Synthesis Essay – Meaning of Life

Posted on by shannonf2015

The Meaning of Life

 

Many people spend most of their lives trying to discover what to do with their valuable time which leads to the open-ended question: what is the meaning of life? The movie Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir takes place in 1959 in Vermont Boarding school Welton Academy. The story follows young boys who meet Mr. Keating, a young, passionate, and enthusiastic English teacher, who teaches them the values of thinking differently by finding their own voices while inspiring them to join the Dead Poets Society club. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” written by James Thurber is a short story set in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The story is based on Walter Mitty, an old man who fantasises in order to escape from reality to make his life more engaging. The movie Dead Poets Society and the short story “The Secret life of Walter Mitty”, both demonstrate different perspectives of life due to the obstacles being faced while finding a purpose. Todd and Neil from Dead Poets Society are encouraged by their English teacher to think freely to be able to discover themselves, whereas Walter Mitty retreats into his daydreams and imagines himself as a hero. In contrast, Todd and Neil are still youthful and are in search of a path unlike Walter Mitty who is trying to relive his past to escape his mundane life but continues to live freely through his dreams. Ultimately, both show the great significance of living life to the fullest while living under pressure, either by parents and society shown in Dead Poets Society or loved ones and society in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”.

To begin, each individual in both sources have different perspectives on the meaning of life because of their difference of age and morals, while being faced with different barriers they must overcome. Todd, the main character in Dead Poets Society is young, naïve, and shy. His fear of public speaking limits his ability of expression with also the pressure of his successful older brother weighing on him. The conflict between him and his mind telling him he is not good enough is discouraging, until Mr. Keating makes him do a “yawp” in front of the whole class. This “yawp” opens Todd up, leading up to the point where he has original poetry filled with passion seamlessly slip through his teeth. At this moment, Todd starts building up confidence and starts learning the importance of taking action in order to find his inner self that has been in hiding. Furthermore, Todd grasps Mr. Keating’s teachings and learns to contribute his own verse by jumping onto his desk and reciting “O Captain! My Captain!” (Weir) which is a reference to the poem they learned with Mr. Keating about Abraham Lincoln. Mr Keating wants to be called “Captain” in order to break the wall between teacher and father figure. The action of standing up shows that he is challenging traditional ideas and stereotypes in order to be free. He is saluting Mr. Keating to show that he understands his lessons, and that he has broken his shell and evolved into an independent young man. He learns to find his own voice and to stop letting the fear of getting expelled affect his opinion, opening his eyes to his true purpose. On the other hand, Walter Mitty tries to be a hero in his daydreams due to self regret. His fantasy world is out of the ordinary, absurd and filled with action and adventure. He lives under the pressure of society and his domineering wife but continues to make dull activities engaging and exciting. He also tries to open up to his wife about his feelings but gets rejected instantly: “’I was thinking’ said Walter Mitty. ‘Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?’ She looked at him. ‘I’m going to take your temperature when I get home’ she said” (Thurber). Walter’s attempt of expressing his emotions to his wife shows that he sees his fantasies as not simply foolish dreams, but a secret life where he can escape to when needed. His words to his wife show that he still finds it important to make every day feel like a new day by facing new challenges, fears, and experiencing unforgettable adventures even in his head. Even though he cannot do many things physically, he still shows the relevance of keeping his inner adventurous and wild self. Therefore, both sources demonstrate how the difference of ages affects one’s viewpoints on the meaning of life.

Different sets of tones and moods are also used to spread their messages to the audience in order to effectively reach out to those that have been in search for their own purpose. In Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating’s passion and personality shines through to inspire the audience to find their voices, making him come across as a father figure for many. He uses lots of poetry and literature to teach the values of expression and nonconformity. This effective usage of poetry inspires the audience to dig deeper into the meaning of life, and to take action in order to make one’s life exciting. When the Headmaster of Welton Academy talks about the four pillars of Welton to the students, they all stand up with synchronized voices: “’Gentlemen, what are the Four Pillars?’ ‘Tradition. Honor. Discipline. Excellence’” (Weir). This demonstrates the strict traditional system of rehearsing this belief to brainwash them into thinking the only way to success is to follow tradition and to work hard to get a good career. The boarding school already plans the student’s futures, giving them a limited guideline of how to live their lives rather than allowing the boys to choose their own path and to give them opportunities to discover themselves. In the “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, humor is used but because Walter’s character comes across as someone who is in desperate need of escaping reality, the mood comes across as sad and depressing. This tone and mood that the author uses makes it seem like the reader is making fun of him, as if he is pathetic, and just a regular old man who cannot do anything but simply dream. Additionally, the story is suspenseful and dramatic throughout the variety of fantasies to contrast his real life. The opening sentence, “’We’re going through!’ The commander’s voice was like thin ice breaking” (Thurber), tosses the reader into the middle of an action scene without any context to give the same immediate sense of reality to Walter’s fantasy life as is given to his real life. This usage of dialogue shows the complexity of Walter’s personality to show he feels free and alive in his dreams, and sometimes gets so involved he doesn’t know what is happening in his surroundings. Therefore, both sources share their messages by using different sets of moods and tones in order to effectively reach out to the reader and audience.

