December Monthly Blog

Slaughterhouse Five is undoubtedly a novel about war. Although it is mainly an anti war novel, at least half of the text focuses on Billy’s war experience either directly in Germany, or the post traumatic stress disorder that has a large effect on his life following the end of World War II. It is clear that Billy suffers PTSD. He suffers from nightmares during multiple scenes in the story, and even kicks in his sleep while in Germany. In chapter three, he hears a siren and thinks that World War III is upon him. This quickness to startle is evident that Billy suffers from PTSD. Since Billy was clearly so distraught that he felt the need to visit another dimension, I decided that I would further investigate PTSD and the effects it has had on soldiers today.

I found that one in three United States troops will be diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following their return to their normal life. This causes an increase in depression, suicide, and homelessness among veterans. Roughly 9% of homeless people today served the country at one time. Although this number is down from the outrageously high percentage of 67% in 2009, I still believe that there is room for improvement.

Looking further into developments surrounding post traumatic stress disorder, I found a recent study that proved that PTSD is caused by an imbalance in two signalling systems in the brain.This could improve medicinal treatments and benefit many veterans in the long run. It also proved that each person suffering from post traumatic stress disorder struggles differently than others. The change that people experience is not universal, and is unique to the individual. The imbalance in the signalling systems causes a delay. I cannot help to believe that this delay could have been the time that Billy spent during Slaughterhouse 5 travelling to Tralfamadore and thinking that he was suspended in time.

November Monthly Blog

Following my reading of James Rachels’ article “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” I cannot help but to agree with many of the statements that he made throughout the composition. His argument that there can be more than one right answer can be applied to any aspect of life, from traits as trivial as fashion sense to differences across cultures.

As I read the article, I tried to think of my own example where I could relate to the situation of having a different opinion than somebody else. Immediately, I thought of clothing. If I wore an outfit that I viewed to be cute or flattering on myself, it would not guarantee that everyone around me would feel the same way. This is simply a matter of personal opinion. I believe that by referencing the Eskimos, Greeks, and Callatians, Rachels was proving the same point. One group may have a different opinion on a certain practice than another, and neither of those opinions are wrong. This is similar to asking two people their opinion on a dress. One may love it and want to purchase it in every color possible, and the other might want to put it immediately back on the rack and leave the store.

The article easily relates to many of the practices mentioned in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Practices such as yam planting and the sacrificing of humans are unquestionably distinct attributes of the African culture. These practices are highly unlikely to ever take place in more developed areas of the word such as the United States. However, the absence of these rituals is not entirely based on morals. Yam planting, central to African survival and culture, is simply not practical to participate in in the United States because of the climate- and this holds true for many other places in the world.

Other occurrences, such as the sacrificing of human life, are most definitely a moral and religious issue. This practice would never be accepted as an ethical practice in the western world today, because we do not believe in sacrifices to the God’s as the tribes of Africa once did.

I think that the world has made great strides in removing the prejudice that could result from cultural relativism. Not once during my reading of Things Fall Apart did I have negative thoughts toward the African practices mentioned. It is easy to understand that the culture I have grown up with living in the United States and the African culture in the novel have innumerable differences- and that is perfectly acceptable.

October Monthly Blog

Good versus evil is a prominent topic in the story of Beowulf. Representing the good, Beowulf manages to fight off forces considered evil such as Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and although it leads to his demise, the dragon. In the real world, this is a popular topic. Many wars have been fought over the years based on one good belief and one bad, or evil belief. However although Beowulf's actions were daring and rewarding, the motives of Grendel are completely disregarded. Despite the fact that he is a monster, Grendel was completely banished from society and has every right to be avenging his feelings. Grendel’s mother also has very good reasons for her own violent actions. She has lost her son, and has every right to be angry at the brave warrior who killed him- as well as those around him. The dragon also has his own personal reasons to attack the citizens. A runaway slave stole his golden chalice and he was simply acting out in rage following this act.

I believe that this common conflict can be related to many issues today. Current racial tensions are often twisted to pit two forces against each other, even if neither forces represent a definite good or evil force. In the popular Ferguson, Missouri conflict, Michael Brown was deemed the good force- he was an unarmed man who was apparently not looking for a fight. On the other hand, the officer who shot and killed him was deemed the evil force. Sadly, nobody will ever get to hear Michael Brown's side of the story. I personally believe that what the officer did was wrong, but in that moment of tension, he did what he thought he had to do. He may not be directly comparable to Grendel in the sense that he was banished, but his motives hold true. This incident has ignited huge conflicts based on race, which have since then spread throughout the nation.

Racial tensions are another theme present in Beowulf. The Danes, the Swedes, and other groups of people are always wondering when they will be able to attack somebody next. They build up their army and train men to be great warriors, and are led by a powerful King. As proven by Beowulf, the King is the most important part of their culture. As soon as Beowulf dies, Wiglaf immediately predicts Geatland will be attacked by people of neighboring nations. The tribal society present in Beowulf and the quasi nationalistic pride each warrior has for their land is very similar to the racial tensions present between different cultures today.