Act III Prediction for "All My Sons"

After deducing that the central conflict in Act II of "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller was the case between Joe Keller and Steve Deever, I believe the argument will heat up even more in Act III. The main cause for this opinion is the fact that in the end of Act II, Keller admitted to encouraging the distribution of faulty plane parts, partially in front of George. In Act III, I believe that Chris will turn in his father for murder in disgust, and Keller will replace Steve Deever in jail. This will cause a large uproar between the families and in effect, Chris and Anne's engagement will struggle. Previously, Anne believed that her father was guilty, but when she discovers that Joe Keller was living a lie the whole time, she will gravitate away from Chris and his mother. Also, as Anne never spoke to her father while he was in jail, there will be tensions in that relationship and with George when he is released from jail. After never accepting her father's decision, the family will be torn apart due to her loyalty to the Kellers. As for the issue of Kate Keller, who was ultimately holding on to her husband's innocence as a last resort that Larry is still alive, she will commit suicide as she claimed before. All of her hope and emotions put into Keller will fail and she will think she is left with no other solution than to kill herself. If all of these events were to take place, the ending of "All my Sons" would be extremely dramatic, but there's always a slight chance some of them will come true.

Outside Reading Reflection

I recently finished my book, Petal Pusher, by Laurie Lindeen, which really gave a true meaning to the struggles of a developing musician. A theme that presented itself at the end of the book was that following your personal beliefs is more important than success. In Lindeen’s case, she chose to come back to her morals after attempting to “make it big” in the music business. In some ways, the all-girl band, Zuzu’s Petals, was successful, selling 29,000 copies of their album “When No One’s Looking”, and touring Europe, England, and almost all of the United States. I believe that Laurie somewhat redefined the concept of stardom in the music business for me though, from the artist on the Top Billboard Charts to more of a well-liked sound that has a unique appeal to it. But going back to the theme of living by your beliefs for Laurie Lindeen, who drops the band because of the pressures to settle at home with her husband, Paul Westerberg. Throughout the book Lindeen explains the rigor of surviving in the music world, and the discipline (which she lacks) and persistence it demands.

"Where are the Major Threats to the Environment?" Reflection

I was intrigued by the passage we read in class about causes and effects of threats to the environment. I agree with Jimmy Carter in many ways, and I almost wish he was the current president throughout the time era of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Of course the article is opinionated, but it really highlights the ignorance of the United States on this issue throughout George W. Bush's presidency. Not to say that all of the global warming issues are the government's fault, but there were definitely measures that should have been taken that were purposely disregarded in order to benefit America financially. I did not realize, before reading the article, all of the other countries that were involved in the prevention of global warming through the Kyoto Protocol like Germany, UK, Japan, and more. The fact that the US created the idea and then withdrew from it is irresponsible to the environment and other countries. Hopefully, the article also brought some of these thoughts to other people because I believe that everyone should begin to work towards a cleaner world.

Outside Reading #4

Petal Pusher by Lauren Lindeen is progressing rapidly in its plot. After arriving in Minneapolis, Lindeen focuses primarily on songwriting and improving at the guitar. To support herself, at first she works as a cook at the Global Cafe along with Co and some more musician friends. Throughout the novel, Laurie has flashbacks upon significant or sometimes random events. In one situation she was walking with Phyll and Co to a club in uptown to check out the Replacements when her leg completely froze. Lindeen tried to move it, but she could not, and many visits to the doctor diagnosed this condition as multiple sclerosis (MS). This disease caused the aspiring musician to spend many months in recovery even though it affects all of her day-to-day actions. Despite this setback, Lindeen and her band (Phyll-drums, Co-bass, Laurie-guitar and vocals) made attempts to practice and prepare for their first gig. The big performance ended up going horribly along with the next few, and the band's discouragement was not helped by the resignation of a key member, Phyll, who left a devastating note in departure: "I'm out of here, I cant' take it anymore. The drought my soul, like the drought of this summer, unbearable." (Lindeen 58) Following that incident, the remaining members of the band found a new drummer, Vicki, who was also only with Zuzu's Petals (the new name of the band) for a little while. It was with these members that Zuzu's Petals landed a small record label called Susstones. It was expected that the band record a single in order for the label to release a demo, so by pulling together their money and songs, Zuzu's Petals was able to promote a finalized 2 song album with other clubs across the country. Its main incentive being to go on tour, the stars are beginning to line up for Lindeen and her band.

"The 400 Blows" Review

The 400 Blows Film Literature Review
Overall, the film, The 400 Blows, effectively portrayed the desired story line of a boy’s way of life in France around the year 1959. The film was presented in the perspective of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), so the plot was centralized on the views of a child. As a result, Antoine’s parents, Gilberte and Julian Doinel (Claire Maurier and Albert Rémy), are reflected as annoyances who impede and discipline Antoine’s amusement and options in life. In general, I enjoyed the film because it demonstrated a great amount of French culture in that time, and it is interesting to compare that with the development of American culture also in that time period.

Outside Reading #3

In my book, "Petal Pusher", Laurie Lindeen finally was fed up with Martha's Vineyard, the boring jobs it presented, the oppressive hot summer, and unsuitable living conditions in her life, and so were the other band members. Lindeen explains, "'Hey, it's Phyll.' She sounded all business, she must be working. 'I've had it. Let's move to Minnie.'" (12) And that was all it took for Lindeen to move into a one-bedroom on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown. She took a Greyhound bus to Minneapolis on August 1, 1985 along with some "poor working class" people aspiring to a new start also. On the bus, Laurie recounted some of her childhood and high school experiences. "My family in 1979 consisted of two parents apporaching forty: an adorable eight-year-old boy, my youngest sibling and only brother, Chris; a perfect-in-every-way ten-year-old, my sister Hillary; and an exceedingly kind and likeable fourteen-year-old, my sister Megan. Being neither adorable, nor perfect, nor exeedingly kind, I was the aloof oldest girl who couldn't wait to shake my dorky family and get out into the world" (Lindeen 15). Due to her perfect family and the pressure that was expected upon her, Laurie fell from a high school overachiever to a girl who "...got so crazily puke-and-pass-out drunk at my first homecoming that the principal had to carry me out..." (18). After attending the University of Wisconsin and dropping out after a few years, the only thing Lindeen had to turn to was music. Lindeen's writing style is portrayed in a laid back personal form, but I enjoy it because it is simple and to the point as she describes how she copes with all of her issues. The chapter ends with the female rocker arriving in Minneapolis with only her guitar and a few bags.

Memoir

I thought writing a memoir was a unique experience to reflect and see how I've grown in an experience. The event that I chose was when I went to Studio City, California to record a demo CD at my Aunt Janie's house. Exhilaration was the emotion that I believed was the most suitable for the situation because I felt that way about the music being created, the new opportunities that were presented to me, the people I met, California in general, and turning my dreams into reality. I traveled there the summer before eigth grade with a load of new songs, and I met a lot of colorful characters (and names) like Norwood Cheek and Peele Wimberly. With Norwood mixing (and a lot more), Peele on percussion, and me on vocals and guitar, we recorded the album "Bigger than Me". Overall, the experience was very influencial to my musical side and to my perspective on the hard road to becoming a musician. The stylistic tichniques I portrayed were repetition in the phrase "We think we set our goals too high, but when we reach for the sky..." (a lyric to a recorded song), and imagery in my senses when I was playing and recording. I concluded the memoir by revealing the hope that was awakened in me through that opportunity and how persuing my passion lead me to feel many emotions, but most of all exhilaration.