Blog #7
Best and worst of English 20-1

My favourite part of English this year was the film study of V for Vendetta. I particularly liked this film because it was an interesting film I had not yet seen and it had very overt ideologies that were useful for a variety of essay topics. The accompanying assignments for the film were engaging and really drove at the heart of the film. In addition to its useful qualities V for Vendetta is simply a good film. With superb acting, intriguing story, engaging dialogue and a thought provoking premise. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and discussing it with my peers. One of my least favourite parts of English this year was the Shakespeare unit. I felt that reading the play a Midsummer Night’s Dream was a waste of an opportunity to read one of Shakespeare’s other works. The play itself was, dull, predictable, borderline nonsensical and had little to no true substance. In addition to the play itself I felt that the way that the play was presented to the class was a waste of time. Acting ability is irrelevant to ones proficiency in English and forcing us to read a play aloud is an unfair way to reward outgoing personalities with academic marks. One thing about English this year that I would change would be the second novel we read, Of Mice and Men. I feel that novel, though a classic, is not well suited for writing essays due to its short length and juvenile themes. If I was to do this course again I would like to see a different novel in its place such as George Orwell’s 1984 or J.D. Salinger’s A Catcher in the Rye. A novel with more substance and with more complex themes would be a valuable addition to the curriculum and our repertoire of useful sources for essays.

Spring Break

My favourite part of spring break was getting to drive my dad’s sports car out to Brag Creek. It was a warm Friday afternoon, around two, maybe three. The sky was a brilliant blue with no clouds to speak of and the dry earth was just beginning to take the subtle juxtaposition of frozen lands coming back to life after the long winter months. It was a good day for a drive. I started the car and pulled out of the garage. This in and of itself was a special occurrence as my father previously had never let me start or stop the car, claiming if I stalled the engine would flood. As I began accelerating I heard the familiar roar of the engine. It was a sound unlike any other car. The dull whine gradually getting louder and louder until I shifted gears and it dropped an octave and one again began to climb. As we headed out of town we opened the windows and the warm wind blew through the car. It was absolutely exhilarating. It was truly an impressive car. I watched as the rpm climbed higher and higher in unison with the beautiful noise. The closer we got to the mountains the more beautiful the scenery got. Fields gave way to foothills to mountains, grasslands to aspens to towering pine trees. The road started to become curvier and curvier, letting the nimble car really show its stuff. The suspension fighting back against the force of the turn as it powered through the corner. The supple leather wheel stiff in my hands pushing back against the corner. It was better than I could have imagined. All the while my father and I talked about anything and everything. I got to drive a great car and got plenty of bonding time with my Dad. It was a great day.

New Years Resolutions

As defined by Albert Einstein insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. By this definition New Year’s resolutions are very insane. Each year we give ourselves an ultimatum, a three hundred and sixty five step plan aimed on the betterment of ourselves in one aspect or another where we find ourselves lacking. Each year we fail to meet this ultimatum. We dive into our plans head first and go at it in full force, doing everything in our power to procure immediate, inspiring results. However, like the holiday spirit, our resolve fizzles out as January progresses. More often than not by the time February first rolls around our resolutions have been shelved in the deepest edifices of our guilty subconscious, far enough out of the forefront to be ignored. By March they are all but a distant memory. We slip back into our old ways and enjoy nine months of the life to which we are predisposed until we find ourselves once again on the precipice of a new year. This is the inevitable cycle of the New Year’s resolution.

Be it to exercise, eat better, drink less, go out more, volunteer more or anyone of the host of resolutions which are made there is always a reason not to follow it. Exercise begins to take a back seat to pleasure as the relation of physiological reward to physical pain begins to deteriorate. Eating better is often undermined by social activities and a lack of will power in the face of the decadent delicacies of which we are depraved. The struggle of drinking less is embodied by the social pressure one encounters on any endeavour which alters ones social persona. Conversely increasing ones social life often requires the disparagement of one’s moral or health obligations. Volunteering more, naturally, requires the sacrifice of ones most valuable resource, time. As one can plainly see every resolution worth making is enamoured with obstacles that are often insurmountable. Herein lies the inherent insanity of resolutions. The notion that because a goal is set on the first day of a year it inherits a cosmic purpose inspiring a spontaneous increase in will power is absurd. Setting a New Year’s resolution is plain and simple setting a goal. However any true goal must be set in conjunction with a resolve to achieve it which comes from an organic source within one’s self. Setting one simply because of a tradition founded on a date derived from a calendar which records the passage of man’s interpretation of time and expecting it to produce fruitful and meaningful results is, by definition, insane.