Grade 10

                                                                                                                                                English

1.

The captain Beatty who is the leader of the firemen told this to Guy Montag that all books are dead, but another old lady that he met said that the books are alive. Between two different ideas, our character, Montag wonders. Montag kept asking and asking for the reason why the old lady killed herself along with her books. As the story of Fahrenheit 451 goes, Montag’s idea about books changes from something that needs to be terminated or burned to something very important to humanity by meeting Faber, an English professor and Granger who is the leader of the group of people who memorise the books. I believe that books are tremendously important for humanity. The books teach us, tell us and acknowledge us with their knowledge and stories what we need to know for our lives. Yes, I believe those books are alive. Without books, we cannot develop our inner side. I have once read a short sentence about knowledge by an author. He said ‘Philosophy or knowledge does not give you any bread to feed you but it lets you know why you need to eat the bread.’ I agree with him. When we read books, we gain knowledge and knowledge is ‘invisible’ and ‘invincible’ power that lead us to better futures and better lives. If I was Montag, I would felt very heavy sorrow on what I have done.

2.

                I chose a very interesting character in this novel, Fahrenheit 451, for identifying the internal and external conflicts that he had. I chose the main character, Guy Montag. His internal and external conflicts are caused by two simple matters, books and the old women. His internal and external conflicts are mostly about burning the books and his life. After the martyring of the old women with her books, Montag felt disgust about everything. He even thought of quieting his job for a while. In the book, page 50 to 51, Montag and his wife, Mildred discuss about Montag’s job. In page 51, a short piece of conversation which is like this occur,

“Mildred, how would it be if, well, maybe, I quit my job awhile?”

“You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, because, one night, some old woman and her books-”

“You should have seen her, Mille!”

In this scene, we can clearly see that two people were thinking differently. Montag felt guilt about the death of the old women. At the same time, he felt that something was wrong in his life. He mentioned that he actually never had any choice to become a fireman; it was just because his father and his grand father were firemen. He also talked about the books that he had never thought about them in a way that they were the authors’ hard works. He tried to talk to her wife to find the answer to make him comfortable but only what his wife gave to him were sarcastic and cynical remarks about Montag’s stupid actions and feelings towards the books and the dead women.  

3.

                I have chosen a song called ‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon and Garfukle for Guy Montag. I think the song fits very well with the life of Montag because the song criticises the mammonism and unlimited technology that actually destroys the world. In the story, the world where Montag lived, every one of the people around Montag lived happily without being disturbed by tragedies, poems and philosophy. Only Montag and some people realize that the world was nothing but a trashcan with advanced technology.

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.

This shows that the singers are critising the advanced technology and the people who became the salves of the technology like Mildred in the story. But one of the people, a man realized that his world was wrong, like Montag.
                Hear my words that I might teach you,
                Take my arms that I might reach you.

But when the wiseman or Montag tried to say something the people didn’t listen like Mildred.

But my words like silent raindrops fell,

4.

                Personally, I love to read books. I was born with a family that both of my parents and grand parents liked to read books so when I was young, I got used to the habit of reading books. I had to think for a long time to answer this particular question, ‘what book would I save from the destruction?’ At last I came to conclusion that the book I am going to save will be ‘Der Steppenwolf’ written by an author whom I respective the most, Hermann Hesse. This book is about a man called Harry Haller. This book’s plot is so grand, complicated at the same time absolutely great that I cannot understand it fully in my own language and till now. I can put the story into simple summary, the story is about a man called Harry Haller who had or believed to have a lonely wolf like character inside of his mind. This lonely wolf of Steppe met a women called Hermine and joined the weird party of Hermine’s friend, Pablo. He saw many symbolic, magical and weird scenes about love, life and himself. At the end, he killed Hermine because he was to do so. The reason why this book is so precious to me is because I was so impressed by the skill of the writer to write such a novel. While I was reading it I felt as if I was trapped in a mage of mirrors.  It was like having a drug; the book led me to a hallucination. It led me to a word that I had never thought of. Because of the impression I had, I value this book the most.

English 10

The Good Earth project

7. March.2010

The Tale of Mammon

                Dionysus, the God of Wine, asked King Midas what he would ask from God for showing his generosity. King, without a hesitation asked one thing. Let anything he touch be changed into gold, the most wonderful metal exist in the world. The wish was granted. But by this fortune, he starved to death and lost his lovely daughter. He cursed his wish and God asked him to wash his hands in the river to let everything he turned into gold to return. This Ancient Greek myth symbolizes the consequence that we will face from the joyfulness of the wealth. The wealth makes the men to forget about what is important and is not. The wealth does not lead better life but misery, sorrow, and agony.

               People work day-by-day to earn money. The roles of money are everywhere. It lets the house warm, fills the refrigerator with food, keeps the phone line working, and lets us to sleep under our roofs. The matter of ‘to have’ became more important issue than ‘to be’. Now we believe that without the possessions, we cannot be ourselves. Yet is this right?

