A Principle to Keep

What prevents us from losing our humanity is a set of moral principles that we choose to keep, for the bettering of mankind. Unfortunately, in the most extreme of situations, people will commit acts that we would now regard as horribly insane and inhuman. But what if these acts were necessary for their survival? The moral principles that we once held true would waver. The real question to be asked is how far are you willing to go to survive and when will you draw the line?
Of course, anything I say right now will not necessarily be what I do when the actual situation comes, after all, right now I am sitting comfortably at my computer with my stomach full and not starving and cold and running from constant danger. I believe that unfortunately in those extreme scenarios, I am willing to break many of the morals set by society like stealing and lying in order to ensure me and my family's survival. On the other hand, one principle I am sure to keep is the will to live, just like the father in "The Road." Although sometimes I stop for a while to think how insignificant my life really is compared to the vastness of the universe, people shouldn't just give up on life. Instead of thinking how insignificant a person's life was, think of ways that one can make change, hopefully for the better. For example in "The Road," against all odds, the father's determination led the boy to survival. Just by simply surviving long enough to ensure the boy's survival, the father was doing a great deed to the world in trying to restore civilization. If all of humanity gave up, we as a species would go extinct. Thus, I believe it is necessary for us, as mankind, to always have the will to live.

An Album in Review (Pacific Rim OST)

Today's album review will be on Ramin Djawadi's original soundtrack of the sci-fi film, Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim itself is an incredible film, but what often makes a movie great is not just visual effects but the sound, in particular, the music. The music within a film can evoke emotions that the director wants the audience to have in a certain episode of the story. In Pacific Rim, Djawadi uses his musical talents to his fullest extent, giving the film an immersive feel that places the audience itself within the story.

As that Pacific Rim's story line revolves around the enormous man-made mechs created to stop sea monsters, the music called for epic drawn out music, and Djawadi has done so perfectly. Djawadi uses the chorus in unison in some scenes to increase suspense and thrill while the majority of the music includes repetition and drawn out notes in the orchestra, heavy drums, and electric guitar to provide a versatile melody. But not all of the music in the album concentrates on action-packed sequences. Djawadi provides a fierce contrast between tragic scenes, awing scenes, and more. This is one major reason that I extremely enjoy listening to soundtracks. Movies often call for a variety of different sub-genres among music. And Djawadi's soundtrack is so amazingly composed that in the most emotional and iconic sections of the music, one can recall the incredible scenes once seen on screen.

Using various instruments, musicians today enjoy much more variety and capabilities compared to musicians of the past. Djawadi exploits this to his fullest, using all of his talents and tools to create a modern masterpiece, complementing the actual film to make truly a magnificent feature.

One Fellow Classmate I am Thankful for

Of all my friends among Mr. McCarthy's Honors English Class of Period 1, Ruiheng (Eddie) Ma is one I am very thankful for. His optimism and energy is contagious and he always manages to uplift the moods of those surrounding him in the classroom. He's very thoughtful- e.g. grabbing us Chromebooks, and not at all afraid to speak up for what he believes in discussions. Out of school, occasionally he'll even go with me to a nearby restaurant to keep me company. Thank you, Eddie, for being who you are, and  have a happy Thanksgiving to all!

Margaret: Guilty or Guiltless?

At the conclusion of "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber", we found Macomber as an entirely new person- brave, reckless, and dare-devilish. After a precipitate hunt for buffalo, Macomber had found this inner part of him that he thought he never had before. And for once, he was a happy man.
Unfortunately for him, a bullet from Margaret's gun slammed into the side of his head during the heat of the hunt when the last final wounded buffalo was cornered in a bush. Needless to say, Macomber died by Margaret's hand. The question is, did Margaret do this intentionally?
Mentioned earlier in the text, the relationship between Margaret and Macomber had always been tenuous. The only thing that kept the "happy" relationship going was Macomber's money and Margaret's looks. Macomber knew Margaret wasn't that pretty that she could run off, and likewise were the thoughts of Margaret on Macomber. This discovery of new found confidence during the hunt wiped all of Macomber's insecurities away, and what would likely follow this hunt if he hadn't died would be that he would leave Margaret behind to find a more faithful wife, or just live his new reckless life in bliss. This evidence is confirmed when Wilson clearly states that Macomber would've left her anyways since he had changed when he attempts to calm the distraught Margaret.
Margaret would also not like this change because she liked having the upper hand in their relationship, always teasing her husband for the mistakes and weaknesses in his character. When Macomber had "come of age", Margaret had lost this advantage in this relationship that she so very much enjoyed.
All this evidence points to one direction: Margaret had intentionally killed Macomber. She used the confusion of the hunt as a perfect opportunity to remove Macomber and to come clean as well. From killing Macomber, she would benefit by taking his money and be free from his rich grasp. There would be no way officials could extract the thoughts that raced through her head that day, and the only person that would know for sure of the actual events that occurred would be the person in question herself: Margaret.

6-Word Stories

There once was a legend about the great Ernest Hemingway. He was challenged at a bar and asked if he could tell the shortest story. He took upon that challenge and did it in six words. What he wrote: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."


1) Bring supplies: knife, flashlight, and non-perishables.

2) The fool went without proper headgear.

3) In honor of our fallen rescuer.

4) And our second contestant was ambushed.

5) Look out, something from above you!

6) He overcame his fears and jumped.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

This argument is about the main character of the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.

I believe that Proctor, even with all his faults and imperfections, could still be considered the hero of this story. Although his name is brought down by the horrid crime of lechery, Proctor should still be considered a good person.
One example that shows Proctor knows goodness is how he isn't willing to let his own sin's consequences harm another person. When Elizabeth was taken away to Salem after Mary set her up with the supposedly witched poppet, Proctor was adamant that he go to Salem to right this wrong. He knew it was because of his lust for Abigail that led to Abigail wanting to remove Elizabeth so that she could take Elizabeth's place. This just shows how even though Proctor committed sin, he still tried his best to stop it from causing other's pain because of his own fault.
Another reason Proctor is a hero is that he is willing to do something that helps others rather than helps himself. During the convincing of Proctor to confess, he was willing to lie and sin again so that he could have a chance at life. What finally made him to make this decision was the fact that his children and wife needed him. He made the right choice, but unfortunately for him, he was still to be hanged.
These reasons and examples, combined with the fact that he was very aware of the fact that this craze about witchcraft was false and attempted to stop it (which very few people in the town of Salem were brave enough to do), depicts John Proctor as a hero.