McLeody Day

The reason Charles Norstadt can grow to trust in McLeod is because McLeod was the only fatherly figure that Charles had in his life.  In the movie, Charles sees McLeod as a scary cave dwelling monster that hides himself and his scars from the world so that he can write pornography.  Norstadt did not see any form of companionship in this "monster" because he did not take the time to get to know him.  Charles used the memory that he had of his father, a heroic death in an Air Force battle, as inspiration for how he wished to influence his life.  During the same time, Charles began taking tutoring lessons from McLeod and begins to learn more about his perceived "monster."
The townsmen and children never took the time to know McLeod and so began to cloud their minds with unjustifiable preconceptions.  They believed that McLeod scarred his face in a fire or that he was born with his scars.  There were many rumors as to his occupation, some involving pornography.  Charles had never truly met McLeod, except one unfortunate encounter involving the dog Mickey, and had nothing to counter these rumors with, so he accepted them as truth.  These rumors would begin to fog Norstadt's mind and make him vigilant for any sign of confirmation and make him seek the truths behind the rumors.
After the various tutor sessions, Charles began to knock out each preconceived falsehood, one by one.  He learned that McLeod is a secluded artist who has designed the covers of some popular magazines as well as painted some amazing pictures- that pornography had no place in McLeod's life.  McLeod even trusted Charles with the story behind his scars- that there was an old car accident where a boy lost his life.  In return for McLeod's trust; Charles trusted him to tutor him and not beguile him like a monster would.
Out of these tutoring sessions, each person would gain something- Charles would receive a father figure, someone he could trust in a life where it seemed like everyone was against him; Justin McLeod would receive his shot at redemption, a chance to show the world that he was still a person, that he never did molest the boy who died in the car crash, and that his scars do not make him a bad person.
It is McLeod's chance for penance that drives him to father the boy, to give him nothing but friendship and success.  He had to prove to someone, whether it be a little kid or not, that he was not a "monster to children" and that he had values.  He did not want to tell Charles the answer because he wanted Charles to truly believe that he was a good person and that he did not molest children.
Charles very truly does not believe that McLeod did any of the things he was accused of (except involuntary manslaughter).  He believes that McLeod has been there for him and that he would always be.  This is what Charles needed in his life.  At home, his mom did not believe that he would amount to anything significant and that he needed to stay local to avoid degeneration.  His sister tore down the heroic father that Norstadt believed he had and replaced it with an insane, drunken reprobate who was admitted to asylum where he eventually killed himself.
That gap in Charles' life was gradually fulfilled by McLeod.  At first, it would appear that all Nortadt wanted was to pass his test, but as his life digresses Norstadt's hero position opens up and is easily taken up by McLeod who had done fatherly things with him like taking him hiking and flying.  The hole in McLeod's life- his past convictions was fulfilled by Norstadt, likewise.  Justin needed to feel like he was still something in the world, that he could still do good by teaching this boy and showing people that he was not a child molester.  If he was going to prove it to the world, he first had to prove it Norstadt.  He had told the world many times that he did not do it but no one believed him so he did not wish to tell Norstadt but rather make him believe.
My one question with the whole morality in the movie is, what is it worth?  Why does McLeod have to prove his worth to a world that already rejects him by default?  I understand he would like for things to go back the way they were- with his wife, teaching career, etc. but all those things are already gone.  There is no point in fighting for what is already lost.  It is unfortunate, but true, his scars will lower him in the eyes of other people and if he was already content with living his secluded life, why would he trouble himself further?

Recognition

One of Socrates' teachings was that everybody knows virtually nothing and that it is impossible for one to count as knowledgeable.  Where one everyday person might be an expert in mechanics, he would make a physicist look like an idiot when it came to fixing cars.  But Socrates also went a little deeper and always asked, "why?"  He realized that it is impossible for someone to know something in its entirety.  We may think we know something all the way down to its roots but there is always the never-ending "why?"
Therefore, to know something, means to recognize it.  To recognize an item means you are aware of its boundaries as well as its potential and how it relates to you.  We may think we know someone entirely but there will always be something out of our reach of comprehension.  We won't be able to understand and prove why this person does the things he or she does.  However, we recognize that person and all that we associate with him/her.  So if this hypothetical person does something others would view as strange- we might see it as perfectly normal because we recognize the limits of this person and we would be able to understand their actions because of our deep recognition.
To make Socrates proud, being knowledgeable means to recognize that we know nothing at all.  No one person will ever know every fact ever.  Like the earlier example, I may know tons of stuff about physics and science and math- enough to outsmart the "Average Joe" plumber; but once it comes to pipes and such- the plumber is clearly superior. 