                Wang Lung in the Good Earth written by Pearl Buck is a poor but hard working farmer who just marries to O’ Lan, previous servant in a rich landowner family, Hwang. Although they do not possess many, their life is full of happiness. As the time goes by, the wealthy family of Hwang starts to decline with rumors of lacking silver pieces in their house. The opium usage, frequent unnecessary spending, and thoughtless owning of money leads one of the richest family in the town to decline.

                People are greedy. Ten dollars are better than one, thousand is better than hundred and trillion is wanted more than million. Adam Smith, a prominence economist of 18th century used a term, the invisible hand. This invisible hand was what Smith thought the way that the economy moved. This hand is a metaphor of human’s self-interest in making profit and will to possess. As people want to make profit for themselves, the wealth is earned and spread. So basically, the human characteristic of greed is what makes the house to feel cozy and warm. Then this lead to an idea, it is okay to fulfill our greed?

                After the great poverty, Wang Lung starts to earn his fortune very successfully. He owns the lands which belonged to the family of Hwang, the silver pieces flows into his house, and his sons are all well educated. Then the tragedy starts. Wang Lung becomes unreasonably mad toward O’ Lan for being ugly which he never considered before. He starts to look for so called the worldly pleasures, the gambling, the taste of wine, and most importantly, the lust. Wang Lung starts to enjoy the life that is out of rule. He brings Lotus, his first concubine. He abandones his work in land, the source of peace and wealth, and lives in the life of pleasure from the endless lust. However he suffers horribly from the actions he takes. He feels guilt by looking at this hard-working wife, O’ Lan. The peaceful life is distrupted by various problems that Lotus cause.

                Wang Lung’s peaceful life truns into tragedy. He became indolent and indiffrence about anything but the pleasures that the wealth that he possessed could do for him. The taste of this worldly pleasure is very sweet. Once the taste reaches the anone’s heart, it is hard to forget the taste. This is similar to what happens to the drug addicts. Because of that short pleasure, they destroy their lives, their bodies weaken and their souls are tored into pieces until they regret what they have chosen.

                In the Gospel of Matthew, there is a verse;

‘Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ (Matthew 19:24, NIV)

The world pays the man with its treasures to serve under him. People who cannot surrender their wealth have one common feature, loving the worldly pleasures. Once a man has the wealth, people around him starts to respect him, admires him, fallows him, and shows no objection against him. Once the man holds the prosperity, he is loved. But what happened once the wealth is gone? He is lost in others memory and forgotten by everyone who loved him. The metaphor that Jesus used with the camel and the eye of the needle shows how hard it is to give up the wealth and pleasure of this world.

                People shout in one voice, ‘Let us enjoy our life! Stop these complicated philosophies. What is wrong with us fallowing what we like?’ The world is a joyful place after all and the easiest key to the joyfulness is wealth. Yet the life which only seeks for the pleasure is nihilistic. The pleasure is short thing but the time runs out quickly. The life only seeking of enjoyment is a wasted life. Yet the question of asking the true meaning of life for modern day man is answered with numbers on his or her bank accounts. We all became nothing but slaves of Gold. We may know what ‘Midas hand’ will lead us but simply we would like to forget about it.

                Erich Fromm in his book ‘To have or to be’ mentioned that the humanity that is built with ideas of ‘to have’ yet without ‘to be’ will self-destruct eventually. According to the author, as more and more people fallows the pleasure of the materialistic world the society soon fails to operate because it cannot fulfill the happiness of everyone. The most important point that the author points out is that everyone dies. No one can take their wealth with them but wants to control them. The wealth and prosperity is an important thing. As it was mentioned, it makes the lives better but not the greatest. As Socrates said, it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. The ture meaning of life cannot be found by the glittering from gold but the will of life not to be wasted, rightful, and most importantly, free.

Someone asked me,

What is happiness?

Is it singing under the hot Sun,

Watching the kids run?

Or is it under the sweetness of apple pies

Coils the tongue which never lies?

No, no it isn’t

Happiness is not in the sweetness

Happiness is not in joy of Children

Happiness is not in truth in your tongue

Happiness is not in the warmth of Sun

But Happiness is life

Under the great Name of Life

Anything can be happiness

Enjoy thy Life

That is happiness

Ji Hun Moon

Free verse

March 1^st 2010

English 10

Are you scared?

Ablutophobia – Fear of Bath

(Wait, I am not afraid, I just don’t like it)

Bathmophobia – Fear of stairs

(I am not scared of the stairs, just that I happened to step on the wrong foot)

Cyclophobia– Fear of Bicycle

(Hey, just because I don’t know how to ride that doesn’t make me a coward!)

Doxophobia – Fear of Praise

(Yeah, people don’t praise me because I am afraid of it, OK?)

Epistemophobia – Fear of Knowledge

(Wonder why I got F for Chemistry test. I was just afraid)

Am I scared?

