Reflection of class

Before taking this class i was not a comic book, superhero movie fan but now im always looking forward to watching the next superhero movie. I will admit though, that i wasnt too fond of the idea of having this class, but towards the end of the semester i grew to love it. Although this was probably my most strenuous class, I always looked forward to it.
I really liked watching all of those movies. Although the whole writing papers part was not too fun, it was very helpful.
Overall, I really like this class and of course the Professor as well.

Intro and Thesis for final paper

Most of the time, the hero has special powers and this causes him or her to have a compelling conviction and or need to save people. A good example of this can be seen in the film The Incredibles when the heroes are forced into hiding, but Mr. Incredible (Craig Nelson) secretly continues to fight crime by listening to a police scanner at night with his friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). On the other hand the villain’s motivation and creation is not often looked at, and it is usually assumed that the villain is created by greed, hatred, or simply a need for power. This in fact may be true, in part, those are things that motivate a villain. Motivation aside, it is not what leads to the creation of the villain. When looking at the creation of a villain it is important to look at how the villain was influenced by society in his or her childhood, teenage years and/or adult age. In The Incredibles, society depicts that only those with special powers can be super heroes, and only those that work alone can truly be great superheroes, as Mr. Incredible is. In the film, a boy named Buddy (Jason Lee) idolizes Mr. Incredible, but later turns against him because of the way that he is influenced by society in his childhood. The way that he is treated leads to who he becomes as an adult, thus proving that villains are, in fact, socially formed

Sources used in my final paper

Alsford, M. Heroes and Villains. Waco, TX. Baylor University Press. (2006)

B., B. H. The Developing Child. Boston, MA. Pearson. (2007)

Gasson, M. B. The Human Person: An approach to an integral theory of personality. New York, NY. Ronald Press. (1954)

Martinez, J. F. Perception of Self.

Mischel, W. Introduction to Personality. New York, NY. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. (1971)

Wenar, C. Personality Development: From Infancy to Adulthood. Boston, MA. Houghton Mifflin Company. (1971)

Wink, W. The Powers That Be. New York, NY. Doubleday. (1998)

Zimmerman, D. Comic Book Character. Downers Grove, IL. Inter Varsity Press. (2004)

The Punisher: War Zone

When going to see this movie i really didn't know what it was going to be about so i had no specific expectations. The beginning of the movie was a bit confusing because i had no idea what was happening. After the whole Jigsaw creation was when the film finally started picking up and getting interesting. I found the film to be a bit too gruesome but it was interesting because it still had a nice sensitive side to it as well. I liked the fact that the Punisher was trying to protect the police man's family but what i didn't necessarily like was how most everyone died by the end of the movie.
In conclusion, i think this is the type of movie that you see once out of curiosity and then move on in life. It wasn't that bad but it wasn't the best. It was just very disturbing.

The Grammer of Thanksgiving

We just celebrated Thanksgiving on this past Thursday. We celebrated with our families or friends and yes gave thanks. After reading this article,i remembered the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians at Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims and the Indians were very different people but they were able to communicate and help each other. Grammar was and will always be very important because it allows us to express ourselves and to communicate with others. The Pilgrims and the Indians used Christian grammar which was understood by both groups of people. Often the Thanksgiving story is misconstrued because it is told as if the Pilgrims did everything for the Indians, but the reality is that they helped each other.

Final Paper Topic

Im choosing to write my paper based on the movie "The Incredibles." My topic is about how heroes can influence people in both good and bad ways.

