Him, Himself and Achilles

Sam Sheets
April 12th, 2007

Him, Himself, and Achilles

Aristotle once said that a man who is incapable of working in common, or who in his self-sufficiency has no need of others, is no part of the community, like a beast or a god. This statement fits Achilles perfectly. Throughout what I have read of The Iliad, Achilles doesn’t seem to fit in or even want to be a part of the Achaean army or community.
In book I of The Iliad, we are introduced to Achilles when he is in a disagreement with Agamemnon. Achilles says that a plague has struck the army because Agamemnon has taken a priestess for a slave. Agamemnon thinks it is unfair. To attack Agamemnon for being self and that he takes enough of their plunder, Achilles says:
My honors never equal yours,
whenever we sack some wealthy Trojan stronghold-
my arms bear the brunt of the raw, savage fighting,
true, but when it comes to dividing up the plunder
the lion’s share is yours, and back I go to my ships,
clutching some scrap, some pittance that I love,
when I have fought to exhaustion.
(Lines 192-198)

The one thing that stuck in my mind is that he says his arms bear the burnt of fighting. He never says anything about his men or the other Achaeans. He too is self in that sense. He seems to only care about what he and Agamemnon bring home at the end of the day, not the rest of the men.
After this whole fight/argument goes down, Agamemnon sends men to claim Achilles’ slave for himself, since his had to be returned to stop the plagues. Achilles gets really upset, and refuses to fight, and doesn’t let his men fight either. He is upset for selfish reason. He doesn’t care if they Achaeans lose battles because he’s not there. He doesn’t care that his men don’t get to fight and that they must sit on the beach during a time of war and watch their comrades die. He decides to mope, and cry to his mother to get Zeus’ attention so something can be done. He doesn’t care that because he is just sitting there, he or any of his men don’t receive any of the plunder which the army my find.
He refuses to participate only because he feels cheated. He doesn’t care about what may happen to everyone else because of this decision. And quite frankly, I don’t think he even cares. Obviously he isn’t a productive member of the Achaean community or army when he is acting this way. He decides to be alone and cry, and be very counter productive by being selfish and self contained.
The thing that strikes me about Aristotle’s quote is the ending comparing the man to a beast or god. In a way, Achilles is a god amongst the other troops. He is held as being above everyone else. Does that make him self-sufficient, and seen as if he doesn’t need the army? He can also be seen as a beast, for he is best known for his rage, which is an uncivilized human quality. And it’s an obvious fact that things which are uncivilized aren’t usually found in civilizations.

Flawed Funding for Public Schools?

We are told through our entire lives that if anyone wants to be a somebody in life, they must go to school. Everyone has the opportunity to go to a public school, but are all public schools equal? Should it matter where you live (and even where you come from) to determine the quality of your education in public schools? With public school being funded by property taxes there seems to be a bias in school funding. Where the rich live, property taxes are usually higher, so their school districts ultimately have more money to spend on children. Poorer districts likewise have less money to spend on each student. Is it fair to children that just because of their parent’s financial background and current standings they may et a worse education than a child who may only live a few miles away, but in a wealthier area? As always there are 2 sides to this debate.
Equalizing public funding for schools would give every child an equal opportunity. Have all the money from property taxes collected and distributed equally throughout all districts so each child has the same opportunity would get rid of much of the bias in school funding. It wouldn’t matter if you go to a predominately non-white school, because ever child, whether he or she is white, black, Hispanic or any other race would be receiving the same amount of money to be educated. Everyone would start on the same page. Equalizing funding could also help get rid of the gap between rich and poor in the state and in the country. With everyone getting the same opportunities in school, theoretically would mean more children of every ethnicity and race would graduate and become successful and productive members of society. This may help boost the economy and make the U.S. more productive.
Even though there are good points as to why equalizing the money made by property taxes to all students would be a good decision, there are many good points as to why equalizing public funding for schools would be and is bad. The question whether or not it is fair for the money raised by a higher property tax payer to go to a child who could be hundreds of miles away is the first thing which comes to mind. Is it fair for the money coming from people who have higher property taxes, probably because they have worked long and hard to afford their nice house, to go another child’s education who is not even in their school district? In chapter 9 or The Shame of the Nation, Kozol gives an example of children who are bused to other districts to receive a better education from at the wish of the parents. That way, kids who go to a “poorer” school have a better opportunity to succeed. Maybe if parents took an active role in their children’s schooling, and helped them to succeed, they could over come the obstacle of going to a school with less money for students. Once out of public school, things such as financial aid and loans can help with the cost of school if they or they’re family cannot afford college. Kozol gives the example of a young black girl who hadn’t dreamed of going to college before being bused to a primarily white school (p.229). Is this the fault of a faulty school district, or the fault of her family to not try and help her go to college? I know it my life, it was more my family than my peers who pushed me to go to college after high school to “make something of myself.”
Looking at the Minnesota Department of Education’s website, I found the demographics for both St. Paul’s and Minneapolis’ public schools. Both have a very diverse and pretty much equal student population according to race. One thing that I found very shocking, however, was that St. Paul seemed to have a greater graduation rate even though 36% of the students had a limited English proficiency (compared to Minneapolis’ 23%) and 71% of the students were on free or reduced lunches (compared to Minneapolis’ 67%). It seems that more of St. Paul’s students come from poorer families or families who primarily speak another language, yet more graduate. Perhaps this is because the over all values of the members of both communities and surroundings effect a child’s education, more than just how much money they get to be schooled because of property taxes.

