Animal Vegetable Miracle (3rd Entry)

In the third chapter of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbra Kingsolver, Kingsolver talks about being a vegetarian some.  She also says that many humans have a negative impact on the land because of their cattle and other animals, but some humans have a positive impact on the land.  In case of the latter, they need to make sure that the animals don't over graze.  She talks about a small village in Peru where many people were starving in a barren wasteland.  When the herders brought in goats (which were, mind you, indigenous to that area,) not only did the people begin eating well, but the land was good too.  The problem with human civilization, apparently, is that they bring in many animals that are more or less not indigenous to the area and they over graze because the new animals have no natural predators.  Actually, I was reading about an animal that is not allowed inside the state of Georgia, even as a pet.  This is an animal that everyone knows, and it's called the hedgehog.  You may ask, what's wrong with a friendly neighborhood hedgehog?  well actually, the hedgehog's spikes make it more or less immune to eagles and coyotes, the main predators (besides humans and the occasional Alien Big Cat) of Georgia.  Because of this the hedgehog would live almost indefinitely and overgraze if there were only a female and a male hedgehog gettin' together.  That's not good, as it would turn Georgia into much more of a desert than humans have already made it (have you seen the sand in the street, man?)  Anyways, it turns out some species of organisms don't have good chemistry with the area, but humans put them there anyway.  (There's not a hedgehog law for every species of corn and tomato!) And that's why it's better for the environment if we eat locally.

Animal Vegetable Miracle (2nd Entry)

In "Animal Vegetable Miracle" so far, the main characters have shared many insights on farm life.  They stand opposed to over-produced produce, and have stayed true to eating only local food.  In the first part of the section that I'm doing, she talks about tomatoes.  She says that many tomatoes in the food industry are injected with many pesticides and growth hormones to make insects not eat them and to make them grow much bigger than tomatoes are supposed to grow.  She also said that most tomatoes are actually not red.  They apparently come in many other varieties of colors that range from green to yellow to orange.  She also keeps commenting on "UHP" milk, that apparently can not make cheese.  She says that it is very bad for the consumer and it does not have the nourishing fat and curds that other, not pasteurized milks have.  Also, the concept of "free range" by the food industry is steadily decreasing in value.  Chickens' eggs and meat can be called "free range" if they live in cages most of their lives, and maybe go outside in the open air once.
This book really opened up my eyes to the unhealthiness of the food that we eat, because so much of it is affected by things that make it look better.  However, the agents that make the food look so good are generally giving us negative effects, such as growth stunting and getting sick.  I think that as this book was being written the author was learning all these things too, as it is a fairly autobiographical story.

1984 Blog 2

In 1984 so far, Julia and Winston have ran off into hiding from the government in an apartment above the shop of a friend.  Winston and Julia have become outcasts, and they are fearing the so called thought police's intrusion.  Winston, in hopes of finding the leader of the "brotherhood," goes to O' Brian, an agent, and tells him that he will fight and find the leader of the Brotherhood.  Julia is there, as they are a forbidden couple, but O' Brian does not know of their relationship.  By the end of the meeting, O' Brian seems to have guessed the nature of their relationship.

The Brotherhood seems to be some sort of reference, possibly to the Illuminati.  This would make sense, as the illuminati are illuminated in the fight against the blinded christians.  The brotherhood, being above the influence of the power of the government, whereas everyone else is brainwashed, would have be considered illuminated and powerful.  Also, the Illuminati's full name is the "illuminati BROTHERHOOD of the beast."  The reference makes perfect sense.  Also, judging George Orwell's hate for oppression, Christianity seems the perfect choice for a reference to the bad guy, seeing as how that peaceful mass-religion has nothing wrong with it on paper, but as soon as a minority comes in, (such as Julia and Winston, a minority of love) it suddenly changes for two hundred years to exclude them.

1984: First 3rd

In 1984, the main characters have revealed themselves as Winston and Julia.  Winston works in the Outer Party, in the ministry of truth, and it is never quite revealed exactly what he does there.  It is evidence by the tone of the writing that he is brainwashed, and as a result, brain dead.  The tone is very drab and monosyllabic.  Julia is a dark haired girl, who wears a red sash around her waist.  The sash is said to be representative of the "junior anti-sex league," who practice abstinence for life.  However, she hands Winston a note in the hallway, writing "I love you."  Winston digs that, and they start having a secret love affair, out of the government's will.  The thought police seem to find out that they are doing this, and raid their apartment, putting them through quite a lot mentally and physically.

