The End

During this semester of literature class I felt as though as the semester began that I would dread this class because I was not a fan of reading or writing at all. With all the different novels and different things we began to read i realized myself being challenged by the readings. I actually began to enjoy reading and writing about the things that i learned during the readings. Blogging about my thoughts about the reading really helped me to solidify my thoughts on different things that i learned in each  book. The Hunger Games was probably my favorite novel that we read as a class. It opened up a whole different thought about what we are entertained by. It made me really sit back and think about what entertained me. It made me feel guilty about getting pleasure out of reading or watching a movie where people are getting hurt. This semester also really got me to go out there and find my own things that are good for you. I want to gain more knowledge about all aspects of life and i know now that a big way to gain knowledge is to read and to explore the arts. I really never knew that i would respond to literature in the way that i have. Reading good literature makes you look at yourself and really begin to question the things you do. I learned a lot from my classmates and especially my group mates and of course Dr. Mortimore.. I felt like my group and I got along really well and we all discussed everything thrown at us very well. Literature is important and I know that now.

To read or not to read

There are so many different books in this world. Books link us to our past. Without the books that we have now, we would not be able to know much about the past and be able to move forward. We would not be as advanced in technologies that we have now if it wasn’t for the books that people have written for us to use to learn from and develop. I by no means see myself as much of a reader, but ever since the start of this lit class I have been more open to reading. It is actually becoming more interesting for me to sit down and read a book. I am realizing how important reading really is. Reading is very important, especially because I am a college student and reading is always needed. I have realized that I need to read more, and it is helping me with my grades. I have seen an improvement ever since I have started reading more. There are many different kinds of books in this world. There are books for ever person; it doesn’t matter if you are interested in sports, cooking, fiction, nonfiction, or anything else you can think of. There is definitely a book for you. I think that it would be a very negative effect on people if books were completely gone.

I think that without the books that we have and the ones that authors will continue to write us as a society would suffer. We do have the internet and Google and different things, but technology always breaks. Books are pretty much not breakable. All you have to do is open a book and begin to read, you don’t have to log on or turn on a computer to do so. Even though we do have all this technology people always turn back to books to educate themselves. Books should be a huge part of everyone’s life.

If we continue to “burn books” our society will continue to decline. We cannot always rely on “Google it”.  I believe the reason why we are always relying on our technology is because we want everything to be faster, we everything to happen right now. We don’t want to take some time out of our “busy” schedules to do things the old fashioned way. It really is not that hard to sit down and read a book instead of sitting in front of our televisions or computers and watching Jersey Shore re runs. When you read it is a proven fact that people become more knowledgeable. With the help of reading you become smarter and have a wider vocabulary and learn the views of others instead of your own. I know that when I am older I am going to enjoy sitting down on my recliner after a hard day’s work and enjoying a nice book. Hopefully we don’t burn too many books by then.

To be entertained....

To be honest I really wasn’t looking forward to reading The Hunger Games that is why I put off so long to read it. I ended up reading it the two days before we had the quiz. I was really surprised at how great this book really was it held my attention the whole time.  I am not much of a reader, usually just when it is about sports especially when it is about the Phillies is when I read. The book was incredibly interesting and once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I found myself reading for 3 and 4 hours at a time. This book was surprisingly similar to the lottery where picking people to be sacrificed was such a normalcy. The shocking thing is that not 23 people are given up in The Hunger Games, not just 1 like in the lottery. It is really sad that people get entertained from watching people die on television. It is different when we watch movies, but in the Hunger Games people where dying in real life and people still got a kick out of watching it. I know I would not be able to sit back on my couch and watch something on tv where someone is actually dying. That is just unreal.

I didn’t know what to think for the 24 kids that where put into the games. I just couldn’t see myself in their shoes. The person I really looked out for in this book would have to be Katniss. She was my favorite character because I would do the same thing that she would have done to save her sisters. I have 5 younger brothers and sisters so I know what is like to feel very protective of them. I would sacrifice myself over them in a heartbeat.  I have the same type of responsibilities for my family like Katniss has for hers, maybe not to the extent of going out into the wild and grabbing food for breakfast, but making sure everyone eats their breakfast is more my job.

This book shares many similarities to the other book we read 1984. In both of these books the authors preach the point of watching over their people and keeping in complete control. The people in charge use scare tactics to get their people to cooperate with how they want their country ruled. Although Big Brother was not broadcasting the peoples’ lives, they were watching over their every move. In both books the people talk about different consequences for going against the rule of the government.