Skid Row

Walking down the street,
Who would have known I can witness all of this?
Every second of their life is a battle,
It’s amazing how far they’ve come.
To live on the streets,
And to wear the same clothes everyday.
That’s my nightmare.
But the reality is that this can happen to anyone.
No matter how much money we have,
No matter how much knowledge we obtain,
Sometimes we aren’t so lucky.
They appreciate all the help that they get,
A simple water bottle is a huge blessing for them.
While we are dumping out leftovers,
They dig through garbage cans looking for scraps of food.
Is it really their fault?
Do they deserve to be discriminated against?
Why do people think they are addicted to drugs or alcohol?
And even if this were true,
Shouldn’t we be trying to help them out of it?
The cops show no compassion.
The kick then off of the streets even thought they have nowhere else to go.
They roam around the city,
Waiting till the clock strips nine.
The only peace that they receive,
Is found in their dreams.
The streets are filled with controversy,
But yet they find that peace that helps them stay alive.
How?
Only by faith.

Individualism

Individualism can be defined in different ways depending on who is being asked to define it. In the movie, Spiderman 2, Peter is secretly Spiderman. He is different than all the rest of the people which makes him an individual. His superhero powers and responsibilities set him apart from the rest of the world and people look up to him because he is of course saving the world.
There are many people, however, that are labeled individuals because they dress or act different and many times it is not necessarily accepted by the rest of the world. In the movie, Peter is Spiderman but being a superhero takes away from his normal life. Being an individual is hurting him in his academic life, in his family life and in his love life. He then decides not to be Spiderman anymore. Later in the movie he is needed as Spiderman again and He then becomes Spiderman again.
Being an individual is not always a bad way to live. We need individuals every so often to change the world that we are living in.

Summary on "Plato's Cave and The matrix"

In the article, “Plato’s Cave and The Matrix” by John Partridge, we see that both works have many similarities. The central theme of both works revolves around Socratic philosophy that a student can only learn something when they are prepared to make discoveries on their own. Partridge expresses that in both works there is a separation between physical reality and intelligible reality. They both emphasis on the belief of different realms and to be able to understand everything, one must have self knowledge.
The article talks a lot about how our mind doesn’t capture the real image of certain objects. We must look deeper then what the naked eye can see. Everything has a much deeper significance and it is up to us if we choose to look deeper or not.
“Plato’s Cave” centralized on,“the good-itself,” and how the people in the cave only saw the shadows of the chair, but to them they were actually seeing the chair. They didn’t know the difference because that’s all they knew. They didn’t see the shadows as shadows until Socrates finally stepped out of the cave and saw the actual chair. Partridge states that knowing the “good” makes people wise.
Much like in, “The Cave,” The Matrix also focuses on the fact that reality isn’t what it seems to be. Neo gets the opportunity to find the truth. Neo becomes more and more powerful as his self-knowledge grew but he first had to understand the truths in him and about him and believe in himself before he could perform any of his capabilities.
John Partridge expresses the similarities between “Plato’s Cave” and The Matrix. He breaks down the theme of both works and demonstrates why they are so related. They both have the same message that reality is not always what it seems to be. We must look past what we can see with the naked eye to actually capture the real meaning of things and to better understand things.

About me

My name is Vanessa Zavala and my hometown is Anaheim California, home of the famous Disneyland. I am 17 years old, I graduated from Katella High School and I am now attending Azusa Pacific University. I never heard of this school until one day, my AVID teacher from high school took us on a field trip there to explore the campus. I never imagined myself in a private university. I always considered myself to be of lower-class and so I never thought I would be able to afford a school like this. Fortunately, however, God came through. He has blessed me in ways I never imagined and continues to bless me and my family. I know that this is where God wants me to be and although I may not know my major yet, I am certain that God will reveal that to me as well and I will be whatever he wants me to be.

Although I do live in Anaheim, sadly i don't know much about superheroes. I remember writing some essays about superheroes in my English class but I don't remember too much. When I think of superheroes the first image that comes to mind is the stereotypical buff man in a tight uniform with a cape. In my AVID class I did learn that a superhero can be anyone that makes a difference and changes the life of others.

This summer I watched Ironman and The Dark Knight and I loved both movies. I am excited to take this class because I know that I will learn a lot from it. I have to admit that my writing skills are not so great but I know that Professor Posada will teach me a lot this semester.

God Bless!