C&C STAR WARS

Sam Sheets
11-07-06
The Similarities and Differences of the Galaxy Far, Far Away…

About 30 years ago, a milestone was set in cinema history. A movie was released which spawned two sequels, and eventually led to the production of three prequels. The Star Wars saga, which started with Episode IV: A New Hope, took the world by storm and is still an unstoppable, mass media machine. This space opera is commonly grouped into two groups; The original trilogy (which is made up of Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) and the prequel trilogy (which is made up of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). The saga follows the Skywalker family through a very hard time for the Star Wars galaxy. While about 16 years bridged the gap between the release of the sixth episode and the premier of Episode I, the demand, anticipation, and popularity has always been very high. The Star Wars saga is loved by many people, but since improvements in cinema happen so quickly and are so grand, the comparison between things such as special effects, the soundtrack, picture quality, and over appearance of the films is almost impossible. However, the things that make up great stories in any medium can be compared, and contrasted, with great ease. These things are the elements of story, characters and themes.
Many of the character’s stories in the Star Wars universe span the length of all six movies, but their lives are very different in the two trilogies. In the original trilogy, the character Obi-Wan Kenobi is seen as a wise exiled Jedi Knight, and eventually meets his end at the hands of his former apprentice, only to reappear as a force ghost. In the prequel trilogy we are introduced to a much younger Obi-Wan, and are taken from him being the Padawan learner (a Jedi apprentice) of Qui-Gon Jinn, to a full Jedi Master and having a seat on the Jedi Council. The Jedi Master Yoda is also seen the same as Obi-Wan in the original trilogy; exiled and abandoned by the galaxy he fought so hard to protect. A little younger Master Yoda is seen at the head of the Jedi Council in the prequel trilogy. The biggest character difference between the two halves of the epic space opera is that of Anakin Skywalker. He is a twisted, evil dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, in the original trilogy, who is bent on galactic conquest in the name of the Empire. In the prequel trilogy, a much younger Anakin is introduced. This young boy goes from a smart, selfless slave, to being the Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, to an arrogant young Jedi Knight who is struggling with thought of betrayal to save is secret wife. Although many of the characters change between and throughout the saga, some stay the same. In the last episode of the prequel trilogy (Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), the planet of Kshyyyk is attacked during the Clone Wars. Here the faithful Wookiee Chewbacca helps plan and mount defenses to protect his kin and the ones he loves with his life. Chewbacca also helps defend the ones he ones and his friends during the entire original trilogy. He follows his best friend Han Solo into many battles to help destroy the Empire. The witty astromech droid R2-D2 and his counter part C-3PO are portrayed as the dynamite droid duo in all six episodes. The droids, who seem to have an odd friendship, greatly help all the heroes throughout the saga. The Emperor is the character who seems to never change throughout the whole saga (other than into different political offices). He is the lying, betraying, self centered politician and Sith Lord in all six episodes. He betrays everyone, from the entire galaxy to his own apprentices, many times throughout the story.
