Professor Lovett's lecture.

On Friday, January 29th, I sat in on Professor Lovett's lecture, "The Biology of the Self." I like the subject of anatomy, and the brain is no exception, so I was interested throughout the lecture. I had already known a lot about the physical characteristics, but I ended up learning a lot from the different stories that we were told. For instance, I learned that if you were to cut the hypothalamus (which controls hunger) you would never be satisfied no matter how much you ate. The pictures that Professor Lovett showed us of the mouse and the man with this issue were shocking and disturbing.

I was surprised that the myth that people on use 10% of their brain is not true. I had heard it so many times from teachers and students alike that I had naturally just assumed that it was a fact.

The most interesting part of the lecture was when we viewed the slide "Self-help for OCD." In this slide it talked about a man who could not take his disorder any longer and so resolved to kill himself by shooting himself in the head. The bullet lodged in his frontal lobe, effectively severing his Caudate nucleus, ending his OCD.

The lecture, movie, and readings all helped me to learn more about my 'self,' by first introducing me to the concept. I had never put much thought into it, if any at all. Now I know the components of 'self' (awareness, drives, memory, and personality) and I can try to perfect it, like Franklin had. Also, I learned that if one of these components is missing it means that you are missing part of your 'self.'

(TZA. "brain." 20 January, 2009. Online image. Flickr. 30 January, 2010.)

"If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self-himself-he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it." - Sacks.

- Tia Lambert '13

Reflection of Franklin and Juhan's articles.

I won't pretend to completely understand the philosophical question, "What is the 'self'?" but I will try and analyze the two readings that we have done so far in attempt to grasp the answer. In Franklin's article we read that to find "self" we must first find the faults that are inside of us and work on them until they dissapear. By doing this we can be the best that we can be, and we can learn more about our "self" in the process. In the week that followed I attempted Franklin's example to find my own "self." In Juhan's article we learned that we have all developed a strong conservatism, which helps us to avoid ignorance and catastrophes of the past, but also causes us to forget certain things in the past that are of value to us. This can help us, because we can become a better person by avoiding things that we had done in the past that might have harmed our 'self,' however, it can also harm us, because if we forget something of value it is like we have forgotten part of our 'self.' This is how I make sense of it. Please, comment and tell me what you think so that I might broaden my knowledge on the subject. =]

This week, January 25th - 29th, I committed myself to my value's chart, hoping to finally be able to overcome some of my pesky habbits (at least for the day). I chose six of my biggest issues with myself, and this is what they were: relax for one hour or more before 10:00 pm (I am almost always working), do not excessively spend money/waste food, do not visit Facebook more than five times a day (this one was especially hard!), be positive, admit when you're wrong/say sorry, and do not instigate fights with Brendan (my boyfriend). If I ended up breaking one of the six rules I set aside for myself I put a mark in the row that the rule belonged to.
Overcoming my habbits was a lot harder than I ever expected it to be. I am a very scheduled and organized person, and so I thought that, unlike Franklin, I would excell at my value's chart. Unfortuneatly, this was not the case. I am now finding out that finding the order of "self" is going to be a lot harder for me than I had originally thought it would be.

(My value chart. Sorry the scan isn't that great, and sorry it looks like I have no idea how to use a ruler! Also, there are dots in "relax before 10 pm" on Tuesday and Wednesday, they are just really faint.)

(My body chart. I had the most problems with my legs due to dance, and my shoulders and back because of my posture.)

- Tia Lambert '13

Reflection on Night.

Question: Wiesel states that he sympathized with Job. After reading The Book of Job, how would you describe the similarities/differences between Wiesel and Job and their relationship to God? Compare the reactions of Job and Wiesel to their suffering and to the way their suffering affected their fate.

Response: In a way, I believe that Wiesel and Job were very similar. For instance, they were both innocent. Job took care of the sick and elderly, and Wiesel looked out for his family above himself. In both cases, one could say that they were outstanding people. Another way that they are similar, is that they had both incurred what is described as 'the wrath of God' without having done anything that would warrant it necessary.

The situations, however, are extremely different. Job praised God still, even after he had killed his family, crops, and animals. It was not until he was given boils that he began to break down. Wiesel on the other hand was brought to a concentration camp in which he faced turmoil that he had never imagined could possibly exist. In his situation, where even the most widely known religious figures were giving in, it is possible to see how he might question what he or any of the other prisoners had done wrong to deserve such a fate. Also, in The Book of Job, Job's friends are intent on getting him to confess some sort of sin. However, in Night, Wiesel is not alone in his feelings and so goes unquestioned.

Job had reacted as though he were very upset that God would think to punish him when he hadn't done anything wrong. He was very adamant about wanting to present his case in front of God to try and earn his love back. This affected his fate a little, because God had not planned on being questioned. On the contrary, in Night, we get the feeling that Wiesel is extremely angry at God for what had happened to the point of calling into question his very existence. I do not see how this coincides with Job's fate however, because while Job was harshly reprimanded Wiesel did not receive anything like it.

