Alternate Ishmael Ending

I'm sitting here reading this alternate ending to Ishmael and wondering if it's even the same author writing it! The one page ending makes me think critically, but I feel that it's in a different, almost foreign style of writing not by Mr. Quinn. And do people really want someone who is the son of God? I believe they do. I believe that is what drives each of us. The quest of knowledge that there is something else out there, something way better than what we have down here. However, Mr. Quinn goes on to say that we would want someone who is a prophet, even if they are a fake. I think what he's trying to say is that people just want something exciting to listen to, something to stir them up. I tend to get frustrated that way too, I will ask myself why can't Jesus be in our time, why can't we see the spectacular miracles that went on when he was on the earth or miracles performed by the prophets of old? I then turn to my bible, and my faith; believing and not seeing. But everyone does not have that kind of faith. Many people cannot believe without seeing. People now want tangible, scientific evidence proving the existence of the supernatural. Bumper stickers of proof. I liked the alternate ending and all and i completely agree with the bumper stick the student wants to come up with: We are the Ten Thousand Year Reich. Let it end with us. That to me stands out as a statement that we are the end of the earth. Humans are last great ruler of the world. That's a pretty daunting statement if you ask me...

Discussing Ishmael

I know that my last post was meant for today's post, but I wanted to get it out of the way so I could have Friday to just rant in this blog entry. That said and done, we as a class discussed Ishmael today in what I thought was exactly how Ishmael himself would have wanted us to. Everyone shared their opinions and thoughts on the book, and many different interpretations and ideas were expressed. Just like the book, we students were challenged to think for ourselves while listening to what others had to say on certain topics. During our small group discussion we talked about what we thought of the novel through religious and evolutionist aspects. My partners and I asked each other what we thought of the Cain and Abel portion of the story. After that I enjoyed listening to people really pick their brains for answers during out full class discussion. I didn't particularly enjoy the book Ishmael, but I felt it allowed me to question myself more and learn from new and different ideas. It was a sad ending which added a little emotion, but overall it was a rather boring read.

Questions about Ishmael

In this blog I will be answering two questions about the book Ishmael.

1. Why does Ishmael send the student away to find his own answers? What does the student mean when he says he wanted to have a teacher for life?
2. Explain the premise of the Taker story that"the world was made for man, and he was meant to rule and conquer it." Why does Ishmael find this premise problematic?

1) Ishmael sends the student away to find his own answers because Ishmael knows that a student does not learn just by listening, they must go out and apply what they have learned to everyday life and think for themselves. This time spent away from Ishmael gives the student more time to think about and ponder a problematic question, thus learning the information the right way. No knowledge is gained without a challenge, Ishmael knows this and that is why he sends his student away, to think for himself and grow in understanding.
When the student says that he wants to have a teacher for life he meant that he wanted a teacher who would give him the supplies to keep gaining knowledge for the rest of his life. The student is the type of person who is not content with the knowledge he already has, but wants to keep learning.

2) Takers believe that the world was made for man, and he was meant to rule and conquer it. The premise of this theory is that after the agricultural revolution, when Takers started to push out the Leavers, us humans believed that the gods created this planet for us and that we should decide how best to go about our business of tending it. In that process, humans have become so ignorant of how to save the world, that we are in fact destroying it.
Ishmael finds this problematic because humans are wiping out not only his species, but all of the world around us. Why did humans take it upon themselves to think the gods put ownership of the world into their hands? Was the world not created for all creatures to live in harmony? The fact that the world was made for man to rule makes all the rest of its inhabitants slaves, or so Ishmael believes.

The Beginning of Chaos Theory

Compiling Chaos Theory into a 2-3 page paper isn't going to be as easy as I thought. I had always thought it (Chaos Theory) as a little piece of science from Jurassic Park, but as I look into it more and more I find that it is in fact a complete field of science/math studies that both scientists and mathematicians continue to debate over. Chaos Theory is a very complex system of science that I hope to grasp by the time I finish this paper, even if I only understand the basics of it. It is crazy to think that Ian Malcolm was so sure of himself as he predicted the fall of Jurassic Park. Even the world itself, chaos, means a state of utter confusion. The fact that Dr. Malcolm could state with utter certainty that Jurassic Park would ultimately fail is astounding in itself. I don't understand much of Chaos yet, but it seems to be a science that is full of interpretation and trial and error and guessing. As I delve deeper into my research, Chaos Theory seems more and more like a science fiction theory instead of a factual modern day science. I just do not understand how it can be proven or disproved when it still cannot be fully understood. I sit here wondering how my other group members will tackle this paper. Will our responses be very similar, just skimming the outer edges of a confusing science, or will each of our papers hit a different topic of Chaos Theory? I am almost jealous of Professor Wright as she gets to read and grade our papers. Almost.

