Author: Tina

IRJE#3 THE THIEF

The Thief is a Japanese book written by Fuminori Nakamura, published in 2012. The story follows Nishimura, an experienced pickpocket as he steals from the people of Tokyo. Nishimura receives an incredible job offer from an ex-crime partner of his, and pulls off his greatest heist.  Nishimura manages to pickpocket sensitive documents from a pocket that is completely sown on every side and resides on the inside of the jacket of the target. Along the way he meets a child with a good-for-nothing mother. He teaches the child the ways of pickpocketing in order to save him from getting caught. 

“A wallet shows a person’s personality and lifestyle. Just like a cell phone, it is at the center, forming the nucleus of the owner’s secrets, everything he carries on him.”(p. 7)

I chose this quote because I think it’s interesting to see such a personal take on wallets, I don’t think that’s something that most people even think about. Seeing it from the eyes of an experienced pickpocket makes wallets which are ordinarily dull seem like interesting objects full of personality.

PW#3 LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Little Miss Sunshine is a movie that has been on my mind for a long time. I watched it for the first time in March of this year, a second time in June, and now I’m seriously considering a rewatch. In my relatively short life, I’ve had the privilege of watching many movies. This year alone, I have watched enough movies to be called a movie buff (one hundred and thirty three movies to be exact) but no movie entranced me as much as Little Miss Sunshine. The portrayal of intricate and dysfunctional family dynamics possessed an unmatched level of realism. In just one hour and forty one minutes, the actors and crew were able to capture profound emotions, comedy, meaningful one liners, and delightful moments in a naturally cohesive manner. It is beyond human comprehension how everyone involved in the creation of the film had been able to come together, collaborate, and sync on such a profound level to produce a film as flawless as this masterpiece. Little Miss Sunshine is a cinematic gem that follows the Hoovers family as they try to get to a children’s beauty pageant. On the way they face numerous challenges and learn how to work together and overcome obstacles. The film has a heartwarming message of self-acceptance and reminds those watching that happiness can be found in the most unexpected places, even amidst chaos and shattered aspirations.

“IRJE #2 Life for sale 

Life for sale is a Japanese novel written by Yukio Mishima, published in 1968. The story follows Hanio, who at the beginning of the novel attempts to kill himself for no reason. After his attempt fails, he has nothing left to fear and feels that life is now meaningless. For this reason, he puts an ad in the newspaper announcing his life is for sale. He will do any job or task that is asked of him for any price, including death. The rest of the novel follows him and the strange adventures he embarks on after being hired by various abnormal people. 

“He was a man who had already died once. There was no reason why he should feel any sense of responsibility or attachment to the world. To him, it was nothing more than a sheet of newspaper covered in the scribblings of cockroaches.” (p. 33 ) 

I chose this quote because the author repeats similar sentiments throughout the book, and each sentiment sums up Hanio as a person, as well as give us the reason for his irrational, life threatening decisions.

“The Moral equivalent of War” and “Can real men live in society?” Reflection

 

William James shared an idea in which people are conscripted to national service. James’s idea of mandatory community service and the forced labor seen in communist regimes share a common thread: getting everyone to work together for the supposed good of society. James thought this would build strong character and a sense of community, but without the violence of war.

However, forcing people to work goes against basic human rights and freedom. People should have the choice to contribute willingly. Plus, when people are forced to do something, they often don’t do their best. This kind of system would likely lead to shoddy work, low productivity, and anger towards the government.

History shows us that similar ideas in communist countries caused more harm than good. It’s also too easy for those in power to abuse the system, turning “community service” into unpaid or poorly paid labor that only benefits the government.

In conclusion, I find William James’s ideas to be neither practical nor ethical. While Mr. McKnight references James in his essay “Can Real Men Live in a Society?”, I struggled to follow his argument due to its disjointed nature and abrupt shifts between historical periods.

PW#2 MID90S

Last night I watched Mid90s, an A24 movie. It was released in 2018 and directed by Jonah Hill. The story takes place in 1990’s Los Angeles and follows thirteen year old Stevie. Stevie is a decently pure and well mannered child who navigates his troubled home life with his boundary-lacking mother and his older brother who beats him. Stevie joins a new friend group he meets at a skate shop. The group consists of 4 boys not including Stevie. The story shows how the boys have their own ambitions and dreams but they are doomed to live little lives in poor neighbourhoods. The group acts very gang like, breaks many rules, rebels together, and runs from cops together. But they still care for one another and speak of the future and ambitions very often. This movie has been on my mind since I watched it. I really liked how realistically they portrayed teenage conversations. The way the movie captured acting out, living in complicated conditions and longing for a better reality simultaneously was realistic. The art direction for the movie was amazing and each scene was very well shot. The music chosen consisted of some great bands and their less popular songs, many of my favourites were included. Morrissey (from the smiths), The Pixies, and The Misfits for example. This movie definitely made its way up to my favourites. 