All six movies make up one big story which takes place over a period of about 30 years. The stories, however similar, are also very different. In the prequel trilogy, an evil Sith Lord manipulates a crumbling republic into a new Galactic Empire, which he reigns over by playing both sides of a war known as the Clone Wars. In the original trilogy, a band of rebels, whose ideals are those of the dead Old Republic, try to regain control of the galaxy from Emperor Palpatine during the Galactic Civil War. In the prequel trilogy, the Grand Army of the Republic is comprised of white armored shock troopers, known as Clone Troopers. These cloned soldiers are the hammering fist of the “good” Republic. In the original trilogy, white armored Stormtroopers (who are the decendents of Clone Troopers) are the hand of evil and feared and hated. The main different in the two trilogies though, is the path that the main characters take. In the prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker walks the path of the dark side of the Force to save the one he loves, but betrays his family and comrades. In the original trilogy his son, Luke Skywalker, follows the path of the Jedi and ends up saving the galaxy, his friends, loved ones, and even Anakin himself. The differences between the trilogies may be plentiful, but there are also many similarities. In both wars, the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War, one faction of the galaxy wants freedom and control of the other. In the prequel trilogy it is the Separatists versus the Republic, while in the original trilogy it is the Rebel Alliance versus the Galactic Empire. Also, the mystical warriors who control the Force, the Jedi Knights, are on the side of the greater good in both the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. The Sith are in control of one side of the war in the whole saga. The Skywalker family is the center of all six movies. They are destined to bring balance to the Force. In both sets of movies there are only two Sith (because of Darth Bane’s Rule of Two, but that’s a different Star Wars story and saga). There is a master and an apprentice. The ground work is very much the same in both movies, yet varies slightly.
The original trilogy and the prequel trilogy both have many of the same themes; however, with the characters and stories choosing different paths, a few themes are unique to each trilogy. Love is a common theme in the Star Wars saga. In the original trilogy Han Solo and Princess Leia fall in love against all odds. In the prequel trilogy Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala fall in love, also against the odds because of their ages and lifestyles. Betrayal also runs amok in both trilogies. In the fifth episode Lando Calrissian, a supposed friend of Han Solo’s, sells out the rebel heroes to Boba Fett and Darth Vader to better his situation. In the sixth episode Anakin betrays everything he stands for to save his wife and unborn children form death by pledging himself to the Sith teachings, thus betraying the Jedi cold also. On theme that is unique to the prequel trilogy is secrecy. Anakin and Padme must keep their marriage a secret, or face being evicted form the Jedi Order and the Senate. Palpatine also must keep a secret in the prequel trilogy. He must keep his Sith identity from everyone to play them as pawns. One theme that is only found in the original trilogy is redemption. In the end of the sixth episode, Darth Vader is redeemed by his son who makes him see the errors of his life. Vader than kills the Emperor, thus sacrificing himself and atoning for what he’s done, but ultimately brings balance to the Force.
The Star Wars saga is loved by people all around the world. It is one of the greatest stories of our time. It’s no wonder why people love the two trilogies. They both have many of the same great elements of a story, while each trilogy is unique in its own way.