Jurassic Park Day 3/ Start of Chaos Theory

During my senior year of high school my biology teacher and me would discuss whether dinosaurs could really be genetically cloned and brought back to life the "Michael Crichton" way. He argued that it could never happen that way, and I vehemently argued my case that they could. One of my friends who was in the class was a huge Michael Crichton fan and helped me out by printing off papers about dinosaur cloning, Chaos Theory, and scientific articles debating the topic. I called him up the other day and told him I was writing a 2-3 page paper on Chaos Theory, and boy did he sound jealous. An argument that we both joked around with in high school I now get to research and discuss with a college class!
Jurassic Park came to a close last Friday and its ending proved Chaos Theory to be true in that situation. The park was definitely a complex system and a perfect storm for everything to go wrong, and that left me wondering, how complex does a system have to be for Chaos Theory to be proven true? How can I relate the theory to my own life? A subject so jokingly and lightly discussed in my high school science class that I now have the chance to elaborate on excites me.

Jurassic Park Day 2

Myth: Jurassic Park is a safe place where humans may view dinosaurs at their leisure.
Fact: Jurassic Park is in fact the opposite of a safe place. Jurassic Park is a very dangerous theme park where a person may be eaten by any number of dinosaur.

We have entered our second day of viewing the hit movie Jurassic Park and it seems that what was supposed to be a fun, safe adventure of a lifetime has turned out to be one of nightmares. Ian Malcolm's Chaos Theory is proven to be true in this movie as a tropical storm hits Isla Nublar while the park has been "shut down" by Dennis Creevy, the computer genius. All hell breaks loose as the T-Rex escapes his pen and terrorizes the company of experts and kids who are viewing the park. My absolute favorite part of the movie occurs when the game warden finds that the raptors have broken out of their pen and are now free to move about the park. He knows that there is nothing more dangerous on the island than velociraptors, and the look in his eyes says it all. I have always been facinated with velociraptors and their enate ability to problem solve and hunt as a unit (as our own Mr. Game Warden will find out quite soon). Dr. Grant and the kids have found eggs on the island that prove that using frog DNA with the dinosaur's DNA has not kept them from breeding. Life will find a way. Sitting in class and watching my classmates reactions to different parts in the movie is very amusing and shows that even though this movie was made over a decade ago, it is still quite entertaining.

Jurassic Park Day 1

I first watched Jurassic Park was when I was 8 or 9 years old and wow did I sure have nightmares for a long time. I eventually got over my fear of the movie and it has been one of my favorites to watch! Even since I was a toddler dinosaurs have fascinated me. Growing up I owned a sizable collection of dinosaur figurines and had an extensive knowledge of each dinosaur and its name. Now that I am older, not only do the dinosaurs still fascinate me, but I also have obtained a strong interest and curiosity for the science behind Jurassic Park. One character that sticks out the most in the movie is Dr. Ian Malcolm, the mathematician behind the Chaos Theory. Dr. Malcolm predicts that the Jurassic Park will in time fail because chaotic and complex systems, mixed with the right amount of undisciplined conditions, cannot be controlled. My favorite scene so far is at the beginning when Dr. Grant first sees the Brachiosaurus upon entering the park. His display of awe struck befuddlement sends shivers up my arms because in my opinion, his reaction is a perfect fit for what each and everyone of us would do in that situation. Not only are the actors top notch, but the music generates an insatiable need to not only keep watch on the movie, but to keep an open ear for the next strategically placed song that may warn of impending danger. I absolutely love watching this movie and am already looking forward to the upcoming class this Wednesday.

Things from home

Homesick: a word used to describe many college freshmen during their first week of college. I know that I am very much homesick during my first week at Wartburg, but some items that I brought from home make it more bearable. Some of these items include a picture of my high school cross country while we are praying before a race. I have a picture of me and my best friend Danelle by my bed. My old pillow from home lays on my bed and still smells just like my old room. These three items have given me solace during these first few days at Wartburg and each instills in me a memory of my life back home. Whenever I look at these items I am left with a sense of life beyond that of Wartburg; of friends left behind, memories left back home, and relationships that will never be the same again. Hopefully I will be able to grow as a person, build on those past memories, and grow closer to new friends as well as keeping old high school friendships. The cross country picture of my teammates praying symbolizes what is still very important in my life, faith; faith not only in my God, but also in my ability to grasp the reigns of this new ride that I am taking at Wartburg.

My first week of college has been a whirlwind of late nights, meeting new people, and of course, decorating my new dorm room. I have been on campus now for five days, and before that I was at cross country camp in South Dakota at Custer National Park. Getting to know the team before school started has eased me into the transition of college life. Now I know many more students on campus who are both my teammates, and my new friends. Although I am anxious and nervous for the upcoming school year, I know that I already have a ton of support from my professors and my peers as well. I am the type of guy that is used to getting over 8 hours of sleep every night and honestly, I made my way through high school without good study habits. I know that I need to step up my game at this new level of academics and am looking forward to the challenges ahead. My parents told me before I came here that "college is the time in your life where you learn the most about yourself." I feel that I already have learned a lot about myself by being here just five days! My opinions and morals will be tested, but I know that that will only make me stronger and help me to become a better person when I leave.

-Erik