Journal Entry 36: F451

The technology in the Fahrenheit 451 film was a lot less advanced than the technology we have today. Some of the technology today was completely devoid from the lives of people 60 years ago. The author could only perceive for the future better versions of what he had in his lifetime, but it was impossible for him to predict what technological wonders were to come. The "parlor walls" television that Montag's wife is much smaller than many flat screen TV's we have today. The trains that Montag rode in is similar to the high speed rails that are in many countries now, and the "seashells" that people listened to are just like ipods people listen to today. Apart from those, however, we also have computers, laptops, the internet, cell phones, and many other inventions that the author could not have even dreamed of 50 years ago. Fortunately, the accuracy of his predictions did not make up an important part of the plot of the story. It just provided a background to the message he was trying to send.

Journal Entry 35: Being Pushed

My parents are always pushing me to do something, whether it is something small like keeping my room clean, or to work hard to act like her image of an ideal son. How I react to this is usually based on how I am feeling towards them at the time, and how difficult the task is. For example, if it is something like cleaning my room, it doesn't really make a difference to me, and if doing so will appease them, I will usually do it. On the other hand, if they are asking me to work hard to do achieve something that could have easily been achieved had it not been for their own actions, I will usually resist in some way. This sounds really vague, but it is kind of difficult to describe my thought process with words. When someone has a high expectation of me, that I know I cannot surpass, I will still work at it, but not be as motivated. However, if expectations of me were at a level where I may be able to achieve, I will have more motivation to try to meet, or even surpass it. For example, if you asked me to do 100 push-ups, I will do about 20 and be like, okay, I'm done. However, if I were asked to do 50, I would try harder, and I would not stop until I could not possibly do any more.

Journal Entry 34: Negative

There are many cases where a negative experiences can be a good thing. If you think about it, negative experiences are how we learn, and grow smarter and more logical, because we can learn from them. If there were only positive experiences in life, I don't think human intelligence would progress at all. There would be no point in growing, because everyone would be happy as they are. Also, negative experiences greatly influence who we become, because we get to know what those experiences feel like for ourselves, so our personalities will grow based on avoiding that undesirable experience in the future. For example, if as a child you experience the pain and devastation of war, when you grow up, you will most likely become a peace loving man, and work to prevent conflict at any cost to yourself. However, positive experiences can be a good thing as well, because they are what keeps you going. Without positive experiences, there would be no motivation to continue existing. I don't think either has a "bigger" impact, but rather that a balance of both is necessary for development of everyone.

Journal 33: Universal Experience

The Vietnam War was unique because it was a civil war, between people of the same country. Most of it took place in the forests and thick jungles rather than in cities or open land. According to the story, they also walked through some rice paddies, which were fields where rice was planted, then flooded with water up to about waist level. Instead of fighting directly, many times soldiers would face landmines as well as other types of traps set up there waiting for the soldiers. A universal experience that is described in this story is the fear. If any of us were in his position, fighting in a war in a foreign and unfamiliar country, we would all be scared. Another universal experience is when he could not stop laughing over Billy Boy's death, even though it was a messed up thing to do. The other soldier kept telling him to stop it, but he just kept laughing. I think many people have had the experience when they can't stop laughing at an inappropriate time. If I were in Berlin's situation, I think I would have done the same, because it's actually pretty funny if you imagine it, a tough guy getting wounded in the field but dying of a heart attack.

Journal 32: Far From Home

To arrive in a hostile and unfamiliar place like Vietnam would be difficult for anyone to handle. One would get along by making the best of things, and trying to make friends within the ranks, and to get used to the situation. A similar experience I have had is moving to Taiwan, and starting school at PAS. For me, it wasn't really a "hostile and unfamiliar place", but it was not what I was used to, and not where I wanted to be. At first I just tried to fit in and just get used to it, because I was most likely going to spend a lot of time here. But then I gave up on trying to be like everyone here, and on trying to be "positive", where we could frolic in some meadows and vomit rainbows. With only a few exceptions, the people were nothing like my old friends, not necessarily in a good or bad way, but just completely different. I guess I could have tried to adapt to it, but the way my old friends were has become a part of who I am and I don't think I am quite ready to relinquish that part of myself yet.