In the Running Man, a man is on a tv show where he is put through various tasks and has to survive. The thing of it is he is actually doing all of the stunts for real and could die. This goes hand and hand with the Hunger Games because the children are aired on tv and have to try and stay alive infront of every one watching.

Real TV?

I myself do not really like to watch reality tv. One of the only reality tv shows that I watch is The Bachelor. I watch this show because my girlfriend watches every single season of it. I think much of the show is staged for television. There have only been a few people that have stayed together on that show and it has been airing for like tenish years. The show i decided to watch for this blog is Jersey Shore. I watched Season 2 episode 26. I chose to watch this show because I think it is the most unreal show out of them all. It is so incredibly fake. There are no people that live the way that they do in real life. So in this episode, Ronnie's girlfriend Sammi made out with someone else so Ronnie is mad at her and they hold a grudge the whole time, they go out and party and get drunk, then they make up in the end. There are only a few things that see in this show that are actually real. They are real people, they live in a real house, but all the drama and everything else that goes on is definitely staged. There is no group of people that have as many issues as these people do. When I watch this show it makes me laugh because everytime you watch it you know what is going to happen. The same things happen every episode. They fight, they hook up, they get drunk, they make up and every thing is ok in the end. The attributes that are valued in this show would be sex appeal, the women have very revealing clothing, and all the men show off their huge muscles. The people in this show are not intelligent. I think that might be why people watch it. To see stupid people dressed up in barely nothing. I responded to Ronnie in this episode because his girl cheated on him and I would be upset too. I didn't really enjoy the show. I don't like to watch girly drama. This show is alluring because people like to watch good looking people have issues on television. This show is probably mainly watched by women. I don't think there are many guys that would be attracted to this type of show, but then again I don't know if that is true, it's just a guess..  Reality TV works because it gives people something to watch that they think is real because they don't like what is going on in their life.
http://www.mtv.com/videos/jersey-shore-season-2-ep-26-at-the-end-of-the-day/1660579/playlist.jhtml#name=shows

Security vs Privacy

In many ways we do not have full privacy like we did when we did not have as advanced technology as we do now. As technology advanced privacy lessened. The government can track everything about everyone. It is not hard at all for someone to find where you live and find out who you are with what the internet has turned into today. There are security cameras everywhere. We have to be careful about what we do in public because many of us know that we are being watched. I do agree with the fact that they have security cameras in public. I think that it prevents a lot of crime from happening, and if they need to catch someone that has done something wrong in the future they can look back on cameras and find the perpetrater. After 9/11 security has really heightened in the United States. The government does not want something like that to happen ever again. I think that security is  a good thing, just not the extent of what it is in 1984. Privacy does exist. We all have the privacy in our own homes.

In 1984 the way that they have security is way too over the top. They have telescreens that watch the people, and the children of the country watch over their parents to find out if they are committing thought crimes. This is a terrible thing to have. By Big Brother having all of these security measures I believe that it shows weakness in him. I think that he is truly scared that the people are going to over run him, that is why he has to always keep watch on everyone. He shows many similarities to Hitler, but if Hitler thought someone was against him he would kill them on the spot.

Advertisements on my Feed

The advertisements that would definitely be in my feed would be Penn State Football, Reeses, Nike, and Applebees. These would show up on my feed because I love all of these different things and they help to describe all of my likes and personality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXP7KUH4cA8
Penn State Football- This ad would would be on my feed because I am all about Penn State football. Ever since I was little I have been a Penn State fan. Believe it or not my first outfit was a nittany lion get up. My whole family loves Penn State. I have been going to at least 3 or 4 games a year all my life. My dream growing up was to become the next great linebacker at "Linebacker U". This dream was going good for me because I was a very good linebacker growing up, but then my sophomore year of high school, during the football season I got my first of six concussions. So my dream was shot. I still love Penn State football and always will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0oDaA-cWZ4
Reeses- A reeses commercial would air on my feed. It would be on my feed because I love to eat reeses. That was always my favorite candy ever since my first Halloween when I ate my first reeses. I love the taste of chocolate and peanut butter put together into one bite.  I would never get sick of reeses. Reeses are without a doubt the best candy there is out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55BZ2gSsSmY
Nike- Nike would be on my feed. Nike would be on my feed because I have tons of nike clothing, and nike shoes are also the shoes that I wear the most. I believe they are the best brand. In every sport that I have played I have always worn their brand of shoe. I wear nike cleats, wrestling shoes, and I have  a nike baseball glove. I have always been happy with all the nike products i have used. Nike would be on my feed not only for shoes, but also for every other product they have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJqUpS6EaE&feature=related
Applebees- Applebees would be on my feed because it was my all time favorite restaurant to eat at. I love their meals, appetizers and their desserts. It is also the place where I took my girlfriend Kayla on our first date. So every month we go to Applebees to celebrate us being together. It is a wonderful tradition. I have had many great laughs at Applebees. It is in my opinion the best place to go with family and friends. I suggest if any of you are looking for a place to eat with your friends, you should chose Applebees.