Lastly, both short story and movie teach valuable messages about the reasons of one’s existence and how to take action. Dead Poets Society teaches the importance of embracing your individualism and to make your lives extraordinary. Mr. Keating uses “carpe diem”, meaning seize the day, to inspire his students to look for opportunities and to make the most out of them. He teaches his students that young, timid men and women need to find their inner wild self to find the strength to be themselves. The dialogue between Neil and Mr. Keating also shows that young men need to connect with older men in order to find a mentor that will guide them through their life journey: “’Have you ever told your father what you told me? About your passion for acting? You ever show him that?’ ’I can’t.’ ‘Why not?’ ’I can’t talk to him this way’”(Weir). Neil feels more comfortable with Mr. Keating then his biological father, showing the importance of finding someone that will accept one’s decisions and opinions so that one may discover more about themselves. On the contrary, Walter Mitty’s message is about living life to the fullest before you feel regretful while also demonstrating the importance of not letting your age limit your capabilities. It’s better to try things then to not experience them at all, even if it may have a negative impact instead of regretting what it would be like. He continues to fantasize even when his wife does not support him. The symbolism of the last scene when Walter stands in front of a firing squad, represents him standing in front of the people that always harass him for dreaming: “He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then with the faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the undefeated, inscrutable to the last” (Thurber). He stands in front proud and undefeated. This shows the relevance of sticking to one’s beliefs and dreams even if many disagree to show others the power of uniqueness and imagination which may soon help the breakage of stereotypes of old men. Based on both sources, they show the importance of taking action and to embrace your dreams in order to live a full life.

To conclude, Todd, Neil, and Walter show their own meaning of life and how they persevered through the difficulties of living under pressure. From the evidence shown, the boys in Dead Poets Society learn that their purpose is to find their own voices, and to diverge from being ordinary while also taking every opportunity. Walter Mitty learns that the purpose of life is to make life interesting, daring, and captivating, while keeping one’s adventurous side as one ages. Although each character discussed have their own definition of the meaning of life, they all learn that in order to find their purpose, they must be dauntless, brave, and speak out so that one may decide their own path, giving them the strength of ignoring the negative influences of others who limit their dreams and potential.

 

Works Cited

Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. 1989. Film.

—. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The New Yorker 18 March 1939. Electronic.

 

Two things I did well: 

I was able to write a good opening with a strong hook and write a good thesis. I also used good transition words.

Two things I need to remember: 

To cut out deadwood to make my statements direct and to the point and making sure to explain in depth the quotes that I used in my essay.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 15 – Solving Rational Equations

Posted on by shannonf2015

This week I have learned how to solve when there is two fractions by cross multiplying and how to solve by finding the common denominator by factoring.

Let’s start with an example using cross multiplying:

 

First step is to write down the restrictions. The restriction is 2.

Next is to draw the butterfly, which is basically circle the numerator of one fraction with the denominator of the other fraction. Once you got those circled, those values circled together indicate that it will be multiplied together. Write them down making sure to keep the equal sign as you are solving. Now foil in the 3 in the brackets and isolate s. You get 2. Since we wrote down that the restriction of s cannot be 2, this is extraneous.

