The Once and Future King : T H White

As I read through this book, I was thinking about the these questions: were people generally evil, or good, what was humankind capable of, and what relevance does the book still have? I started listing some things that I thought were relevant, and could help me prove my point.

Good or Evil:

• Dark magic.
• White magic (Merlyn).
• Adultery/lying/cheating/stealing/jealousy.
• Enjoyment of causing others pain?
• Chivalry.
• Love, friendship.

Capabilities:

• Magic.
• Love.
• Courage.
• Imagination.

Relevance:

• Kay is a trouble maker but is favored over Wart (Kay is Sir Ector's Son).
• Ghost stories.
• Love.
• Adultery.
• Growing to adulthood.
• Peace (Lyo-lyok).
• Belief in magic?
• Heroes.
• Loss of friendship.
• War.

Impressions:

• Use of words and way of speaking.
• Tales of courage never go out of fashion.

Good Or Evil?

Dark magic shows up a lot in this book, from the beginning when Merlyn is suspected of being a dark sorcerer, to Morgan le Faye, the evil faerie that haunts Robin Woods's forest. You could also consider lying, cheating, stealing and jealousy to be another kind of Dark magic that takes place in this book. Lancelot, Arthur's best friends and trusted knight became very jealous of his queen, Guenever. They had an affair together, breaking the trust and friendship between Arthur and Lancelot.
Knights in this book also seem to enjoy causing each other pain. Whether it's jousting, or battling to the death, they just seem to like shedding blood... and it makes me wonder.

What magic, chivalry, friendship and love are some of the things that counteract the evil in this book. Just like Art and Kay were good friends since childhood, Mariam and Robin were lovers, and Merlyn and Nimue were as well. Merlyn cast white magic to help stem the flow of darkness, and help train his beloved Art to be King.

Capabilities:

Even though the scientific and engineering capabilities of the medieval people were not anywhere near as advanced as they are today, they had something: belief. They believed in magic, that magic could build castles of food, in fairies, in questing beasts, and phoenixes. They also had courage, and friendship, which in my opinion is far better than any technological capability we have today.

Relevance:

Kay is favored over Wart because he is royalty. I think there are a lot of people who have experienced at least something like this in their lives, even if its not because they are not the son of a Sir.

If you turn on the tv at night, or go to the movie store, you're bound to see movies with ghosts in them. People just enjoy wondering whether ghosts are real. Its the question, "what happens to you when you die?" that has haunted people from the beginning of time.

Love is ageless, and is a human emotion everyone is bound to feel at least once in their lifetime. In this book, love helps bind people together, and it also breaks apart friendships.

Every person on this earth has been a child, and in the first part of this novel, Malory lets Art and Kay experience the changing from a boy to a man.

America has experienced several wars - including the one our youth is growing up with now, the War on Terror. Boys graduate from high-school, to go on to basic training, and then are deployed off to war to serve their countries. Some of them die, leaving behind, family, friends, and loved ones. Others come back with horrible stores, and are changed for life. War and fighting is an ageless problem. The solution to War has never been solved; only dreamt of. I think, that as long as we are humans and posses human nature (greed, hate) that there will always be war. Lyo-lyok's world is beyond greed and hate; what is hers is everyone else's.

Even though belief in magic is no where near as strong as it used to be during medieval times, there are still people that believe in magic and consider it to be real. There are fortune tellers, and magicians. People also consider emotions such as love to be a kind of magic.

Whether it's Spiderman or Superman, Harriet Tubman, or Joe DiMaggio, America, and the world loves heroes. They make us believe that we can do the impossible, or make us happy when we're down, and give us hope when we have none. Heroes, whether they're from two thousand years ago, to modern times are ageless.

I think everyone has experienced losing a friend, and can connect to Arthur, whether it be to lies, disagreement, or time.

