to evince fortitude under temporary privation. A brief address on those occasions would not be mistimed, wherein a judicious instructor would take the opportunity of referring to the sufferings of the primitive Christians; to the torments of martyrs; to the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself, calling upon His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him; to His warnings that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God; to His divine consolations, ‘If ye suffer hunger or thirst for My sake, happy are ye.’ Oh, madam, when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children's mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!" Although lengthy, this quote reveals a lot. It discusses the devotion the people have to following the path of God during this time, and how serious it was to their everyday lives. This signifies how the people believed that suffering for God was the pathway to eternal life. Anyone who deviates from these paths should be shunned and be made accountable for their actions. That is precisely what Mr. Brocklehurst intended with Jane when she lied. He wanted to punish her for deviating from the Lord and shun her in front of other people. Jane’s alienation highlights the values of the people of her time because of the fact that she is punished for not conforming to them.

Blogpost 3

The print ad features Dennis Quaid (Lamb) on the left and Michael Chiklis (Savino) on the right, with the supporting characters and a glittering retro Vegas sign below. The copy reads: Let the Sin Begin.
Creators: Nicholas Pileggi, Greg Walker
When: Sept 25 2012
Where: CBS
Little Picture: The creators made a visually appealing advertising that grabs the attention of the viewer. This is done by the use of the sparkling Vegas letters, along with the contrasting characters on either side of the advertisement. The man on the left appears to be old fashioned, holding a rifle, accompanied by a cowboy hat and leather jacket, common traits of a typical “wild west” person from history. On the right, features a man wearing all black, with a suit on, holding money. Putting the two side by side displays a separation of cultures and makes it easier for the viewer to see the difference.
Big Picture: The deadly sin showed here is greed. The wad of hundreds in the “gangster’s” hand on the right displays his desire for extreme wealth. In the TV show, his goal is to “take over Vegas.” There is even text on the advertisement that says “let the sin begin.” The creators of the advertisement were attempting to make it obvious that this show would be appealing in an impure way, people could now watch sinful and illegal things they are not allowed to do. The cowboy on the left displays anger (wrath). He is so angry at the gangster on the right that he feels the need to take him down, and with the use of the gun in his picture he is willing to do so quite violently.
Audience: In my opinion, the intended audience is thrill seeking adults, typically ones that belong to the upper middle class. These people have the experience of knowing what it is like to have some spending money, so they can relate even more so to the wealthy aspect of the show unlike someone from the middle or lower classes could. The audience enjoys watching the TV show because it displays a desire of most of them: extreme wealth. The advertisement also depicts that something illegal is probably going on, with the use of the dark colors on and behind the man holding the cash, and the cowboy holding the gun. This appeals to the thrill seekers who would not perform something illegal like this man is about to do, but they can watch it in a make-believe TV show.

Blogpost 2

1. My name is a part of my identity in my opinion.  However, I think more of my identity goes to my last name.  Part of this is because it is what distinguishes me from the countless other Sydneys around the world, and even the large amount of Sydneys found at Millbrook.  My last name has provided me with special opportunities in my life.  Having a father who is high ranking in the military, there has been several occasions where upon another soldier hearing of my last name, I was treated with the utmost kindness and respect.  Although I am not my dad, him being my father and me carrying his last name automatically gave me status, it defined who I am to other soldiers.  A last name defines anyone because for most people it is something that has been passed down countless generations, so it reveals aspects of a historical past, and can be traced back for countless years.  I have never experienced any negativity for my last name, only reputable comments.  When I am married, I intend to give up my last name and replace it with my husband’s.  A lot of women nowadays decide to retain their childhood family name, I do not see a problem with that whatsoever.  I think it is cool they are deciding to continue to associate themselves with the name they were born with.  Besides, the last name of someone does not really affect me, so I support whatever choice someone decides to make.  
2. Being a part of a family to me is important, I love my family the most out of everything, and I am very fortunate to be apart of the Sterling family.  However, each Sterling family member is extremely different.  Although we associate as a family, each family member has different aspects that make them their own individual. I am a different person around my friends than I am around my family.  That gives me two different identities.  The biggest difference for me between the way I treat my parents versus my friends is the level of respect I treat my parents with.  In my household, I am expected to live up to certain expectations and treat my parents with the utmost respect at all times.  As far as being around my friends, I am much more laid back and casual, and much more outgoing.  Both sides of me have helped develop who I am today, and I am thankful that I have the ability to be both people, whether by learning respect and responsibility, or having fun with my friends.