What Is Art?

I definitely agree with the statement that art should elicit feeling, whether it be positive or negative. That means that psychological harm can be a product of art...I suppose that the main purpose should not be only to harm, though.

Art's also open to interpretation, and should allow you to think. It should be something that triggers some sort of emotion or thought. It should allow you to express internal ideas, and let you "express the unexpressable".

Art is an escape from daily life. Whatever it is, it's an escape from reality. We all want that sometimes, don't we?

King Of Anything

This is called "King Of Anything" by Sara Bareilles.

This was kind of a last-minute choice, but I thought it was fitting. Well, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to put my opinions out there: I'd rather keep them to myself. I'd rather do something to please others than to please myself. So, I sit back and let others tell me what's better for me. They're probably right, anyway! In fear of others telling me that I'm wrong or even just disagreeing with me, I'd rather stay quiet.

Now that I think about it, this mostly just applies to my preschool life :). Sometimes, my kiddie classmates just told me what to do and I did it. But these days, I follow this song. In casual conversations, I'll tell my friends what I personally think. It might take me more time to get used to that in class, though. You should be the king of yourself. You make your own decisions. Unless you're talking about your parents...that might be a different story...

Dear TV

This song is called "Dear TV" by Tablo. He's an Asian artist, but this song is in English. The song is quite short itself, but the actual lyrical genius begins at about 0:42 seconds. :)

I think that this song does not only have relevance to me, but many people all over the world. It definitely reflects the point in my life that is happening right now, because it shows that technology, including the TV, has influenced us all. It seems as if we've been born knowing whatever the media has told us, and are desensitized by all of the bad things we've seen. We understand that we are so influenced by our TVs, but does it stay true the other way around? Do we influence our TVs? Nope. Tablo could be saying that we must remain our own person and not fall into the traps of our TVs/media. After all, people on TV are portrayed as things that they're not. We must stay true to ourselves.

This relates to my belief that you shouldn't be too influenced by the media. Things like advertisements/commercials cause greed in people. It's incessant, like he says: it continues without interruption. Be known for who you are and not for someone else. To me, it's more beautiful to be yourself than what seems better according to the media. Don't let the media break you down into something you're not.

Oligarchy

These are some possible arguments against oligarchy for the debate.

It's a society in which only the wealthy rule: that means that only a few rule.

Many men find ways to become extravagant in this way.

They value wealth more than they value goodness. Wealth and goodness are like objects on a balance: one has to rise and the other has to fall.

Admiration is reserved for the rich, while the poor are despised.

If only wealth is considered, than those who rule may not be fit to rule. What if someone who is not wealthy is better fit?

It splits society into two parts, the rich and the poor. A house divided upon itself cannot stand! They live in the same place, yet are plotting against one another.

Oligarchs cannot wage war, because they have to arm their people whom they may think are worse than the enemy. They also just might not want to pay for the costs of war.

Poor people could have a lack of education and a bad upbringing, which in combination with a bad form of government could turn them into criminals.

The oligarchic character's main purpose is to make money. He satisfies only necessary wants and indulges in no other expenses.

First Impressions

Today, we began the debates.

These are the debates that I've been dreading since the beginning of winter break. There was no way that I could answer a question (proficiently) at the top of my head...I'm one of the slowest people I know. Really! Today, I wasn't put on the spot because I read the prepared opening statement, but I'm sure the time will come. Fortunately, I have group members to help me, but not if I'm the first one up.

I think that I'll just have to prepare myself as much as possible.

However, I do think that these debates are more organized than our previous ones, and they keep us more focused on the task at hand. We're sort of forced to rebut and make specific arguments against the other societies. At first, the system seemed confusing, but now, I'm pleased that it's a lot more straightforward than I thought.

Obviously, I would want more time to prepare my rebuttals and even arguments, but maybe that's asking too much. I suppose that the time we have is sufficient. After all, that's the beauty of the debates!