Impressions:

The way the characters speak in this book is rather odd, like the way they say 'edducation', instead of 'education'. Or is that just because Sir Ector is drinking at the time? Anyway, you can tell that the novel has been written quite a long time ago by the way sentences are worded.
For example, I was reading about when Art is sent off by Merlyn to visit the Badger. He had this conversation, which struck me as odd.

"Come out of that, thou tramp, prepare to meet thy doom."
"Measter Brock," implored the unfortunate pig, "come now, doan't 'ee be okkerd, sweet Measter Brock, my duck. Hearken to an urchin's prayer! Grant the dear boon of life to this mosst uncommon tiggy, lordly measter, and she shall sing to thee in numbers sweet or teach 'ee how to suck cow's milk in the pearly dew."

~

"Stop singing," said the Wart, "for Heaven's sake. Un-curl. I won't do you any harm. Come, you silly little urchin, and tell me where you learned these songs."
"Uncurl is one word," answered the porpentine tremblingly - it did not feel in the least fretful at the moment - "but curling up is still another! If 'ee was to see my liddle naked nose, measter, at this dispicuous moment, 'ee might feel a twitching in thy white toothsomes;"

I just find it curious and funny because the way we would have said it is "No way, I'm not coming out... you'd just eat me!"

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

The flattening of the world effects everyone, or at least Friedman says it does. I think it only effects the countires which have middle class to extremely wealthy economies ( which are being leveled out.) I think that the extremely poor, poverty stricken countries are being left in the dirt, because they don't have, or barely have an economy to begin with. But, also, the flattening of the world is effecting the younger generation (me, and my classmates) who are going to go on and be incorporated with all these new ways of doing business which were never used before. This generation is supposed to be used to doing things electronically, a way our parents never imagined.
What do you need from our parents, teachers, and peers? I think just being brought up in a world that is used to doing business in a "flat world", and being properly educated about what we will need to do to make a living. I'm not sure whether a flat world is a good thing or not - I suppose some of the things are an advantage (fast communications, cheap labor), but there are also downfalls to outsourcing all your business. The quality goes down, and you are relying on outside the country for necessities. Like it or not, it's happening, and like Friedman said, its nearly unstoppable.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Four : The Great Sorting Out

digitalized sales

I was always used to thinking that, the more likable, the more charismatic you are, the farther ahead you will get when it comes to business. I suppose it must be true when you actually do meet with the person, as in being a car dealer. But even today, I'm not even sure if you need to meet with one to buy a car. Would you even need to go to the lot? You could take a virtual tour of the car, if you wanted, most likely.
What I'm saying is; everything is digitalized, you don't need character to be a good salesman. You need a degree and a computer.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Four : The Great Sorting Out

death of the operator

Its kind of stupid, I think. The way friction is meant to be reduced, yet, only more is created. Like the way Friedman described how he called directory and a machine picked up. He had to keep asking over and over again for the name, but the machine wasn't adept enough to be able to understand him. You have to speak in a slow, clear tone, and maybe after the third try you'll get through. It's meant to be easy, to make things go quicker. It kind of reminds me of the visa commercial, with everyone rushing through and the guy decides to use cash instead, and it completely throws off the balanced routine they had going. Except what Friedman describes is on a much bigger scale. But anyway, what I'm saying is if there was a human on the other line, it would be quicker, easier, and more satisfying.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Four : The Great Sorting Out

who's top dog?

So now the people who were once considered to be the poorer, second - class citizens (to Americans) are the ones who are being given a chance to use their knowledge and their intelligence, instead of getting a job driving a taxi or something paying just as low. Plus, since the world is being 'flattened' their companies are getting the chance to trump the ones in America when it comes to bidding. So you begin to wonder, who is really top dog now? Is it India, with all the manufacturing with the population of a billion plus, or is it America, who relies on outsourcing to places like India for all its goods and services?

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Four : The Great Sorting Out

frictionless is bad?