The End of the Challenge

So challenge is over. I made it through all seven days of this challenge. My last day was actually friday. It was not a difficult day for me to stay away from the technology because I knew it was the last. My girlfriend and I threw football outside on friday because it was incredibly beautiful outside. Having the nice weather outside was a great distraction from technology. We spent the whole day outside, then we went for a walk and got Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's later that night. After that was over we played the board game called life. This challenge really opened my eyes to how much I do truly rely on technology. It was a very hard challenge at first because I had been in an every day routine that involved some use of technology. It was quite relaxing finding other things to do without the distraction of cell phones or the TV or any of that. When I started using technology again on saturday I didn't find the need to be sitting in front of the TV all day, or texting all the time. I know now in the future when I feel like I need a brake all I need to do is put the technology away for a few days.  

The Challenge Day 6

Well it is the end of day 6 of my challenge. I have been doing a great job with the challenge. I am beginning to hate this challenge though. I was unable to call my grandmothers on their birthdays yesterday. That made me upset. It was really hard for me not to turn on the Duke game this weekend. They are my favorite basketball team. I feel like I am out of the loop in the sports world without being able to watch TV and surf the internet. I hope that I am able to continue this challenge these last two days. The great thing about not using technology is that I am getting a ton of work done. I feel like I am ahead in all of my classes. It is a great feeling. After this is over I hope to be in a routine that allows me to get all my work done, then I can watch TV and do all the other technological stuff. I plan to keep working out every day and read for an hour a day. I will complete this challenge.

The Challenge, Day 1

Today was the day that I began my 7 day journey without technology. (Other than having to use my computer to blog and do other homework). Thursday night I gave my cell phone to my roommate to hold while I am doing the challenge. He had to have it so I wasn’t tempted to use it, and incase my parents or my boss calls me. It was weird waking up today without looking at my phone to see what kind of texts I had gotten from ESPN. I have an account with ESPN that lets me get text messages about my favorite teams and the latest news and sports. Every morning I get up before class and check my emails while having ESPN on, but not today. I felt like I was forgetting something as I left for class. As the day has been going on it has been getting easier, other than when my roommate tells me that I have thirty five unread messages. But I think the rest of today will be a success. I plan on going to play pool and ping pong later so that should keep me busy. I also have a few books that I got from my father that I could read. The books titles are 90 Minutes in Heaven and The Shack. I love to play all sorts of board games too. My roommate and I play backgammon. We might play some monopoly this weekend with both of our girlfriends, so that should be fun. It should also keep us occupied for a few hours. This challenge is going to be really hard for me this coming week because I am an avid Duke fan and I also watch Minute to Win it on Wednesday and Supernatural every Friday. Hopefully I can get through it without breaking the challenge.

Living in the wild

I could definitely not live in a one room cabin for an extended period of time. I could in fact live there for a day because I love to go camping during the spring or the fall. I would not be able to live there for a long time because I love my technology too much. I love waking up in the morning and watching sports center on Espn and I also love texting and keeping up with Facebook and things.  I really don’t think I could go live in solitude for a year without all of my worldly possessions. If I was able to do so, I think I would find out a lot about what my personality truly is. It would be a great advantage to be out there without the media or anyone influencing your every move. You would not have the TV or commercials telling you what is or is not popular. Living by yourself without any outside influence would be a great thing for your body. There are so many different chemicals and other ingredients put into foods these days. They are put in there so that we can get them faster, and they can be preserved longer. If you lived in the wild you could only eat all natural foods, and your body would be a lot healthier. The quote that is stated in our readings from the other day about how we are starved before we are even hungry is a very true statement. We always need to eat before our stomach even tells us that we are hungry. We move so fast and have set times that we eat and most of the time we aren't even hungry at that time. Our lives go by so fast, that we don't even realize what is happening. By taking a break and living away from all the crap that distracts us would be a wonderful thing for all of us to do. Finding other things to do other than Facebook and playing video games would be a great cleansing experiment for all of us to do.