Ji Hun Moon

ABC  Poetry

March 1^st 2010

English 10

Grade 10

English

Response to the Literature

Literary Analysis of Crime and Punishment

By Fyodor M. Dostoevsky

            Everyone in this world wants justice. We have learnt that the evil must be punished, the sufferings must be protected, and the rights of all living men must be secured. Yet could there be such thing as universal, noncontroversial, or absolute justice? The history tells us that depend on the culture or the periods of times, the definitions of justice varied from one to the other. Under the region of Hammurabi, the justice was vengeful. Anyone who did harm to another’s eye paid the price by harming his eye. From here the famous phrase, an eye for an eye comes. In the time of the European absolute monarchy, whatever the King said was the law, order, and justice. Then we have a question to solve, what is a justice?

         Raskolnikov is a law student who could not continue his study because of the extreme poverty. The city that he lives, St. Petersburg, has two different types of people, the poor and suffering majority against the rich and egoistic minority. Raskolnikov believes that he needs to make changes in his world to save these people who are suffering from ‘unjustified’ world. According to him, the reason why these people suffer is due to some who holds the wealth with greed. From here, his theory of extraordinary develops. If Newton’s discoveries needed to sacrifice a person or people’s lives, Newton has right to sacrifice them because his discoveries had benefited the whole humanity. People like Isaac Newton or Bonaparte Napoleon are the extraordinary people who are allowed to ignore the law if it is essential for the fulfilment of their ideas or discoveries. It is the ordinary people who need to stay under the law and be punished for what they have done. Raskolnikov believes that he is the one who is extraordinary that are above the law.

         This theory leads young idealist to murder Alyona Ivanovna, the greedy pawnbroker who is nothing but a parasite to the society. The tragedy starts when Lizaveta, the stepsister of the Alyona Ivanovna, enters the scene of crime. Raskolnikov kills her too and ran away from the scene, completely loosing his head. Start from then, Raskolnikov suffers from what he has done. His extraordinary theory could justify his actions but could not get rid of the tremendous fear and guilt. Raskolnikov’s suffering leads him to pure hearted, self-sacrificing, and loving prostitute, Sonia who teaches him that the people live with not hatred but love. By her love, Raskolnikov decides to confess his crime and sends to Siberia where the prison camp is.

         Raskolnikov is an intellectual in his society. He knows that the world he is living in was irrational, unfair, and wrong. He believes that the society lost its justice. He thinks that someone needs to execute the justice. Yet Raskolnikov suffers more than before after he murders the evil. He expected the society to change but nothing changed except for a tremendous fear and guilt. Instead of promising a bright future, Raskolnikov’s action led him to suffer more. His agony drives him in extreme suffer until the very last moment of his confession.

         There are two themes that Fyodor Dostoevsky raised in Crime and Punishment. First theme is ‘Would the end justifies the means?’ Raskolnikov did not committed crime for himself but to change the world to better place for the others. So his mean of doing such sinful thing could be justified because it could have created better world. Yet his sin didn’t erase. His action was not justified but caused even more suffering to him. What I believe that Dostoevsky tried to suggest was that if the means are wrong, it is wrong from the beginning.

         The second theme will be ‘Will it be okay for individual to execute justice?’ The world that Raskolnikov lives in is a mess. Majority of people are suffering so much while only few rich holds the power. Raskolnikov believed in the theory of extraordinary which sounds very similar to Nietzsche’s Übermensch theory which is the people who are superior to the ordinary people must lead them. The society has its own rules and laws that the people must obey. If individual people suddenly all execute their ‘individual’ justice at once, the society will go chaotic because everyone has different values and views. Ideal justice is not created by one’s view point. Instead of executing their own justice, the individuals need to create a rightful society. Once the majority is well-educated and know the problems of their society well, there is better chance of society become right. Raskolnikov actions were for good yet his action could not erase the name of crime and he could not avoid punishment.

Short Story Essay

Ji Hun Moon

A Death of a Vagabond

I was watching at the sunset, fading away from the evening sky, leaving a bright red mark on the world for the last time. I always loved to watch the sunset. When I watched it, I felt some kind of sadness that stuck on my heart, slowly stopping its beating rate by each second. I was depressed; I thought I was the most pitiful guy in the whole city. The city had more than twenty thousand rooms but there was no room to welcome me. The city was overpopulated with as the news said, but there was no one to remember me. I was a loner, wanderer, and vagabond. I did have something called my house and family. It was just that I did not belong to them, and they did not belong to me. I was not one of them from the beginning.

It was such a painful thing that no one would care about me. My mother who raised me did not have me from my birth. Her only will was to make her step son into a doctor like his father. I never called my father, father, because of the differences that we had. His hair was dark while mine was yellowish brown; his skin was reddish while mine was more of brownish and his nose was pointing up like a parrot’s beak while mine was like a pine cone, pointing down. He had a quiet and calm nature while I was more of a hasty, and passionate person. He was my father yet I could not call him my father.