Let’s look at another example where we have to find the common denominator instead:

In this example, it looks too complicated to do cross multiplying. The first thing we should do is write down the restrictions which is x cannot be 0 or -1. Next, we can see in the first fraction, the denominator is factorable. We can take out a 2x and get 2x(x+1). By looking at both denominators of the fractions, the common denominator would be 2x(x+1) which allows us to cancel out the denominator of the first fraction, as well as the second fraction by multiplying both fractions with the common denominator. You will then have 2x(x-2) as the nominator for the second fraction which you will distribute the 2x in the bracket. Next, move the 6 over so you can factor. Start by finding out what is common which is 2 then start factoring. The answer is -1 or 3 but since we said the restriction is 0 and -1, -1 is not a solution; therefore, the answer is 3.

 

 

 

 

Week 14 – Rational Expressions

Posted on by shannonf2015

This week, I have learned what are non-permissible values and how to simplify rational expressions.

Non-permissible values are the values that x cannot be. The values are determined by the denominator; it’s the values that results in 0 as the denominator.

Let’s look at an example:

First step is to factor.

Once you factor everything out, list out the non-permissible values. After, you can simplify by crossing out what is common on the nominator and denominator which basically equals to one.

               

Let’s look at another example of multiplying and dividing rational expressions.

When it comes to dividing, we start by listing the given non-permissible values. The first one that we can see is 4.

Since it’s division, we must flip the second fraction (reciprocal) and then we can list the other non-permissible value which is 5. Next is to factor then list out any other given non-permissible values.

 

 

 

 

The other non-permissible value is -5. Now we can cancel out values diagonally which will give us the simplified expression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 13 – Graphing Reciprocals

Posted on by shannonf2015

This week we have learned how to graph reciprocals for both linear functions and quadratic functions.

For graphing reciprocal functions, we have to determine the asymptotes.

The x-axis is a horizontal asymptote and a vertical asymptote is when x has a certain value, a vertical line that the graph approaches but never reaches.

For all reciprocal functions, y cannot be 0 since \frac{1}{f(x)} can never be 0.

When we take the reciprocal of a number, the only numbers that stay the same are -1 and 1. Therefore, when we graph, we find the points that line up to where y=1 and y=-1. These are the invariant points.

Let’s look at an example of a linear function.

\frac{1}{-3x+9}

First step is to graph the line.

Next is to locate the invariant points.

 

Next is to find the asymptotes. Horizontal asymptote is always y=0.

 

Once you have the line graphed, now you must draw a curved line that goes only through the variant points while approaching the asymptotes but not actually touching it.

 

let’s look at another example but with quadratic functions.

Example:

y = 2x^2-4x-6 and y = \frac{1}{2x^2-4x-6}

First is to graph the parabola. Start by factoring to find the x-intercepts.

 

 

Now that you have the x-intercepts, you can add them together and divide it by two to find the axis of symmetry and plug that and a point in standard form to find q for the vertex.

 

When you draw out the parabola, circle the invariant points and draw in the asymptotes.

Draw a curved line through the invariant points.

 

If the parabola has one x-intercept, then it will be divided into 4 zones and will have two invariant points:

 

If the parabola has no x-intercepts, then it will divided in two zones and it won’t have any invariant points or a vertical asymptote:

 

 

 

 

Spoken Word

Posted on by shannonf2015

The Problems of Being Short and Looking Young

“Do you need help sweetie?” “How old are you?” “Where’s your parents?”

I get these questions all the time, as if I’m a sixteen-year-old held captive by my child-self.  My toothpick arms make a rock climb for every toilet paper rack at supermarkets with adults swarming to help me. No free samples at Costco without my mother by my side in case I’m “lying” about my own allergies, or being shoved in the middle seat, squished like I’m an overused stress ball.

We short people live through the eyes of a five-year-old constantly looking up: either up people’s hairy nostrils, their moving jawline, or simply getting squished into our friends’ boobs. Our purpose is to be objectified as an armrest for those who are too lazy to balance on their own perfectly slim legs, stuffing up our noses with the noxious, stale stench of flies flying out their armpits. The lagging school days of lunging up the stairs leaves my legs crying in agony, and a thirty-minute walk turns to a thirty-minute power walk to keep up with my slender man legged friends.

To add on to these atrocities, I can’t even get a proper meal. Due to my baby face and minuscule hunched armadillo body, I’m instantly handed a kid’s menu. A KID’S MENU! Do I look like I’m 12? Despite my attempts of ordering from my mom’s menu, with direct eye contact and an obvious finger indication on the menu to the waiter, she brings me a fudging miniature sized burger. I did not live another four years for the same calories as my nine-year-old brother, thank you very much.