"from the telegraph to the Internet, every new communications technology has promised to shrink the distance between people, to increase access to information, and to bring us ever closer to the dream of a perfectly efficient, frictionless global market ... Some sources are worth protecting, even in the face of a global economy that threatens to flatten them."

So, after all this talk about how a 'frictionless, flat' market would be a great thing to have, now he says we should preserve some of the friction? What does he mean by that? - that he doesn't think that manpower should be eliminated completely, if it were means to make the economy smoother? I don't know; I'm not an economist.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

the internet

Friedman is right - by using MSN or google search, if the information is there you could find just about anything about a person. People don't realize how much information they put out on the internet about themselves. If you post on a forum, or have a myspace account, anything you say there is public and can be viewed, no matter if your page is set to private or not. All it takes is a conversation and that person would probably be able to look up a lot about you. If I told someone my age, my name was Christine and what state I lived in, it wouldn't be hard to find out what highschool I go to. The Internet can be dangerous, but it can be very helpful too.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the Word

quality of work

Offshoring to China can't really be a good thing, can it? Yes, the cost of production, payment and benefits is cut drastically, but what about America? It may just seem like a good thing right now, with all the cheap labor our companies are getting - but what about the quality of the products? Wouldn't it make sense that the more money and effort you spend on something, the better and more it will be worth? So really, if you want good products you need to spend money on them. Large companies don't seem to care whether their products are well made as long as they continue to rise in power and money.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

gazelles & lions

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.

Keep running; don't get left behind in the Global Economy. If the world is going to continue to become flat, the lion needs to catch up to the gazelle, instead of just progressing farther and farther ahead.

Le Morte d'Arthur : Thomas Malory

chiv·al·ry (shĭv'əl-rē)
n. pl. chiv·al·ries

1. The medieval system, principles, and customs of knighthood.
2. 1. The qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women.
   2. A manifestation of any of these qualities.
3. A group of knights or gallant gentlemen.

So was King Arthur real or wasn't he? If he did actually exist, he wouldn't have lived the life the fables and legends made him out to have lived. It says that Sir Malory wrote the legends while in prison during the time of the War of the Roses. Being a desperate person in a desperate period of time he probably would have liked the idea of a great ruler and a hero for the people of Briton. Just like today, we create heroes like Superman who are able to do the impossible for our society even when nobody else is able to.

In Arthur's time, attributes like loyalty, honor, and bravery were held much higher than they are today. You had to be committed 100 percent to your King and your cause. If you weren't, you weren't a good Knight, and you were likely to commit treason and be executed for doing so. Today's society is more lax, although we value those things, I don't see it being pushed upon men as a necessity. (I wish it was.)

The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus : Christopher Marlow

What is a Faustian Bargain?

Dr John Faustus is well learned in languages, astrology, and other subjects. He prides himself in being one of the most intelligent scholars in Germany. However, Faustus yearns for more power - power which he cannot find in just books. He discovers necromantic powers in a strange book and calls upon a demon named Mephistophilis in a forest. He then questions Mephistophilis about hell, he replies,

"Why this is hell, nor am I out of it:
Think'st thou that I, that saw the face of God,
and tasted Eternal Joys of Heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells,
In being depriv'd of everlasting bliss?"

Little did Faustus know, that he would end up much like this 'sweet Mephistophilis'. He also told Faustus of Lucifer, the arch regent and commander of the spirits in hell. Faustus, eager to gain more knowledge by any means asked Mephistophilis what good he would do Lucifer, and he replied "enlarge his kingdom." Dr. Faustus then requests that Mephistophilis go to Lucifer to ask for a deal: Faustus wishes to have twenty four years of knowledge and power with all the demons of hell at his command. After these twenty four years his soul will be Lucifer's. Lucifer agrees happily.