Why did my family do not love me? Was it simply because I was an adopted child? If that was the reason, why did they decide to live with me? Was that the reason why my father never talked to me? Would that be a reason why my mother never admired me? They just didn’t remember me, loved me, and cared about me. I thought that no one in this world could understand me. I was a loner and a vagabond who just kept wondering around; weather it was school and house. Why should I continue to live when I found no one to love me? This dilemma led me to extreme thinking. I was alone on the beach and the sun was now nearly sunk under the blue endless rolling.

In that afternoon, I ran into it, the endless rolling and speechless sea. My clothes and shoes were all on the beach. Who would care? I was about to die and those left-over would be nothing but trash. When the dark and cold sea reached its arm and hugged me, I felt everything was melting into my sorrow, all the memories, pains and happiness. Each stroke to the sea was an indescribable pain inflicting in my heart which was brittle yet not broken. Ah, who would even know I was here? All those ideas were useless; one thing that was absolutely true was that I was going to die.

I thought I could swim forever like that. The sands were far away from me. The Carron Bridge’s street lamps were all turned on. There would be one day off for the students in the school because they would be praying for me and my death will be on the news. I thought. But no one in the world would know that I killed myself. When I reached that point, my sadness weighted down on my heart so much that it hurt. To make sure I did not turn into a coward, I kept on going without looking back. After more than ten minutes, I was way off the shore and barely could see the lights on the streets.

Bye, Audrey Hepburn, I believed that there was no one who liked her as much as I did, bye, Beatles and all the songs that I loved, bye my room which was the only place of peace I had, and now everyone, bye. After eighteen years of suffering, here the life ends in not a peaceful graveyard like others but in an endless momentum of tides. My body shall dance with the tides and the sea would remember me, I though. I believed that she would howl my name with her speechless voice and leave my name on the sand with her white fingers.

My hands were getting cold and my toes were getting numb. The numbness was spreading slowly but efficiently all over my body. I was like a jellyfish floating on the surface. The only difference would be that I was not able to move. The water became colder and colder as the time went by. I was getting too tired to breath, and my eyes were slowly closing. This is the end, this must be the end, I believed.

            When I thought it was the last moment of a poor young fellow’s life, I heard a voice. Surely it was not a voice of God because it was much thicker and rougher than I have always imagined. “Oh, my God, are you insane? Where the hell do you think you are going?” A fishing boat was just in front of me with five to six fishermen, all looked astounded. They lifted me into their ship, and I sat on the floor.

“What happen to you, my boy? Why did ya come out this far for?” When I said that I was from Jose beach, they were surprised even more.

“Haven’t ya thought that the sharks could have attacked you?” I lowered my head to catch some breath and tried to calm myself down. The shaky ship caused me to feel dizzy but soon, I could calm myself down much better. I needed a good excuse to let those life savers to understand what I was doing this far out to the sea. I said,

 “I was thinking of practicing my swimming, but didn’t know that I would reach till here.” One fisherman asked,

“So where are your clothes?”

“On the beach,” I replied.

“Okay, kid, we will let you jump into the sea when we reach the point where it is the nearest to Jose beach. I think you will be able to reach the shore pretty fast.” said one of the fishermen. Then I was in two great shames. I failed to die, and I was naked in front of the people. While I was panicking about this, one of the fishermen joked,

 “Hey, what if someone stole this boy’s clothes? Ha-ha.” 

As the ship was moving forward, I felt gentle but cold breeze passing my body. “It is time for you to go!” one of them said. I didn’t forget to thank them before I jumped. Soon I was able to reach the shore quite easily. Luckily my clothes were not stolen. Once I reached the land, a sudden tremendous fear approached and dominated me. My legs lost their power and will to stand up. I just fell to the sand and shivered, shivered until it was dark. A line of blood came out from my mouth. The time was getting late, but I was not able to move myself. I was a weak creature yet, I was still alive and needed to live on.

When I arrived at home, my family was having peaceful dinner. Mother scolded me for being late. “Why do you never get in time for dinner?” she asked.

“Well, I don’t want to eat anything.” My soft and weak voice came out from my throat.

 “You must have eaten something from outside.” she ended. That was all. I lowered my head, crossed the living room and went upstairs to my room. My inner voice was shouting, what a family! I was nearly drowned and they don’t even care a thing! I was lying on my bed with my mouth opened a bit. My body was so tired that even opening my eyelids were near to impossible.

Then I heard some gentle steps from stairs and I saw my father’s face from slowly opened door. He walked towards me with a solemn and worried look. “What happened? Why are you not eating?”

“Nothing, nothing really.” I lied. There were some unexpected tears in my eyes; and I did not want my father to see them, so I turned my head. I wanted to throw my body to my father’s arms and, cry but I just did not have bravery to do that. My father never hugged me or understood me before. I thought I could not expect anything from him.

“What happened?” He asked again with a smile on his face. I have never seen my father smiling before.

“I am tired because I swam too much.” I said.

“Stand up and take off your shirt.” He brought his stethoscope and asked me to breath deep in and out. Why was he doing this? I wandered. He had never showed any interest on me before yet I always wanted this kind of moment. He took his stethoscope off and said, “What did you do?”

“I just swam a bit more than usual and I am tired.”