Process Paper

Sam Sheets

Everything in the universe has an opposite. Black has white. Right has wrong. And good has evil. With millions of do-gooders around this Earth, there must be their opposites. The diabolical people who instill and use hate and fear, and they have it just as hard as those so called do-gooders. Being a super villian isn't easy in this day and age with all the different types of heroes. You must be unique, powerful , a goal and intellegent to prevail. If you think you can just wing it, and see your dreams of destruction and mayhem come true, you've got another thing comin'!

Super villians doen't have the adjective super in the front of their name for no reason. You need to have a power or something special going for you to have other people put the word super in front of your title. There are many ways you can aquire a special skill, or you can even improve on one you already have. Some super villians have super powers. You gain this powers through many processes. You can be bit by a radioactive animal, gain them for a cosmic entity, invent or steal high-tech armor, or just wait and see if your body develops a natural mutation ( if you've surpassed puberty, the last option is out the window). If you're going to go the natural way, and duke out some trouble withouth powers, money may come in handy. With a lot of money you can create yourself or have someone else create a suite of armor or a high tech robotic suit to combat and create chaos. If you do gain powers, don't go to the streets with them right away. Wait a while and test them out and learn to control them. Once you have mastered your powers you may unleashe them upon the world.

A villian's presence and appearance are very important to their success. Creating a costume is the next step. Your costume must be a visual represtation of either your powers or you goal. If you don't have powers and created armor, makesure it reflects what it was created to do or help you do. Your costume must be easy for you to move it, incase one of your attempt to achieve your goals fails. Spandex always is a good option, however it is weak and you may get harmed if your powers can not protect you from any form of an attack. Helmets are good to protect your intellegent brain, and can look pretty frickin' cool. Remember when picking a material to make your costume out of, that the material must be able to withstand your awesome power, combat and the powers of others. Having a few differnet costumes may come in handy also, incase your accidentally ruin one. While in your costume, retain a look of fieroucity and confidence. A cry baby or whiner in spandex doesn't instill fear in the hearts of their foes.

Stand by Me paper

The film Stand By Me follows the structure of a personal narrative perfectly. It has a situation, conflict, struggle, outcome and a meaning.
The story is set in the late 1950’s and follows four children on an adventure to make a name for themselves by finding the dead body of a missing boy. The narrator of the story is Gordie Lachance. He is a professional writer who is retelling the story in his adult life. Gordie was a young boy whose family made him feeling like he was never going to live up to his brother. His brother had died a few months earlier in a car accident and he seems to be forgotten by his parents. This really bothers him, and he doesn’t know how to handle it. Chris Chambers is the leader of the group. He is tough and pretty much a bad ass. He is tough, but the image and actions of his family gives him a bad name. Teddy Duchamp is the third young boy. One word can describe Teddy; crazy. His father was a hero to Teddy because of how he took part in the storming of the beach of Normandy. Teddy’s father is now a little psycho, and once tried to burn Teddy’s ear off on a stove. Teddy still refuses to see that his father is crazy, and holds him as a hero. The fourth boy is Vern Tessio. He is a chubby kid, who isn’t very smart. He seems to love to complain and is a chicken. The boys all live in small town, the type where everyone seems to know everyone. Verno over hears where the body of a young boy’s body has been found. A search has been going to find this boy for a while. He tells the guys and they decided to set out and find the body for themselves, and become heroes and hopefully are famous and are on televisions. What the boys don’t know is that a gang of older boys, one of which is Chris’ brother, are also going to find the body.
While on the journey, each of the characters has to face the problems in their lives. Gordie must confront the conflict with his parents. Chris must overcome the image of his family. Teddy is haunted by the true facts of his father. And Vern push himself and must face challenges he normally wouldn’t. The gang of older boys also turns out to be a threat to their adventure.
Each of the boys faces their problems differently. Gordie confides in Chris and tells him how he feels that his parents would rather have is brother back alive, and himself dead than how things are now. He also doesn’t want to become a writer and doesn’t want to leave his friends in middle school to take tougher classes for smarter kids. Chris tells him that if his father and mother aren’t going to be true parents, than he will be Gordie’s parents and help him in his future. He also tells him he will not lower himself to be with the other boys in school. A very strong bond is formed between Chris and Gordie. Because of this bond Chris also confides in Gordie. He tells him about how a teacher was a very horrible person, and stole the money which he stole, when he tried to get it back. He also talks to him about how he hates that he is seen like the rest of his family and how he wishes that everyone could see the true Chris. Teddy is faced with what the rest of the community thinks of his father, who is a hero to him, when they are confronted by the junk yard dealer. The only way Teddy gets through this is by his friends encouraging him that his views are right, and that his father is hero for what he did in WWII. Vern over comes his fears of everything, with every obstacle the boys face on their journey. From the bridge with the train on it, to the pond with the leaches, he proves that he’s not a real chicken. When the boys finally find the body they are attacked by the older gangs of kids. They all must find their courage to stand up for themselves and scare them off. They also decided to just make an anonymous phone call about where the boy’s dead body was, and decided they didn’t want to be local heroes. It just wasn’t for them.
The boys face all of their inner demons on this journey. They all end up a little stronger and grown up at the end of the journey. Chris and Grodie go into the college courses in middle school and start to see less and less of Teddy and Vern. They all eventually grow up and go their separate ways, but Gordie always remembers them all and their great journey. Chris eventually dies after becoming a lawyer by trying to break up a fight, and that is what prompts Gordie to write the story of their adventure.
Gordie tells this story to show that his friends when he was that young were the best friends of his life, because they all helped each other so much. It’s when they did the most growing, not physically, but in the way we all must do, in that we have to stop being a kid, and face reality. And without friends, it would be a rough journey.