(Picture credit.)

"There's got to be a morning after..."

- Tia Lambert '13

Professor Denis' lecture.

On Wednesday, January 20th, I sat in on Professor Denis' lecture on the Holocaust. I had already had a lot of background knowledge about it thanks to my high school's AP Modern European History class, but there were some things that still shocked and amazed me. For instance, I knew that the camps existed, but I had no idea what life was like for those that were forced to live in them.
Professor Denis started off by showing us some very disturbing, and almost scary, pictures. The people that they portrayed no longer looked like people, but skeletons with a thin layer of skin. They looked hollow, beaten, and defeated. Why were they being punished? Professor Denis informed us that the Jewish people had committed the crime of merely existing. He went on to say that in the beginning the men and women were separated into two lines. Anyone who appeared too weak to work (elderly, young children, pregnant mothers, etc...) were unknowingly sent straight to their death. Those who could work were tattooed, so that their bodies could be recognized should they die.
The goal was to break their spirits and turn them into slaves. However, apart from back breaking labor in factories, the Jewish people suffered from hunger, thirst, and the pain of loss. Professor Denis showed us a piece of art that was drawn by one of the prisoners that portrayed a guard holding a young child at gun point. He then went on to explain that young children were used for experimentation a lot of the time. This personally struck a nerve for me, because I simply can not imagine a world where someone who is mentally sane can look deep in their heart and find the strength to kill a child.
Something that was very interesting (and I mean this in a thought and emotion provoking way) was when Professor Denis showed us the drawings of Christmas day in the death camps. The Jewish people were hung and used as ornaments to decorate the camp. Personally, I thought that this was something too sadistic to even be imagined by the average person.
Thanks to Professor Denis' lecture I could really get a feel for exactly what was going on in the camp in Night. It completely changes my reaction, because now I have a mental picture of what our main character and those around him look like, where as before I had to use my imagination and since I knew little about the camps before hand it was very hard. I'm more attached to the characters now than ever, and I can feel the emotional strain with every page that I turn.

(Picture credit.)

As the lecture was coming to and end Professor Denis, with tears in his eyes, left us with this emotional quote:

"Racism, tolerance, and hatred are choices."

- Tia Lambert '13

Professor Kather's lecture.

On Friday, January 15th, I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on Professor Kather's lecture on the art in William Blake's version of The Book of Job. I wasn't sure how much I would like a presentation on art, but when she began her powerpoint with a comic strip of the Peanuts I knew I was in for something very interesting.
First I learned who William Blake was. This was nice, because it gave me some insight to his life and helped me to understand his artwork moreso than I would have if I hadn't known anything about him. I was happy to hear that he believed in equality, and that he displayed that in some of his prints. It was hard to believe that he died in poverty after having created something so wonderful as the art for Job. Another thing that I really liked about Blake was that he was religious but he did not like the Old Testament. I have a lot of respect for him, because he was "different" and oppinionated, and didn't let it interfere with his religion.

I was surprised by all of the reasons that Professor Kather presented as to why people should read Job. They were to attempt to make sense of the theme of the victim, to think outside the box by using a spiritually transforming method, and to increase self-awareness by being less subjective and more objective.
Having read the book I can reflect back and really think about everything that happened more in-depth. I hope to have accomplished some of the afore mentioned goals.

(Picture credit.)

- Tia Lambert '13

The Book of Job - second half relfection.

Question 9: How do you react to God's show of strength and power- his boasting, his intimidation, his aggressive behavior- at the end of the story? Is it an appropriate response to Job? What does this show say about God and his relationship to man?

Response: Well, personally, when I started reading God's full-blown speech I couldn't help but sigh to myself. Yes God, you are wonderful and almighty. We get the picture. Personally, if I were Job I would have been equally as upset. Don't get me wrong, Job's pride and certainest of his innocence was almost just as annoying. However, God plagued Job with so much misfortune, and even in the lowest of times Job still believed in him. I don't think Job did anything wrong by questioning God's motives. The least God could have done was saved him the details of his greatness, and explained to him what was going on.

God's response to Job was- well, confusing. First he scolded him in a very loud and righteous manner, and then he gave him everything that he had taken away, doubled. Doesn't that seem odd? Like, a parent yelling at a child for questioning them, and then giving them a cookie. Maybe I don't fully understand God's speech to Job in the end. If anyone wants to comment on it for me and tell me where I'm wrong then that would be terrific.
In relation to man, I personally don't think that I am going too far by saying that God should be the one asking for Job's forgiveness. We're human beings, not toys. Our lives are not meant to be "bet" on. Just because you have the power doesn't mean that it's right to use it.

(Picture credit.)
=]

- Tia Lambert '13