“Anywhere particularly hurts?” I lied intentionally.

“This upper chest hurts a bit.”

Why my father didn’t like me? Was it because I had yellowish hair? Maybe, or maybe not, there must be a reason. I was only thinking about that.

“Are you deaf? I told you to breathe in.” My father woke me up from my daydreaming. My father checked me more carefully. After quite yet enjoyable examination, he padded my shoulder smiling and said “Its fine, if you just have a good rest, you will be better for sure. If that doesn’t work, we will go to hospital.” He went to his room and came back. “These pills will help you to sleep well” he continued. “Good night and I love you.” The door gently closed and the lights went out.

Compare and Contrast Essay

English

Understanding Two Tragic Heroes:

Brutus and Antony

                In the tragedy of Julius Caesar, the play is highly focused on the assassination of Julius Caesar by numerous conspirators. Nevertheless, the play also emphasizes the conflicts between two important characters; Brutus and Antony. These two noble men are the true sources of making the tragedy of Julius Caesar not only a famous Shakespearean play but also a real tragedy. These two opposing characters share several interesting similarities. On the other hand, they possess various very distinctive differences from one another.

                Marcus Junius Brutus and Marcus Antony share several similarities. First of all, both of them are noble men, highly educated, and obtain high social status. They are the ones who lead the Roman Republic. The public respects them and look upon those two figures as heroes. Brutus and Antony also serve one great ruler, Julius Caesar. They have profound royalty and respect toward Caesar. For example Antony responds to Caesar’s request of touching Calpurnia, “I shall remember: When Caesar says “Do this,” it is performed.” (Act 1, Scene ii, line 9) Brutus describes Caesar to the public after the assassination, “his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy nor is offences enforced.” (Act 3, Scene ii, line 39)  This dramatic scene shows how much Brutus respected Caesar although he was responsible for Caesar’s death. Apart from their views on Caesar, both of the men are great speech makers as both of them were able to control the mind of the angry plebeians.

                Despite these several similarities, the destiny of Brutus and the destiny of Antony in the play are significantly differing from one another. Brutus has friend, Gaius Cassius Longinus, plays an important role of making this differences. Cassius successfully persuades Brutus that Caesar is ambitious. Although he is now at the top, Caesar wishes for more. By Cassius’s persuasions, Brutus becomes one of the conspirators. As a royal man, Brutus significantly values honor. He even says, “…as I love the name of honor more than I fear death.” (Act 1, Scene ii, line 99) Brutus believes that Caesar is being a dishonorable man because he is getting ambitious, looking forward to be an Emperor which will eventually destroy the Republic and the liberty which Romans protected for centuries. 

                Antony, unlike Brutus, does not change his position in supporting Caesar. Antony shows strong opposition towards the ideas and positions that the conspirators had, including Brutus. Antony, after the devastating scene of murder, comes and shakes hands with the conspirators and praise Caesar. This scene somewhat indicates the personality of Antony because Antony in his deep heart is angered with the death of Caesar but he friendly shakes his hand with his enemies.  Antony may shall be described as a man with Antony makes statement towards the murderers, “Friends am I with you all, and love you all,” (Act III, Scene i, line 220) to show that he is not an enemy but foe. However one the conspirators exit the scene, he moans, “Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war” (Act 3, Scene ii, line 273) which foreshadows the bloody revenge. Antony argues to the plebeians who was convinced by Brutus that Caesar was ambitious, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambitious?”  Like Brutus, Antony also values honor but he responds very cynically towards how honorable Brutus was. He emphasizes how great Caesar was and how hypocritical the murderers were. 

                It is no question that both Antony and Brutus are heroes. Numerous readers view Brutus as a traitor and Antony as a truthful man. However I believe both of them were heroes with great personal achievements. Brutus did what he believed would be better for Rome while Antony defended what he had valued from Brutus, the honor toward Caesar. In my opinion both men were honorable and memorable. Their ideals were different and that led the greatly different path for these two characters. Although they were different from one another and never became foes, they did share many common features such as respect toward Caesar. Both of them were heroes, both of them were great. 

Reference

          The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Prentice Hall Literature New Jersey USA: Pearson Education, 2007 edition.

The Quantum Factor

Ji Hun Moon

Research Paper; Quantum Physics

How did the quantum theory arise? (3-5 sentences)

                The quantum theory arose primarily from the attempt to understand and describe the behaviors of atoms with their constituents. The quantum theory is a scientific attempt to analyze and explain the microscopic world which could not be answered by the ‘old’ science. Introduced in the 1920s, the quantum theory did provide very convincing scientific evidence that helps to understand the nature of the physical reality that we are living in. By the introduction of the quantum theory, the relation between the observer and the external or the real world is dramatically focused and notified its importance. 