Well, the government of Oceania doesn't really like love affairs.  Actually, the ministry of love (slang or "newspeak" miniluv)  actually happily tortures its victims!  I think it's probably plain that they don't have a ministry of "love," so why would anyone try to love if the government doesn't support it?  That probably also means that anything not the opposite of the four parties (peace, plenty, truth, and love) is declared heresy.  But why would the government and "Big Brother" (If he actually exists, more on that later,) call the ministries ministries of "truth, love, peace, and plenty?"  Why not "lies, torture, war, and starvation?"  Well that would probably be because there are people out there that want to rock this place to its core.  George Orwell was a big hater on this type of regime, as evident by the usage of his tone, and the biography on the front of my paperback copy.  He would love to think that there was hope.  Either there is another country out there that the general populace don't know about (and judging by North Korea's standards, that's pretty plausable.) or "Big Brother" (if he exists, more on that later) doesn't really get that he can change the meanings of those words.  Maybe, this regime wasn't put into effect too long ago.  But I guess it would have to be more than first generation if the people were already so brainwashed.  Either way, it's worth discussing this, and "Big Brother" (If he exists, more on that later.)

The Crucible: Epilogue

SUMMARY

Finally the Crucible is coming to an end.  The Salem Witch Trials have left the town haggard and sparse.  Havoc is rife, and the infrastructure is tumbling down upon its self.  Parris is in jail, accused of witchcraft,  and John Proctor goes to visit him.  Hale then appears, begging them to set the prisoners free because they will not confess to witchcraft.  Over 100 people in this small town have been accused of witchcraft, and many of them have been hanged, stoned, or killed in other means.  John Proctor confesses, and is hanged at the gallows, ultimately ending the witch trials.

ANALYSIS

As the end of the book approaches, the girls who started the whole series of events leading up to the trials are beginning to realize that their power to accuse people as witches in the fearful society is leading to the collapse of the society in question.  The power of being able to accuse people that you don't like has spread to the far corners of Salem, meaning that the whole town has this power.  Not even the rich are safe, because if the poor people have a grudge or dislike of them, then they can attack them in ways that they could not before.  The already small society is made even smaller by people turning on their neighbors who they could stand not a year before.  Then John Proctor realizes that he can stop the attacks by confessing.  He finally recognizes the system, and looks at it from a secular viewpoint.  This stopped the attacks dead in their tracks.  Many people, however, fled the town where so much had gone wrong, all in the name of radical religions and God.

The Crucible: The Third Post

In "The Crucible," things are getting wild.  Witches and wizards are being falsely accused every which way in Salem.  The funny thing though, is that the witches have to confess to avoid being hanged.  Every time one so called witch confesses, many more are accused and sentenced to hang.  By Act II, this viscious cycle has led to fourteen witches and wizards about to be hanged.  There are also some troubles between the women, and claims are arising that Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft to steal John away.  This gives away the secular views that drive religious accusations.  John Proctor believes that the mess is his fault, and by the middle of the second act, approximately 40 have been accused of being witches.  When an accused person is being tried of magic, they attempt to go out in a blaze of glory and take down people that they have grudges against in secular life.  Reverend Hale then visits the Proctor's home, and asks John Proctor to recite the ten commandments.  John Proctor recites them, but forgets one.  As a result, Reverend Hale believes John Proctor to be "less holy."

The Crucible Post Two

In this section of the book, reverend Hale has already arrived.  Hale deems himself intelligent, and is both respected and feared in the village because of his study of witchcraft.  I'd like to talk about Hale for a second.  Is  it really intelligent for someone to believe in something of which he has no proof?  Hale speaks of checking behind the ears for dark goo, and has many books pertaining to witchcraft.  He had convicted many people before these, and, as such, most definitely enjoyed the power that came with being able to make whole theocracies tremor before him and fold in on each other.

The chapter goes on to prove that Hale and the community charge two local outcasts, Sarah Good, and Goody Osborne.  The fact that their names share a common word is not unimportant to the story!  In fact, these poor women, one of whom midwifed three of one accusers unborn children, were very likely innocent and new of no witch craft.  The funny thing to me is that two things happened before they, and everyone else in this story were convicted of witchcraft.  The first being that someone called them a local outcast, and then criticized them of doing something strange in the community.  Then, someone accused of being a witch would repent to save their own hides and accuse one of the town's outcasts of standing with the devil!

This story is a perfect example of what happens when fear takes over altruism and conscience.