The so called dumbest generation really isn't that dumb

So are we really the dumbest generation? I don’t think the older generation has any right in pointing out that we are the dumbest generation. They cannot say this because at one point they too were considered as the dumbest generation.  The statistics that were used to back this were very interesting. Yes we may not know who was on the axis or the ally powers, but I am sure that if the older generation was asked this question they would not know that the Soviet Union was the United States ally not the Germans, Japanese, or Italy. The fact that stated that the literacy rate has gotten worse for our generation is a good stat to back their point, but wouldn’t that also mean that during their generation their literacy rate was also falling. Bauerlein needs not to generalize so much and take a step back and realize that there are many similarities between his generation and ours. Our generation has become a generation that is very specialized in different fields. We go to school not only to help ourselves, but to help others. When the generation above us gets old who is going to take care of them? We will. So if this older generation wants to be well taken care of when they get too old to take care of themselves, they better treat this generation better. We will be the ones going to college to learn how to cure their illnesses and other problems that come along with getting old. Our generation is technologically smart. We may not be book smart, but books can only go so far. By developing technology we can find new ways to cure cancer and better sources of fuel so that we don’t have to rely on other countries for our oil.  I believe that we do need to know facts about history, science, and math because if we have a better general knowledge of these things we can begin to piece things together in our different fields of study better. It will also help us to learn things better and maybe put more facts into long term memory. I know that I don’t read that much, but I believe if I start to read more and start to want to ask questions about the history, the science of the world  it will help me to become a more well rounded human being. With the knowledge that is out there we should pause from the social networking for a minute and figure out how a complex thing like facebook got created. Many people would be baffled by the smarts that it takes to create a powerful thing like facebook. Bauerlein does have some merit in what he says, but not all people of this generation are the way he says. We are not all dumb. There are many smart people in our generation out there.

Corporate Gaming

This past reading was in some parts very interesting and in other parts hard to read. Since I am trying to be a business major it was interesting to see this author's take on business and corporations. In this reading it was said that the major businesses and corporations have money in everything including politics and the way people vote. Abraham Lincoln warned the people that America would no longer be free if the huge corporations were able to buy their way into office. On page 69 of the reading it says " they lobby legislators and bankroll election." "They manage our broadcast airwaves, set our industrial, economic, and cultural agendas and grow as big and powerful as they darn well please." If you stand back and look at all the advertisements that are run on television, they are all trying to get us to buy things that the corporations want us to buy. You are also supposed to vote for a certain politician because he will help the corporations out in the long run. We as Americans are supposed to consume things. We are to go to school, get a job, and buy things. That is what we are taught. We always need more and more, corporations always improve their products and convince us that it is better, so through their advertising we chose to consume this.
When I watched the Second Skin videos it made me very disgusted. I hated watching people get hooked on playing online games and throwing their lives away. It is so sad that sometimes the addiction to gaming can lead to death, as it did to a boy that was in the videos.I can understand that people with disabilities can find gaming online as a good thing because it gives them what they don't have. The people that get hooked on gaming just because they don't like their life is sad. I believe that people that get hooked on gaming so much should try to find more constructive things to do with their time. Instead of sacrificing their job, relationships, family, and friends they should just cut out the intense gaming.

About Me

My name is Bret Girton. I am a sophomore here at Ship. I enjoy hanging out with my girlfriend and my room mate, and other friends and family. I have a large family. There is eight of us all together. I have three brothers and two sisters. My brothers are twins and they are 18. My youngest sister is seven and my other sister is 12 years old. I also have a baby brother that is not quite one yet. I love to stay active. I do this by playing different sports, lifting weights, and exercising in general. Playing volleyball has to be one of my favorite things to do. ESPN is always the station that is on in my room. I watch Glee, Supernatural, and Smallville. I have a part time job while going to school here. I am in the process of switching my major to Business. I hope to one day run my own business. I chose to be in this class because I needed to fulfill the category and literature was the class a chose to complete it. The last book that I read was probably the The Order of the Phoenix in the Harry Potter series. Even though that may have been a while ago, i have a subscription to Sports Illustrated so I read that a lot. Sports is definitely my favorite to read about. I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, from rap and hip hop to country and techno. I love to watch movies of all different genres. I mostly watch mainly action and thriller movies. Literature in my opinion is anything to do with writing and is how people express themselves. I have always been told that reading will help to make someone smarter, it is my hope that I will learn to enjoy reading more and it will help to make me more knowledgable.