What are the two main implications of the quantum theory to science? (8-10 sentences)

                The first implication of the quantum theory was in the principle of ‘cause and effect.’ It was believed that every event has cause for it (event) to occur. Nothing happens without a reason. The chain of cause and effect, however, was questioned by the quantum theory with the idea that there were events happened without cause, especially the most fundamental event of every other events. In the quantum theory, the atom’s reality was questioned due to the randomness it was shown. This broken chain suggested an idea that the nature of the physical world is not based on orders but randomness.

                The second implication of the quantum theory was about Heisenberg’ uncertainty principle. According to Heisenberg, the very concept of ‘definite’ and ‘exact’ position and momentum of an atom is meaningless. His theory of uncertainty states, it is impossible to know the momentum and position of an atom at the same time. It is possible though to find the values of momentum and position separately. The reason for such absurdness is due to the fact that the value of one aspect, either momentum or position, will change while another aspect of the atom is observed. This theory furthermore questioned the reality of the atom.

Describe in your own words the “Ghost theory” begun by Einstein and completed by John Bell. (10-15 sentences)

                 As Heinsberg’s uncertainty principle suggests, the reality of the atom is questioned to its existence. Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr’s long debate on the quantum theory was basically on one bald question; is an atom a thing? Bohr said this; the nature of atom only becomes a precise and concrete reality when an observation is made. This actually means that without an observation, the atom is not in so-called reality which makes it not a real and solid thing but like a ‘ghost’. The atom only materialized when it was looked for. According to Bohr, the reality and nature of the atom was decided on the observer and his choice of measurement strategy.

                Albert Einstein was strongly against Niels Bohr and some ‘random’ aspects of the quantum theory. Einstein argued this; the reason why some events in this world, for example the stock market or the weather, seem to be ‘unpredictable’ are not because those events are ‘unrealistic’ or ‘random’ but due to the ignorance of the observer who is incapable of knowing every force that is involved in those events.

                Albert Einstein declared his position in the debate with Niels Bohr with his famous quote, ‘God does not play dice’ and sought for ways to prove the contradiction and confusion that the quantum theory possessed. He came out with an interesting thought experiment which was named as the EPR (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen) paradox.

                The EPR paradox suggest this situation; one atom decayed and produced two photons, according to the Heisenberg’ uncertainty principle, it is impossible to know the momentum and the position of the particle same time. Einstein used the property that the two particles are the same except their spin. So what he believed was that if he measures one particle with its position and another with its momentum, he should be able to know both position and momentum at the same time. Einstein believed that this thought experiment proved the problems and weaknesses of the uncertainty in the quantum theory.  

                Niels Bohr, surprisingly, was able to argue Einstein. Bohr replied to Einstein that until the proper measurement was actually performed, those two particles needed to be treated as whole which lead it to the idea of holism. Bohr argued that it was impossible for world to be made out of separated bits.

                This thought experiment continued by John Bell in 1960s. John Bell came out with the theorem which suggested an idea that the degree of cooperation between two separated systems had its limit with certain definite maximum. The quantum theory, however, believed that it would be able to exceed the limit. To check Bell’s inequality, an important experiment was done in Paris by Alaine Aspect and the colleagues. They hit a calcium atom with laser to create twin particles and tried to find values which could be inserted to Bell’s theorem to check who was right.

                Bohr won the Aspect’s experiment. The idea of the ghost theory seems to be right at the last moment with proof. But the writer of God and the new physics suggested an interesting point. If these atoms were ghosts which means they are understood as unrealistic maybe-there not-there thing, how can all physical things which are suppose to be build of with ‘something’ much smaller exist? The reality of the atom is still under debate and experiments.

Describe Einstein’s statement; “God does not play dice.” (20-30 sentences)

                Einstein said an interesting quote that changed many people’s view point; God does not play dice. Einstein did not have any particular specified religion; ergo whether he believed in the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God in religious is unclear. However he had made many interesting comments on what he felt towards the nature, universe, and origin. He strongly believed that nature had laws, patterns, or even rhythm which makes it order.  

We know nothing at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. The real nature of things we shall never know.” – Albert Einstein

                Albert Einstein was looking for the orderly world with laws and rules that fulfills every event happening in the physical world. He, as he said by himself, could not go along with the idea that order came from randomness without a reason. He also didn’t want to accept the quantum theory’s view point of ‘blaming’ the atom which he must have felt ‘exist’. As he said, he believed that it was the lacking of knowledge in human beings causes them to be blind of the true reality and fell to the idea of randomness and uncertainty.

                An interesting thought experiment known as Schrödinger’s cat (Schrödinger’s Katze) was suggested by Erwin Schrödinger to look into the weaknesses of the quantum physics. In this though experiment; there are a box, an atom, extremely poisonous cyanide gas, and a cat. The experiment is simple; the glass with cyanide gas will break as soon as the atom goes on decay. Once the gas is released, the cat will die. The chance of our cat dies or not dies is same as the atom goes decay or no decay. So it is 50% chance. Schrödinger interestingly continues that according to the quantum theory, in the box there is half-dead (50%) but also half-alive (50%) cat until the observer sees the inside. Once the observer sees onside box, the system is fixed. Yet it is truly obvious that whether the observer sees or not, the cat will be still alive or killed by the gas.  

