And the Oscar goes to...

The Academy Awards are on tonight and there are many different ways that it could go. Most years, they have a comedian be the host, like in previous years, they have had Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and Chris Rock. This year they are having Hugh Jackman be the host. Everyone loves Hugh Jackman but can he really host the Academy Awards? He is not a funny guy. Will he be able to live up to the great expectation and myth that the Academy Awards host has to live up to? I think that it will be an interesting night, to see how he tackles the Academy Awards, and if he does comedy or makes it a serious thing. Also the whole thing with Heath Ledger and whether or not he should get the award for best supporting actor or not. There are many different ways that you could reason. Obviously he is going to win, no doubt. But if he were still alive would he even be nominated? How would you feel if you were one of the other people in the category of best supporting actor, if you won you would feel bad, and if you lose, you are losing to a dead guy. Also who will accept the award for Heath. I know that when his daughter turns 18 she gets to have the award if he wins (he will), but until then because she is like 4 or something now, who gets it? What will happen to it? Also it is amazing that a movie like Slumdog Millionaire, which probably cost very little to make will win for best motion picture. I thought that it was a good movie, but it is so cool, that a director who is no one, and it starred people who are no bodies can win for best motion picture. That is really cool. 

What are other controversies of the Oscars? can you think of any. 

Lincoln's B-Day

This past Thursday was the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. In my American Studies class we went and listened to teachers talk about Lincoln and about the different mythologies that people have about Abraham Lincoln. It was very interesting. I had no idea that Lincoln died on Good Friday. I think that it is amazing the coincidence of that. Lincoln was not very well liked or appreciated before he died, but afterwards he was honored and was considered a martyr. Before listening to the speakers, I had no idea that Lincoln was compared to Jesus and Moses, I think that it is amazing that a president can be compared to biblical characters. I don't know for sure, but I don't think that there are any other presidents that are compared to such big biblical characters like Moses and Jesus. I really did not know much about Lincoln before listening to the speakers and it was very interesting. I learned that he has two sons that died and their deaths was a public mourning for the Lincoln family. Every Thursday Lincoln would go into one of his sons room, because he had died on a Thursday. I never knew that Lincoln wanted his son to be buried in Springfield so Lincoln and his family were going to go on a train to Springfield with the casket, but then Lincoln was shot and him and his son were on the same car of the train on the way to Springfield both in their caskets. I think that it is amazing that he was with his son, which is what he wanted but not in the way that he wanted it to be. 

There are many myths about Lincoln also. We are not told any of that when we learn about him in elementary school, we are taught about the shooting in the theater and how he was shot. After he was shot he lived for about another 8 hours, I never knew that. They moved him to a place across the street from the theater and there was only enough space in that room for like 10 people and in all the stories and pictures, they show hundreds of people by Lincoln in his death bed, I think that the myth of all these people being by Lincoln on his death bed is kind of a funny thing to believe in because when a person is dying why would other people want to be around him unless they were really close to him or his family. 

I think that it is amazing that I never knew most of this stuff until we went and saw the teachers speak about the history of Lincoln. I kind of wish that there were no myths, and when you learn things you learn all the facts and that they are all true.

Mythology of Race

Today in American Studies class we were talking about different races and what defines race. I thought that this topic was very interesting and before discussing this I thought that I knew what race was, but after our discussion in class I was really confused and had to rethink everything that I thought before. Mr. Bolos said that growing up he was told their were five races: white, black, brown, yellow, and red. When I heard this I was beside myself, I had never thought that there could only be five races in the world, before our discussion I thought that there were many races and that there was no way that someone could name them. I did not think that colors could describe a race. I think that race is more than just the color of someones skin, it is where they are from, where they were raised, and their physical features. Using Mr. Bolos as an example again, he is Greek American, he told us that he was born in America but raised Greek, so I would say that his race is Greek, he did not think as himself as American growing up, so his race is not American. I think that ethinicity plays a part into race and how we chose what races we have in the world. Is a race the way you look, or the way you potray yourself? I think that it depends on the person. What would you say Obamas race is? He is dark skinned, his dad is black and his mom is white, raised by his grandmother, born in Hawaii, and raised in Illinois.
What is your opinion on race?
How many races do you think we have in the world? Can you name them all?
How do you define race?