Ideas of the Great Philosophers

After our discussion of philosophical meanings of Invisible Man, I've become interested in philosophies, especially existentialism that shares many of my thoughts and perceptions formed and sculptured during high school years. I began doing a research on my own, but the websites on the Internet didn't seem to provide enough information (maybe it was because I don't like reading online posts; they hurt my eyes!), so I ended up buying a book, Ideas of the Great Philosophers by William S. Sahakian and Mabel Lewis Sahakian.

This is the excerpt from the book that I found interesting about one of the concepts of existentialism: 

Existentialists do not believe in a rationally ordered reality, but in a subjective, irrational human existence, whose decisions, choices, and behavior are executed independently of reason. Subjective man is motivated by feeling, anxiety, irrational impulses, which override whatever decision his rational forces can rally. Existence is not rational, but permeated with intense feeling, anxiety, forlornness, abandonment, despair, which become man's criteria for knowing truth. 

It's an intriguing way of thinking, that what we believe to be rational is really irrational since our perceptions depend on our feelings and other surroundings from our existence. This belief came to me as truth as I went through years in high school. From only four years of maturity process, I saw various, perhaps too many, kinds of people who all think differently. Individually analyzed, everyone walking on this planet has their own way of thinking and conceiving ideas. The "truth" we believe in varies, therefore forming different rationale.

For instance, a group of people can call a person mentally disabled for being an example of oddity. Then, think about it the other way; for that person, those people in the group could be the lunatics! Clearly, we all think we're "normal". The person who sets a criteria for being "normal" is us, which comes from our brains, from our conceptions of the truth, where we are placed as a standard that determines or judges others' value. 

So maybe nothing is really "rational", even the math problems that are considered strictly logical. It's just a fun, complex concept to think about.


-Chloe K.

Literary Merit

I have always wondered what makes a book "important". When I was younger, I was a greedy reader who befriended books rather than socializing with children of my age(which works the other way around now). My favorite book was of course Harry Potter series, thinking that not only does it provide entertainment, but it also has educational values. It didn't take me too long to realize that it is considered commercial, not "literary". Such realization came to me as a great disappointment. Are fun and interesting fantasy fictions not part of the "importance"?
Fortunately, this year in AP Lit class, we get to learn about literary merit. It solved a mystery of which books are claimed to have literary merit and which ones do not; complexity and the truth, creative plot, engaging questions, exploring human nature, the craft of the text--all of these mattered in the world of literature, to be named a work of true art. Now I understand it, and can accept it. It has become more interesting to open a book since I get to figure out if it offers a literary value, as if I am a intellectually mature scholar.
-Chloe K.

What I Read That Mattered

a piece from my Senior Memoir

                 During my four years at Los Osos I have had three different English teachers who have encouraged me to explore various kinds of literature. The book that was most significant to me was Atonement by Ian McEwan.

       What most struck me about Atonement is the significant role perspective plays in the novel. Not only in the novel when Briony misinterprets the scene by the fountain and the note from Robbie to Celia due to her naive perspective of sexuality but also the reader’s attitude towards Briony’s actions later in the novel is subject to the readers’ individual perceptions of her motivations. The first time I read Atonement the summer before freshman year I was repelled by the actions of Briony. Initially I viewed Briony’s lack of courage to confront her sister as an act of complete cowardice. In later years when I revisited the book I found that Briony was intimidated by the idea of having to face the two people she had wronged but in seeking forgiveness she gave something even better that they would have never had in their lives: a happy life. Even if Briony had mustered up the courage to recant her testimony Robbie and Celia would have had to live their lives knowing that her sister was responsible for separating them for years. While they would have been together they still would have had to struggle with that issue. In the ending to the novel Briony gives them almost an eternal utopia in which they can live a life unburdened by the past. In my later readings of Atonement I found myself more understanding of Briony and that her action of depicting them as a happy living couple is as extremely unselfish and just act. Through this ending to the story Briony depicts them as forever alive and forever happy. Although some see this as deception I think Briony gave them something close to immortality. In reviewing the book I came away with a happier disposition because they live on through the book. In reality Robbie and Celia die separated and unhappy, this would have made Atonement just another well written sad story, rather than the epic novel Briony made it through the fantasy ending the book has. I also enjoyed the importance of perspective in the novel, the misinterpretation of the note to Celia and the scene by the fountain by Briony is central to the novel and lets the reader get to know the characters more. When the reader experiences the day of the party through Celia’s perspective her frustrated attitude towards her life with her family and the future that is expected of her which is to marry a wealthy man and have children like her mother is revealed. It is also found through Robbie’s perspective of the day that while he and Celia were at college together they did not see each other very much even though they had been friends at the Tallis’ estate. This came as both became more conscientious of the class difference between them. The different character’s perspectives of that one-day add so much more depth to all the events that play out in the novel.

-Jasmine M.

On the Death of Osama Bin Laden

       I've been reading a lot of articles on the death of Osama Bin Laden and the new evidence uncovered on the terrorist group, Al-Qaida. Its just interesting to see a true result from a decade longwar on terrorism. But what I found rather striking and sort of repulsing was the disbelief of the general public of Bin Laden's death. Instead of being happy and feeling a bit more safe, people question the legitamacy of this good news because of the fact that they didn't, firsthand see the body. Is it really too much to just believe what our government says? I know there are people who love conspiracy theories and the idea of an oppressive and tyranical governement but I don't think our governemnt would really lie about this. What would they have to gain from lying? Sure the leader of Al-Qaida is dead but there are still others ready to fill in his shoes. We will still be in a arduous war against terrorism and are still engaged in two differnt wars. Honestly, I see no reason for doubting the truthfulness and integrity of our government especially in this instance.
     Another thing that had me shaking my head was the constant stream of facebook posts, blogs, and radio hosts that cheered at the death of Bin Laden and said things like "may he rot in hell" and so on. Yes it's good that the face of terrorism in the middle east is no longer alive. But to celebrate anyone's death in such zealousness is just downright wrong. Yes he killed thousands of people and planned to kill more and deserved the end he met. Still if we dance and sing over his grave, how are we any better than those who support and encourage suicide bombers and sing about the death of their victims. As Americans, we have a responsibility to act in a dignified and respectful manner and be the bigger man. Otherwise we are just sinking to the level of our dreaded enemies and their barbaric tactics that we claim to discourage and disapprove. 
                            - Jacob Sanchez