My Blog post that my computer situation delayed for a while.......

The philosopher Hobbes viewed Humanity as naturally immoral, and incapable of ruling itself through democracy. Ayn Rand addressed this in her novel, Atlas Shrugged, where she displays the issues of mob rule by the ill-informed. Dagney's interactions with Dr. Staddler represent the broader implications of impulsive mob rule.

Dr. Staddler is the chief scientist in the government technology department. He is approached by Dagney in order to discuss why Rearden Metal has been deemed unfit for public use. As the conversation unfolds Dr. Staddler reveals that he must conform the the public will in order to keep his position and funding. Staddler is the sell-out of the novel, who goes along with the looters even though he knows it is wrong.

This interaction relates to the rest of the novel because it sets the tone of the lesser complaining in order to take down the greater. As people like Balph are unable to be succesful they are convinced that it is due to the lack of regulation in the market place. Since this benefits the majority of people in this society, it is advantageous to join and persecute the makers. Though this philosophy seems good in the short term, it results in a stalling of production and innovation.

The reason this quote is effective is because it is a feeling that is easy to relate to. Giving into peer pressure is something that many people experience in their life-times, and Ayn Rand conveys this feeling on a much larger scale. Anyone who has made a decision based on the will of the majority can attest that it often results in a negative outcome. Dr. Staddler's inability to resist the pressures of society result in a negative impact on the market and his own desires.

Atlas Shrugged, specifically the interactions of Dr. Staddler and Dagney exemplify the danger of impulsive mob rule. Without a leviathan of change, then this system is doomed to fail.

Course Response

This course has had two major points that have stuck in my head, those being DIDLS and how to write a strong thesis. Being an insomniac makes analyzing literature and constructing responses to it difficult, especially in the morning. The technique of DIDLS provides a step by step process that is easily remembered, which I can use even after 2 or 3 days without sleep. Constructing a strong thesis can also be a challenge when one is not able to think clearly, but the way we were taught to analyze the prompt provides an initial blueprint that is immensely helpful.

DIDLS and I have had a complicated relationship so far, even with the accolades I gave it in the previous paragraph. Yes is aids me in my tired hazes and yes it inspired the "Teach Me How to Dougie" parody "Instruct me how to DIDLS", but it has had some negative contributions. In AP lit we are delving deeper into the parts that make up DIDLS, the most annoying for me has been diction. Usually when a lit teacher assigns some form of diction assignment, I take the book, put it on my dartboard and chuck a few at it, then make things up about the words the darts hit. Now with essays hinging on a solid explanation behind the words and not some bull I made up in the 7 minutes before 3rd hour, I'm forced to look at the text with an exponentially higher amount of effort.

I come from the group of students who took AP world. Now in this class we wrote multiple essays, which resulted in multiple thesis statements, unfortunately these were all terrible run on lists of facts. Ever since then I have relied on Lit teachers basically holding my hand into writing a good thesis. The biggest challenge for me in this class will be getting to a point where I can condense all of my thoughts into one clear concise statement.

Libyan Transitional Leader Urges Reconciliation, Using Symbolism of Tripoli Site - Anne Barnard

Details - Barnard does an excellent job of describing all of the major events surrounding the announcements of the Libyan transitional government. From the descriptions of their attire, the " council members who were dressed mainly in civilian clothes", represents the governments attempt to relate with the people and move towards a normal functioning system. Describing the direction the new government is going in as "people, for a moderate Islam", serves to downplay fears held primarily by western countries that radical groups will take hold of the nation, resulting in an even more volatile situation than before. The Rans Lanuf attack has been seen as a resurgence in anti-revolutionary power. Abduhlraman Busin calms the people's fears by setting the record straight and assuring the people that the force "had not come into direct contact with the guards, a very important detail in order to keep up morale and prevent fears of a massive ground assault from spreading.

Diction - Barnard's use of terms like "Oscar-winning actor" in regards to Abdel-Jalil's speech reflect the magnitude of his position and provide a quick and easy way for an American reader to connect with the moment. A comment by a speaker, calling the city of Misurata "the Stalingrad of Libya" is also an impressive multiple tiered analogy. It connects Qaddafi to Adolf Hitler, a universally excepted figure of evil, creating an even higher level of anti-Qaddafi sentiment. Furthermore Stalingrad was a result of a broken pact between the Soviets and the Nazis, it was the bloody battle that shattered Hitler's attempts in Russia, the same type of scenario occurred in Libya. The government broke a "pact" it had with the people to carry out their best interests, and when it was not carried out the came together and after a bloody conflict came out victorious.

Imagery - As with the other aspects of the article, imagery is set in two layers. The imagery set forth by the writer of the article, and the imagery set forth by the speakers at the square. Barnard's imagery focuses on the members of the surrounding crowd; "Women held babies aloft dressed in the red, black and green of the revolution, and ranks of militia members stood below a stage full of council members", this produces an image of a an enthusiastic and prosperous new system. Abdel-Jalil used imagery to inspire the masses and give the crowd an idea of what was to come, statements such as "women will be ambassadors" give that crucial demographic a vision of the future and also creates and image that flies into the face of common stereotypes held by westerners about a woman's role in Islamic society.

Original Article : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/world/africa/13libya.html?hp