                As the Schrödinger’s cat just proved, the view point of the quantum theory does have a problem of explaining the objective reality and subjective reality. It is understandable of Albert Einstein being such opposition towards the quantum physics considering his quote which he said it was a pure joy for him to find the laws and patterns of nature.

                The quantum theory denies the reason. It denies what was believed to be absolute for some, everything have reason. These ideas may have caused the people who believe in the ‘first cause’ to be irritated. And also it irritated one of the most respectable scientists of all time. God does not play dice is a very strong quote indeed. If we consider the existence of a supernatural being who or which can be a ‘cause’ of everything, it will be more logical to understand the orderly and patterned world. Yet I believe it is impossible to prove the existence of God because, well, God is God. Einstein’s God does not play dice would be the most strongest argument against the quantum theory’s bizarre, absurd, and random world.

Ji Hun Moon

Character Analysis

Ji Hun Moon

Cadi Forbes, wee l’il bit of Heaven

                Cadi Forbes is the protagonist of the novel, the Last Sin Eater. Her real name is Katrina Anice which is used frequently by one major character, Lylibet who plays an important role as the plot builds. The narration is given in the first person’s view point with the voice of Cadi. Through out the book, any thoughts, event, other characters, and even emotions are described in the voice of Cadi which helps the readers to be able to understand Cadi and her world easier.

                Cadi Forbes is ten years old girl who lives in a settlement community of the Welsh migrants. The descriptions about Cadi’s character by her parents are passionate with curiosity and cussed nosiness.  Cadi admits that she is a curious girl as she says, “Even the simplest queries met with resistance.” (Page 1) This curiosity becomes very important factor for one major event in this novel. Cadi, after warned by her Papa not to look at the sin eater, questions and questions about the sin eater and decides to solve the secrets behind this mysterious figure. “Whooo? Who is the sin eater? Whooo? Who will see first now she’s gone to hereafter?” (Page This curiosity plays one of the reasons for Cadi to see the sin eater, moaning above Cadi’s dead grandmother. Many plots such as the searching of the sin eater or the meeting with the man of God have close relationships with Cadi’s curious nature.

                Cadi’s choices are the source of the conflicts in this novel. Mostly her choices are based on her emotions. For example, she looks at the sin eater and describes the reason as; “I couldn’t help it. His voice was so deep and tender and sorrowful, I turned, my heart aching.” (Page 13) Her emotions are mostly grim, sorrowful, or dim in the beginning. However as the time passes on, she becomes happy, passionate, and blissful lady. In the novel, Cadi suffers from various reasons which are the death of her loving Grandmother, the horrible events with an antagonist, Brogan Kai, and most importantly, her awareness of guilt towards the death of her little sister, Ellen. “I cried. Oh How I cried and pondered my sins. Seemed every day I grew heavier and harder to bear.”(Page 68) Those problems are later resolves, for example the man of God helps Cadi with her guilt and sorrows by introducing her, the real true sin forgiver, Jesus Christ. “God was there. God was everywhere.” (Page 285)

               The relationships between Cadi and other characters changes over time. Some for example, the relationship with the sin eater, Sim, develops positively while the relationship between Cadi and Brogan Kai becomes worse overtime they meet. Nevertheless, the most significantly changed relationship was the relationship between Cadi and her mother, Fia. The main conflict between Cadi and Fia is the death of Ellen. ‘“It shudna have been Elen!” “Ye’d rather it’d been Cadi. Is that what you’re saying?” Mama started crying soft, broken sobs.’ (Page 71)The actions of mother seem to lead Cadi and the readers to believe that the mother rather have Ellen than Cadi. Also her apathetic attitudes toward Cadi give the impression that Fia, the mother, does not love her daughter. Nevertheless, the relationship between Cadi and her mother changes dramatically when the novel hits the end. Cadi asks for forgiveness to her mother (Page 318) yet Cadi’s mother says that she never had blamed Cadi for Elen death but herself. She was the one who have sent Elen to fallow Cadi so she was the one to be blamed. The relationship is rebuilt with love and forgiveness.

‘And then she called me the name she had when I was very small, “You’re still my wee l’il bit of heaven…”’ (Page 321)

Reflective Essay

English 10

Mrs. Gwalteny

Let it be, 1970

                I started to live apart from my family since I graduated my elementary school from one sunny day of September, 2006. My parents wished their son to have better education from the world. Being a boy aged of 14, I did have a tender heart. I have never been separated from my family more than a week. Yet I was sent to a school in the small island in the beautifully shining day. When I entered a room that had my name on the door, tears stood in my eyes, I wept. 

                For about two month, I was under a great depression. There were various reasons. I was separated from my family which was an unusual event and this made me afraid of the world. I felt like a young bird which has fallen from its nest. Not only this internal sorrow but the external sorrows made me suffer. I need to admit that my level of English was not admirable. I faced all sorts of problems everyday because either I could not understand what the people around me were talking about or they did not understood what I was talking about. I couldn’t eat my lunch in the first day of school because I simply could not understand what canteen lady meant ‘Tickets please.’ Now I can make fun of these episodes with joy but this period of time probably will be remembered as ‘the worst’ period of time in my short life.

                During these gloomy days messed up with troubles and problems, I was hooked by a melody. Although I did not understand its lyrics, its melody just drifted me. Rainy October, I searched desperately for the song. It took me some time to figure out that the name of the melody was ‘Let it be’ by the Beatles. Now I feel shameful admit that I never heard of the Beatles until the very moment. I used my dictionary to translate every single word in the lyric and the individual words took my heart away.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.

                Frankly speaking, I felt hopeless. Everything I had, my relationship with the people I knew, all the life styles that I was used to and even my character, needed to be rebuild in the ‘new’ world. I was lonely. I was afraid. I felt depressed and wanted to surrender. However a gleam of hope shined me as it says, ‘there is still a light’. I almost felt as if John Lennon was talking to me and my miserable life. This song erased sorrow from my heart and this song made me smile again.

                I successfully became able to enjoy my life. My English became better, I made more friends and I got used to the new life. My life in the boarding house became fun, relaxed, and joyful. My life changed as ‘Let is be’ said. There are hard times that no one enjoys but at the same time, there are answers or happiness at the end. Just let it be, relax, and you shall be able to see the answer, that’s what I learned from the voice of John Lennon, recorded in 1970.

                Whenever I tell people about the Beatles, they laugh. To them, the Beatles is an historical figure. However to me, the melody is fresh and the voices are beautiful. Now I am enjoying my life. Although I am not with the people that I love, I am not as sad as before because I know that if I let the time be, the time that I shall meet them again will come. I shall never forget the delight and comfort I felt from this song.

English

Descriptive Essay

Grade 10

Mrs. Gwalteny

A Shepherd’s Purse

            There is a flower that always makes me stay for awhile anytime I see it. It is not a beautiful flower like a rose. It does not have an attractive smell like tulips either. For some people, the shepherd’s purse is just an ordinary weed that grows without any intentions. Those weeds are on the streets, gardens, swamps, and even right next to an outdoor trash can. No one gives any interest and no one values them; yet to me, these flowers are the most beautiful flowers that will always make me remember someone.

            There is nothing much interesting or attracting about the shepherd’s purse. They can grow anywhere where there are just enough water and sunlight. They can only grow about six to fifteen centimeters tall only. Before it blooms its flowers, people easily confuse it with a dandelion. The shape of the leaves is jaggy saw teeth that makes the leaves spread out as if it would hurt anyone who dares to touch. The flower is hidden in a tiny green chamber until it is prepared to show its white petals. The flower is as small as a person’s finger nail with only four petals to decorate it with. No color other than white and yellow is presented. Its name was given by the seed bags that are shaped in triangles which remind of the purses that a shepherd would take.

            The stamp of the flower is weak. Like a baby’s arm, a little twist can end its life. People step on them without any guilt. I know that they wouldn’t feel the same if they have step on a hyacinth. Sometimes the sun’s fair generosity is blocked towards the shepherd’s purse by the ones who are taller than it is. Yet still the shepherd’s purse does not complain. Instead, it waits until the sun would shine its leaves again. 

            The shepherd’s purses are easy to find. Whenever I go for a walk, I see number of them growing in many disorderly fashions without being taken care by anyone. ‘One man’s junk is another man’s treasure’, I heard this in my school by my teacher when the students were doing some charity works for the people who weren’t as fortunate as I. To the gardeners who would like to fill their gardens with beautiful roses and gracious snow drops, the shepherd’s purse is nothing but a weed that needs to be terminated in their lands. However to me, the shepherd’s purse is a message that nature sends to me so that I don’t forget about a person who I miss, my grandmother.

           According to my mother’s memories on my mother’s mother, she was a woman who never gave up. For her four children, she would work from before the sunrise until the sun banished from the sky, leaving the stars and moon to fill the emptiness that it had left. When her clothing store perished by a fire in a middle of a night, she lost most of the things that she had achieved previously. She could have given up her life like any other ordinary people, yet she didn’t. No matter how much the pain that the world inflicted to her, she rose up again, strengthening herself for her loving family. No matter where the world pushed her to be, she rose, like the shepherd’s purse. One of her writings that are left says this, ‘Although the world may not notice me and although the world may put me in the wrong places, I would never give up.’

            According to my mother, my grandmother liked the shepherd’s purse. Now she is not with me anymore in this world. As we are moving away from the past, it gets harder to remember the events that happened, the feelings I shared with the others and the people who were there but not with us anymore. The memories about my grandmother slowly fade away from the people who knew her, including me. Whenever I see some small white flowers that are quietly hiding under the bushes, I stay for a while and I remember her. I am happy at the same time sad when I figure out that my memoires are fading away. A short haiku describes how I act when I see the flower very well;

Looking closely, I see

a shepherd’s purse blooming

under the hedge

- Matsuo Basho