There’s also the daily struggle of having our view blocked by towering bodies and being shoved around like we’re in pinball. A day at the movie theater becomes dodge ball from the blocking of tall heads, large crowds becomes a stampede of rowdy sweaty bulls trampling on our ant bodies and standing in lineups turns us into waddling penguins.

Although it’s infuriating to be short and to look young, there are some advantages. For instance, I can get away with taxes, I have plenty of leg room on planes, and I get away from heavy duty work.

I am also skilled at hide and seek and getting piggyback rides.

But the unwanted tattoo I cannot remove is the term “cute”; it’s stitched in my skin. No “Hot” or “Beautiful” is ever puzzled together with my face. And no, I do not want to be referred to those, but the fact that I’m told “You’re so cute!” as my permanent so-called-compliment makes me want to gag.  I am not a baby, or a puppy, ok? And please don’t tell me to wear heels to solve my height issues; those unbearable human-made torture devices are unacceptable for my virgin feet.

Now being small does not always hide me.  Whenever it’s picture time, my spotlight shines, front and center, provoking my shy stomach. My teenage clothing sags like filled up trash bags and I must strain my husky words to be heard. Worst of all, 5th graders heights are either equivalent or greater than mine making me petrified of hyper children.

So before you treat me like a child, let me make things clear.  Yes, I am sixteen, yes, I am short, and yes, I do struggle. But hey, at least I get to save money by wearing kid’s clothing.

  1. Two things I did well

I was able to use lots of metaphors, imagery, and some similes throughout my writing, and I was able to present it quite well. I usually don’t do a rant because I find them quite difficult; however, I am proud I was able to take my experiences and make it into a piece of writing to share it with my short folks.

2. Two things I need to improve on

I need to improve on my speaking when I present, and be more insightful when I am writing. I found myself running out of breath a lot while I was presenting so I need to find a way to make sure I do enough pauses. I did talk faster when I was in front of the class as I was really nervous, so I need to find coping methods to help me calm down before I present. I also need to start going deeper into my writing and just improving my writing in general.

3. Obstacles I encountered and the solution

While I was writing this spoken word, I tried to think of different ways of explaining my emotions or how I see things using metaphors or other descriptive words but I found this quite hard. Luckily, I managed to think of some by writing down my ideas first then thinking of ways to express/ show them without simply telling them. I also am not good at rants and I was hesitant to do this but this feeling of being short and young really got to me so I decided to go for it. I did in the beginning struggle on how to rant as I do not know how to; however, I managed to by imagining myself ranting to those that treat me like a child. I am proud that I decided to do a rant this time and that I was able to do a decent job. I am also proud I was able to make some people laugh as I am not very funny.

Week 12 – Absolute Value Functions

Posted on by shannonf2015

This week, I have learned how to graph the absolute value of a linear function, the absolute value of a quadratic function and how to write it in piecewise notation.

Example of a linear function:

y = I3x-5I

Let’s start by graphing this.

We know the y-intercept is -5, and the slope is 3. Start by plotting the given information on the graph for y = 3x-5

Now, to be able to place the absolute value, we must remember that absolute values cannot be negative. So the line that goes past the x-axis will instead change to positive values which will make the line bounce upwards after touching the x-axis.

To write this in piecewise notation, we can’t really tell what the x-axis is here, so we can use the equation to determine the x-intercept.

 

 

Let’s look at an example of a quadratic function:

 

Let’s start by graphing this. We know the vertex is (-1, 1) and it’s congruent to y=x^2 which follows the pattern 1,3,5,7,9…

Once you have it graphed without the absolute value symbol, you now can start graphing the equation when it’s in the absolute symbol. To do this, all the negative values must switch to positive values. Therefore, the outsides of the parabola will flip up.


Now that you have this, we can use this graph to determine the intercepts and domain and range. The x-intercept is -2 and 0 and the y-intercept is 0. The domain is always the element of all real numbers (xER) and the range is y ≥ 0 as the values of y must be +.

To write this in piecewise notation, we must first look at the x-intercepts. We can see that the outer part changes but the inner part does not whether it’s in the absolute value symbol or not. So y = -(x+1)^2+1 is if  -2 ≥ x ≥ 0 (The inner part of the graph; we are including the + values and 0).

For y=-(-(x+1)^2+1) if x < -2 and x > 0 (The outer parts of the parabola; all the negative values).

So the piecewise notation is: