On The Water Front

In On The Waterfront, many of the different characters believe tons of different things. Their opinions seem to differ based on what their own personal gain would be in the end. For example, Charlie and Johnny Friendly, at least at first, would consider Terri a traitor. This is because instead of gaining something, they are the ones being ratted on, and it is hard to do the right thing when you know you will get in trouble. I think this is the reason why mob members, even ones who don't believe in what they are doing, won't come forward and tell the truth. This is the decision Terri had to make, and it was very hard for him to come forward, because he did not want to be considered a traitor. However, the other people who are not members of the mob would definitely consider him a whistle blower, because it would stop the violent killings and be beneficial to themselves. Likewise, Edy would consider him a whistle blower because she would be gaining knowledge about who killed her brother. It is interesting to me that everyone sees differently on the difference between a traitor and a whistle blower, and it is mostly for selfish wants.

For me, it completely depends on the situation as to whether I would consider someone a traitor or a whistle blower. I think that if the effects of standing up benefit a large group of people versus a small group, then the person should defenitely be considered a whistle blower. Also, if something that would happen if nobody stood up is a serious as murder, I would never call them a traitor. I do think that telling on a friend for cheating or something insignificant is tattling. This is because there is not a large group that is being affected. that if I really think that it is all in the position that a person is in a situation that causes them to see someone as a stool pigeon or a freedom fighter.

Outside reading #2 and or #3

I am now on page 163 of my outside reading book, and a lot has happened. Nielsen arrived in Antarctica and found out all about the crazy life on the ice. She arrives at the main "city" McMurdo in Antarctica, which actually surprising that people live there. "There was a barber shop, a two-lane bowling alley (set your own pins), a coffee house, and two bars,all housed in shoddy prefab boxes"(43). I had no idea that Antarctica had any sort of public places, I definitely thought of it more as a place where only scientists, researchers, and people craving adventure went to.  After a few days spent there, touring the medical facilities, she ventured south to the Pole, where she would be living and working for the next year. The pole is very very different from McMurdo, and it overwhelms Nielson. She describes it as "The next thing that hit was a cold so deep and complete it was surreal. My first breaths torched my throat and chilled my lungs.  It was a cold from another dimension, from an ice planet in a distant galaxy"(46). I really like this quote because I can sense the cold and it seems more like Antarctica that I would think of. 

Nielsen is going to be the only doctor at the pole and has to get trained by the previous one. Her job seems so hard and demanding I really can't imagine it. She is the only doctor at the whole place, which means that she is on call 24 hours a day, and she is responsible for every accident and emergency. This puts tons of pressure on her, which is definitely not what she was expecting or what she was used to. "It would take me some time to abandon the tenants of third-party payer medicine that had controlled my life and judgement for so many years"(58). 

This quote shows how practicing medicine on the ice is completely different then at hospitals in the US. I think it would be really hard to make this change because it is like transitioning from a huge high school into a one-room school house. When her best friend became hypothermic and unresponsive, Nielsen was very scared. "Oh dear god here comes my greatest fear, I was thinking as I walked in the short hallway to my examination room. The terror of a doctor in Antarctica is that one of your friends (and that includes everyone) will be seriously sick or injured and there won't be much you can do about it"(149). That would be extremely scary to have the life of somebody close to you be in your hands, and I think that would be a really scary thought all the time.

Another thing that is interesting about this book is how many people visit the South Pole and Mactown during the summer, but how the people who stay there year round really look forward to winter, because that is really when Antarctica is isolated and amazing. "Antarctica was a place so alien and hostile to life, that life sang out, and every small breath was a triumph against nothingness. You were forced to recreate yourself again and again or risk being swallowed in the emptiness, and to do that you know you had to know what you were made of"(148). This quote said by Nielsen really captures the feeling of Antarctica. It makes it seem like it is completely different world from the one we are living in, and it really sounds like an amazing place to experience. It kind of surprises me how excited Nielsen is for winter, because I would be very scared and nervous. "For me, the coming of the terrible and terrifying darkness is exhilarating!"(159). If I were her I think I would feel more scared and nervous, because I have no idea what it would be like to be in darkness all the time.

I think that to be able to spend a winter at the South pole you have to be really strong and you have to really want to be there. It seems really dangerous and scary, and I don't know how anybody could take the cold. "By now it was minus 90 degrees F and falling, a new record for mid march"(155).  To me, 90 below would be crazy, I don't even like it at 20 degrees above. It would take a lot of getting used to, plus the darkness would be scary. There is also a lot of foreshadowing of her oncoming breast cancer, which makes the cold and dangerous seem even more scary. This book is very suspenseful because I can sense Nielsen's anxiety, and it really seems like she knows she might have cancer, but is doing her best to forget about it and ignore it. "My mammogram had been negative only six months ago, so I wasn't particularly worried. I decided to keep an eye on this lump and wait a month to see if anything changed"(144). I would be extremely nervous if I were her because of how isolated she is. Also, she is the only doctor, so she would have to fix herself or if she didn't, there would be no one to help anybody else who got hurt or sick.

All My Sons

In All My Sons, a lot of different characters chose to do different things when it came to sticking up for their family versus being honest to society and doing the right thing. Joe and Kate Keller both lied about the cracked cylinder heads for what they considered to be the benefit of the family. Keller says, "Chris...Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you"(70). This shows how he really thought he was doing the right thing because he didn't want to lose the business for his son. I think this shows how he had a different idea on what was the right thing to do in this situation, because his main goal is to provide for his son.  Ann and George are completely opposite on this view. They both went along with society, and didn't for a second believe their dad was innocent, which is actually a little surprising. It shows when Ann says, "Joe, you owe him nothing"(49). Ann sticks up for what she thinks is right, even though it is going against her own dad. By the end of the play, I think that George begins to realize that he has to balance family with what society believes. He tells Ann, "He loved you so much... Annie... we did a terrible thing. We can never be forgiven. Not even to send him a card at Christmas"(54). Although initially he believed in society, now he is beginning to think that believing his family is better.

I think that it really depends on the situation when or when not to go against what society it telling us to do. For example, I would not tell on someone who is cheating because to me, them cheating is not effecting anybody except themselves. I think it is mostly important to stand up against something if it has a large impact. The rocket ship that crashed is a time when I believe the scientists who knew there was a faulty part should have said something. The rocket blew up and killed people, something that was probably preventable. Also, I think it is appropriate in society to stand up if everybody else is saying something that is extremely offensive, and you really disagree with them. For example, I really hate it when people use the word "retarded" as an insult, and I try to let other people know that this is something that bugs me and is really offensive. Overall though I really think it depends on the severity of the issue as to whether it is better to stand by your own ethics or go along with what is easiest.