Cathedral City

This story is about a man named Robert who cannot see.  He comes to stay with his old friend because his wife, Beulah, passed away and he needs to visit her family.  His friend's husband is the narrator of this story and we see that he is very uncomfortable with the blind man staying in his house.  The narrator feels that there is a need to simplify and explain everything for the man who cannot see.  The narrator, wife, and Robert spend the evening together at their home and the night ends when Robert and the narrator (who is never named) draw a picture of a cathedral together.
The story, overall, is very poorly written- with grammatical errors on almost every page.  However, the message of the story is very clear to those who think: we are bound by ourselves.
1.  The narrator has never met the blind man, or dealt with blind people, and is indifferent to how the blind man, Robert, feels.  There could also be some feelings of jealousy between the narrator and his wife's best friend as they used to meet a lot and his wife cares about him deeply.  The unnamed narrator is perceived as a man with little tolerance, patience, or willingness to try new things.
2.  After reading the end of the story, it is very possible that the blind man simply wanted some sort of guideline as to how he wished to imagine the wife.  He uses the cathedral lines to help him imagine a cathedral and he would use her face to help him imagine her.  The wife wanted to commit suicide because she did not believe she was worth anything because her husband was never there to show that he cared.  The poetry is a way for her to deeply express her feelings while her attempted suicide was the final cry for help.
3.  To receive a friend means to make him feel as though you have known him as much as the other person.  The wife asks that the husband not judge Robert and treat him as one of his own.  Robert means a lot to his wife because he was the only one able to "see" her plight.  The narrator should be thankful for him because his wife might not be alive if she couldn't be seen by Robert.
4.  Robert was there for Beulah and could never judge her looks.  He was only ever exposed to the person of Beulah.  To see her means that she found a purpose in the world and that someone cared about her.  That person was Robert, and he would never make her change her appearance for him.  He must have loved her for who she is if they got married.
5.  The character's, specifically the narrator, smoke pot in order to think past their normal boundaries.  The blind man has little boundaries on what he can think/"see," because he has no perception of what frame he can think in since he has not seen anything- he is allowed to think whatever he wants.
6.  The people think about God as this impressive being.  Therefore, he deserves an impressive building.  People were unable to associate anything else with God because they cannot find impressiveness in other objects besides large hulking cathedrals.
7.  The narrator can't describe a cathedral because he has never taken in its beauty.  At the end, with his eyes closed- the narrator draws whatever he wants on the paper.  He was not bound by any limit with his eyes closed and could have imagined the most impressive cathedral ever.  This freedom of the mind shocks him because he realizes that this is how Robert must "see" all the time.

Silence in November Rain

Imagine you have a bag of marbles.  You own that bag.  It is yours to manipulate, yours to control, and yours to make you feel superior.  Well now, suppose an outside force- such as lovely and curious cat or an impatient everyday person- decides to unsettle your bag and knock it right over.  Those marbles are no longer under your control.  You are no longer their leader.  As they bounce and roll all over the floor in a mass hysteria- you begin to lose track of them all.  Some will roll under the fridge- others will not bounce far at all.  Once the chaos has subsided, only then can the marbles be replaced in their bag.  The only problem is, this takes time.  The marbles under the fridge will be left their and never return to the bag.
In a class room, especially a large one, the students' collective cooperation- not to talk but rather to listen to the teacher is how the teacher can contain all of them at once.  Usually, this is done by teaching and commanding the attention of all of the students.  Once the teacher lets that go, or once a foreign factor decides to introduce itself- the students slip away.  That does no necessarily mean the students slip into chaotic chatter- though that is often the case; a teacher can lose students "under the fridge."  Chaos in the classroom is dangerous for two reasons. 
The teacher's lack of control will make the students realize that they can get away with whatever they decide they want to get away with.  Those that decide to talk will continue to talk and soon realize that even when the teacher is in command, teaching a lesson for example, they can talk regardless.  Those that do not actively talk, but rather zone out due to the undidactic chaos and associate that feeling of zoning out with that class.  Then, for all future classes, the zoner immediately disregards everything the teacher attempts to teach- regardless of the subject matter or interest.
In 1992, Guns N' Roses lead singer, Axl Rose, wrote a song called "November Rain" as part of the album Use Your Illusions I.  Though the overall meaning of the song is directed towards breaking up with a previous lover, one line holds true to the value of silence.  "And it's hard to hold a candle, in the cold November rain."  This applies to the teacher.  When a classroom descends into a manic fray of noise and sprawl, it is not entirely the teacher's fault.  A teacher is only human and cannot possibly expect to lead an entire group of students forever.  The Romans could not so why should we expect teachers to be able to?  As "November Rain" claims; a candle is hard to maintain in the rain because the water would constantly put it out.  This holds true for the classroom as well because a teacher can only do so much to maintain students' attention and teach.  Uncontrollable chaos in the class is like the cold November rain constantly trying to bombard the only currently available source of light- the teacher.
So then, how in the world is a teacher supposed to maintain control?  It is a large mixture of things that determines a successful classroom controller from a door mat schlub.  First, the teacher needs to have some sense of authority over the students that he or she is teaching. This is gained by distinguishing boundaries such as how to address the teacher- basically anything that sets the teacher on a higher imaginary level than the students.  Next, a teacher must be able to maintain interest.  In a large class, this is incredibly hard to do but in the smaller classroom setting- it can be easier to adjust teaching style to the combined group learning style.  Finally, a teacher must not allow exceptions to be made in his classroom "kingdom."  Order is the teacher's responsibility to ensure by eliminating key individuals- otherwise, the students who wish to learn suffer along with the talkative horde.
The students also have a responsibility.  In our society, there are three Cs: citizens, criminals, and cops.  The "citizen" student sits in each class, takes notes, occasionally distracts himself, and does nothing when the class goes to utter pandemonium.  The "criminal" is the student who pays no attention at all, simply attends the class to fulfill a graduation requirement, talks as much as he or she wants, disrupts the civilians and cops from learning, and initiates the imminent classroom chaos.  The "copper" student does all the things a "citizen" student does but rather then the occasional vocal slip up, he or she regulates his or her surrounding students to maintain order and let the teacher teach.  Thus, there is no sole responsibility as to who is in charge of classroom management.  It is a shared duty of trust between the teacher and the students to allow learning to happen.