After Faustus has sworn to Lucifer his loyalty in his own blood, he begins to realize that the power he was promised is not what he expected. After his twenty four years have dwindled to and end, the people of Europe have come to hate him. Every time Dr Faustus contemplates repenting, he is lured back to Lucifer. He believes that he is too hardened for repentance, and that God would never accept him into Heaven. On the night of his death, Faustus begins to pray, but since he has enjoyed the service of demons for most of his life, it is too late.

Faustus was too eager for more knowledge, and for him, knowledge equaled power. Sorcery and magic was something dark and secret, making it more tempting. So, being drawn into the dark arts in search of power he met Mephistophilis, and made a pact with Lucifer. Faustus believed that through such a higher power like the devil, he could achieve greatness, no matter if it was only for twenty four years. Later, though, he learned that his greed led to his downfall and eternal damnation.

A faustian bargain: to give up anything or all that you have in search for something you believe is bigger or better, which will eventually end in your downfall.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces that Flattened the World

blogging and information gathering

I guess if you want a lot of information, give everyone a way to express what they know in a nearly free and easy way (a blog, for example). Some of it may be true, some of it may not be. But if you're a journalist, it's probably a great tool for you to have.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

part of the competition?

"the fortune hunters wielded geological-modeling software and database mining tools rather than picks and shovels. The big winners were from Australia. And they had never even seen the mine."

So for the miners in the Goldcorp Challenge, it was a matter of who's engineering was better, and who had the best equipment. Manpower didn't play a role in who discovered where the next 6 million ounces of gold lay hidden, like it once had. The way software and engineering plays a role in society today, it does seem like kind of a competition to make the 'best'. But now that America is outsourcing to places like China to have it's goods made, how can it be part of the competition? How can they even claim that 'American' engineering is even American anymore? Yes, America can still create ideas on it's own, but everything is becoming intertwined. Does this make any sense?

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

losing communications?

I can see how all of this could be a very good and convenient thing. How doing things electronically could save time and human energy. But, just to think about it - what if communications were lost? Even for an hour? How much money would be lost just because they could not take a phone call, or send an e-mail. Should a business really rely solely on electronic communication to get its work done? My dad works for GE, and everyday he conferences with people from Florida, India, Japan. What would happen if their communications were lost? Its just a “what if.”

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter One : While I Was Sleeping

the world isn't entirely flat.

The way Freidman says the flattening of the world is happening all over - I can’t see that. Or maybe I just don’t understand completely. There are places in the world that aren’t catching up at all, places like East Africa, who are still suffering from AIDS and poverty. What kind of economy do they have? I can’t see that they are catching up or flattening out with America, or China or India at all. I just see that they’re left behind because they are too poor.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter One : While I Was Sleeping

no more dirty work?

Why does America want to have workers who are unmotivated? At least that's how it seems. The way they work if they’re ‘homesourced’ is that they can work at home, be comfortable, and not have to get down and do the dirty work other foreign countries are willing to do for less? Sure, it may make them more productive in what they are doing, but does America really want to be stuck the ones relying on everyone else for food, oil and other necessities? If America puts too much stock in other countries outputs, then we will no longer be the superpower. Not forever, at least.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter Two : The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

the "personal" computer

The Internet emerging was a major tool for globalization. You didn’t have to be a company, it could be personal. You could have your own PC, and with little cost you could send anything across the globe. That means anyone with a little money and a connection could do it - but still leaving out a big point. What about the people who didn’t have the net? What about the people in the small, extremely poor countries? The world isn’t flat for them.

The World is Flat : Thomas Friedman

Chapter One : While I Was Sleeping

ambition in India

If jobs such as telemarketing are prized and 'well paid for' in countries such as India but not in America how is the playing field being leveled? I suppose it makes sense because America is the world's superpower and when compared to countries such as India it is extremely wealthy. A well paying job for an Indian would most likely be a poorly paying job in America. So, I can see what Friedman means because Indians are being paid a 'relative' amount of good money to do a job Americans won't. Greed is an issue in America, but not so much in India. In India, ambition is more the point.