 

IRJE#1 – The Plague

The Plague by Albert Camus is an absurdist novel. It depicts the spread of a fictional plague. Dr. Bernard Rieux acting as the narrator of the story. The story takes place in Oran, Northern Algeria. Rats begin showing up in the rather boring town, which raises a bit of concern from the people who live there. Before long, piles of thousands of rats come out to die daily. They are found everywhere, in cafes, hotels, houses, hallways, streets, and rooms. M. Michel, the concierge of the building in which Rieux lives, contracts an odd illness and dies within a week. Experiencing incredibly high fever, difficulty breathing, and fatal buboes. He is the first victim of the plague. After this, many people in the town begin to fall to the same illness. In no time at all, the number of deaths becomes staggering. Hundreds by the day. The town makes the decision to gate Oran and quarantine. 

“How hard it must be to live only with what one knows and what one remembers, cut off from what one hopes for!” (pg.33) 

 

“They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.” (pg.271) 

I chose these two quotes because they tell us about exile and isolation as well as yearning and longing for absent loved ones. Things which become the main focus in the novel as the story progresses. The story focuses on the effects of the plague on the townspeople. As the plague’s death toll increases, people become more afraid and begin to stay away from other people in fear of contracting the plague. The narrator dwells on the feelings of isolation and suffering and portrays  a lot of the townspeople as jumbled messes full of “futile” emotions.  Many people consider this novel to be a war allegory of the French resistance to the Nazis in WW1. Relating to how the story “points out the futility of human aspirations and inevitability of suffering.”  (study.com)

The novel perfectly tackles the topic of estrangement. The book has become somewhat relatable when talking about isolation and quarantine. 

WW1 Reading Prose, Personal Response

Reading “All Quiet On The Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque and the various perspectives from the “WW1 Prose Reading” gained me much insight on a subject I was rather ignorant about. Prior to this unit, I understood the general goings on in wars and I stood for anti war philosophy with basic understanding of why. 

However, during this unit I got clear, insanely detailed, personal writings depicting and retelling the events that happened during the war. Reading the writings broke stereotypes for me and overall changed the way I perceive war forever. I found myself with questions relating to war that enveloped me and an urge to find out in order to settle these questions. My anti-war philosophy gained even more reason for existence and has become an impenetrable wall of thought. 

I gained much sympathy for soldiers, especially those who were shunned away from society due to the shell shock they experienced. I gained respect for soldiers who got through daily life after the war despite being plagued with trauma. But simultaneously, I lost the slight amount of respect I initially held for soldiers after hearing the treacherous acts they committed while acting in the war. Although it was reassuring hearing that the soldiers were not all without empathy for the people they killed. 

This unit was eye opening and the resources provided vast knowledge on the events that occurred during war. 

PW#01– My Experience With Planes

Planes may bring excitement to others, but to me they bring nothing but annoyance and discomfort. People’s faces always contort in ways that are unfamiliar to me when talking about planes. They may seem to be gleeful faces but to me they are awkward and unnatural grimaces, because there is no possibility that people take enjoyment in flying. I find the very idea of people being happy about planes to be in itself crazy and unnatural. 

I could understand the sentiment if one had never been on a plane before. The excitement would be excusable. However, if one has flown before and they enjoyed it, I would have to classify that individual as troubled and insane. 

The repetitive worries that the whole traveling process induces do not favour my mental health. Trying to make it to the airport on time with all the traffic that constantly dwells around any airport imaginable. The cold and unforgiving staff that are in charge of making the process “seamless and easy”. God forbid you make a mistake! They do not hesitate to attack. Nitpicking seems to be a necessary quality to work at an airport. Going through security where every insignificant thing seems to be a cause for alarm. 300 arbitrary procedures must be conducted and followed or else the process of actually getting to your gate becomes even more hellish. The walk to your gate if you miraculously make it past security. Say you want a bottle of water and gum, a totally reasonable desire before boarding. But do you have fifty dollars prepared? Not including tax of course. The unorganized boarding system where everything is delayed. You should be thankful not to have a connecting flight. 

 

The whole process is cruel and unforgiving. Every time I fly, I swear to never get on another plane. Yet, I always find myself on them again in no time at all. Just as I am on a plane right now.