A Dark Angel

Right now, I am looking at my little Space Marine figurine that I painted in a dark green, red, and yellow color scheme.  It is wearing a cream colored robe and his holding a big gun- which I believe is called a "Lascannon."  It has the number 9 on his right shoulder blade and a winged sword on his left.  The winged sword symbolizes the army that he is a part of- the Dark Angels. 

If the movie "Toy Story" applied to our toys, then I could only imagine what my little figurine must do when I have left the room.  Perhaps he shoots at stuff in my room, maybe he runs across my desk for fun (like a miniature obstacle course), or maybe he gather material for a secret fort hidden somewhere.  I don't know- all I can say is that things in my room do tend to disappear.

Wonder is when we cannot fully comprehend the limits of an item.  We may think that a toy does not move or talk but we experience wonder when we have no proof against its mobility.  We understand that we understand nothing.  As a 6 year old I would have a limited comprehension on an item's limits and could imagine whatever I wanted to and stand to reason my logic.  I have no grasp on what cannot happen and what could.  For all I knew, a little figurine in armor could be a little space man that is building its refuge in my room underneath my bed.  As we grow up and (presumably) get smarter, we begin to learn the limits of objects and we realize that plastic is only plastic and this knowledge puts boundaries on how much we can wonder.

A concept, specifically a foreign one, should make us curious and cause us to investigate.  It is the natural human way.  The way we wonder about something unknown to us can drive us wild.  We begin to think about it often and pretty soon it begins to take over our thoughts.  I recall when I first realized that people can die.  I became obsessed with this and I began to wonder about afterlife and what death really meant.  I thought like this for awhile and I wondered all sorts of things.  But it never got to the point where I became so lost and skewed from reality that death became an idol- but the option was always there.

Blowin' It Up

As disgusting as this may be, the most freedom I have ever felt in my entire life was in an airport bathroom.  I did not care at all about what the other bathroom occupants thought of me (though I hardly ever care what anyone thinks about me).  I was likely never going to see any of the international dumpers again.  I did not memorize their face and no one ever looked me in the eye.  The whole freedom of releasing whatever you want in an airport bathroom, no matter how gruesome the sounds, is that you simply let stuff happen and do not try to change it.  The freedom is that you are no longer a slave to what other people think of you.  You have placed yourself higher than the chains of self-glorification.

You Can Drown In Water

David Foster Wallace (DFW) was absolutely correct when he stated that each of us individually believe we are the center of the universe.  Like the Americans who battled the British oppression, we naturally do what is best for ourselves.  A lot of times, we prioritize our personal needs above others' needs- just as DFW described in his grocery anecdote.  As non-psychic human beings it would take a lot of effort to understand the emotions of someone passing by you in a grocery store.  We can not do this, and because of it- we are unknowingly left with the feeling that we are the only ones with problems in the world.

It takes a lot to get me very mad or upset.  Where Dave was mad at the people in line at the grocery store, I would not have given two thought about the length of the line and patiently waited my turn.  Even if someone had cut in front of me- I still would not have cared because it does not matter in the grand scheme of things.  Now, do I go into the deep situation awareness that Dave decides to go through with the analyzing of why people were doing the things they do?  I do not.

I would like to know what people are thinking when they do the things they do.  If they are following DFW's theory then they think they are the center of the universe.  Thus, the aggressive hummer driving father attempting to save his child simply turns into another fat cat.  If they really are in a desperate situation where there needs truly are greater than my own- then heroes can be born. While reading into other peoples' minds is not necessary by any means- it would certainly be interesting to see how selfish or selfless a person is.

During Dave's speech, people laugh and clap during two different sets of moments.  The first moments are the blatant jokes.  These are when a joke is made or something funny is said and it is understandable to someone who is not actively listening to the speech.  For example, and DFW even confirms this, the various anecdotal stories used to grab attention like the fish and the Eskimos or even the description of the grocery store..

The second form of lauded moments are when the audience can relate to the experiences DFW presents.  A lot of people are intently listening to the generic grocery store adventure because there is more praise given in the moments Dave intended for.  The narrative is easy to follow and easy to relate to.  There is also muted clapping during the parts when it is revealed that we might not be the only one with problems in the universe.  This shows that the audience is understanding/has understood the point, that we are naturally selfish thinkers, made in David Foster Wallace's excellent speech.