50--50

Fighting Memories (Chapters 4-5)

The human memory, it is one of the most interesting and helpful things we humans have. It is incredible what the memory can do and we don’t even think of it. What would be of us if we didn’t remember what happened to us a year ago, a month ago or 10 minutes ago? We couldn’t exist. In fact, amnesia is a horrible disease that ruins your memory and this is the saddest thing to see on a person. For you to have to repeat them your name is pretty terrible. I couldn’t imagine how it would be. Dawkins tells us a little thing about this, “A notable advance was the evolutionary ‘invention’ of memory.” (Page 50) When I read this I started to think the importance that the ability of remembering is something crucial for human evolution and for human existence.

“Hawks always fight as hard and as unrestrainedly as they can, retreating only when seriously injured. Doves merely threaten in a dignified conventional way, never hurting anybody.” (Page 70) This is a very interesting example. Dawkins is now starting to talk to us about how we are aggressive and fight. Also as I read this, I thought of how every single living species on the planet competes against every other living species for its survival. I thought this example was pretty funny because I could relate it to high school people. In around 60% of every party, there is a fight, and you can perfectly distinguish these two types of fighters and of people. Some that are always trying to hit everyone and the others who are always trying to fight but never actually hit anybody, its only words.

Survival

The basis of life is surviving. It is the priority over everything, to live because after all it is the basic for everything. This is what Dawkins says in his book. He states in chapter 3 how we are actually not that different from other living species on Earth. Avery single organism on the planet has the single priority of surviving all the obstacles and dangers there are in life. We are constantly surrounded by things that endanger our survival. What the author says is that “We are survival machines, but ‘we’ does not mean just people. It embraces all animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses.” (Page 21)

This book is reminding me of my previous science classes a lot, and it has actually been a great review. I am now seeing things from 8th grade that I didn’t remember well. It gives us so much information that it’s hard to keep up with. Every single paragraph has more information, more support, and more points and that is what I’ve noticed very interesting in the science book.

The Good Of The Individual

One thing I like to highlight about my Pre-AP English class is how we read absolutely everything. From old texts like Gilgamesh for example to satires like Candide and now we read a science book, The Selfish Gene. It is very interesting to see differences between every kind of book and author. The Selfish Gene is a science book about evolution, it is very serious and we actually learn a whole lot form it. As I read through chapters 1 and 2, I found myself back in my 9th grade Combined Science class with Ms. Elise. I remember studying the natural selection about giraffes and they refer to it in the book, “Humans and baboons have evolved by natural selection.” (Page 4) Science is a class that I really like probably because of curiosity to know how things work.

The author, Richard Dawkins says that, “They made the erroneous assumption that the important thing in evolution is the good of the species (or the group) rather than the good of the individual (or the gene).” (Page2) What I remembered from both my English and Science class I had learned something different. I remember reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn as he said that evolution brings forth what works. This is what I knew was right since I had read about it and studied it. It made sense and it will be interesting to know Dawkins’ point of view about this with his book.

The author says, “Our genes may instruct us to me selfish, but we are not necessarily compelled to obey them all our lives.” (Page 3) At the beginning I thought The Selfish Gene was a weird name for a science book but now I understand. What he means is that our genes are selfish into looking for the good of the individual and not of the whole species as most of us think it is. I hope the author clarifies his points more as we progress through the book.

Memoir Drafts

This is heavy, said Superman.

This is too hard. I give up.

And then! They fell down.

Running and making a U turn.

The more I get into the book, the more I understand it and every time I am able to get all the satire that is involved in the book. Of course as I am able to understand it even more, I laugh at it and enjoy it. First Voltaire makes fun by introducing the Old Lady, “I am the daughter of Pope Urban X”. (Page 49) We all know that all of the priests and everyone involved with the Catholic Church can’t have kids or marry any one. In fact many priests leave this life because they fall in love and the church doesn’t let them so by saying she was the daughter of the Pope, it is contradicting and mocking this.

The next part in which I laughed out loud, was when they said the name of the governor, Governor, Don Fernando d‘Íbaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza a noblemen with degree of pride and appropriate to one who bore so many names.” (Page 58) I laughed at the hyperbole with the amount of names. It is true that the Spanish people use their first and second last names and they remember like 10 more. For example I use only my first last name but know about 10 of them. Also how the presidents and the people with money are always referred to with many last names, to give them importance so it was funny to see how Voltaire said this.

The Love Of Life

As I read Candide chapters 12-13, I notice a very touching word that meant a lot, “I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life.” (Page 57) The saddest thing there can be is when you hear in the news or hear a story about suicide. How can someone not value the single thing most beautiful ever, life and living. By all means it is the very best thing that there is and no one should turn back that. I remember once in a class a student was reading an essay in which he said that because of bullying he had even got to the point of thinking about suicide. This essay touched me a lot and changed my way of looking at people and of treating people because you also have to think about them and what they might feel. I like the Old Lady’s point of view, because I find myself in love with life too. It is the most marvelous thing there can be and this is why I liked what she said.

Complaining

Voltaire brings a new character into the story who I believe is a way for him to criticize women and even high class people. It’s the Old Lady who as they say in the story, has had a terrible and very tough life. She says in one part of the story, “But I have been so terribly unfortunate in my affairs, that I have lost almost all hope.”(Page 48) Just the way people in high class do, they mourn and complain about everything. In fact, later on in the same page they say, “You haven’t had misfortunes like mine to bear. I assure you.”(Page 48) She complains even more. These people are very hard to cope with, they are never comfortable or happy and every little thing is like it’s the end of the world for them. I personally can’t deal with these people who complain about everything. I like to make an example of my mom who has had to suffer many things and she never complains about anything, that is the example of very strong people who can succeed and don’t complain about everything.

Is It The Perfect World?

Is there really a possible way for there to be a utopia? I think that the way the human species has evolved it is impossible to have a society in which everything is perfect and everyone is happy, most importantly. In a way, Westphalia is some kind of utopia. Candide says that, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, he said to himself, what can the rest be like?” (Page 37) After Candide witnessed some things like the hanging of Pangloss and the earthquake he noticed something. He noticed that there is no way of a perfect world.

As I read this about Candide saying that it was the best of all possible worlds I remembered all of the utopia novels we read before. In special, I remembered 1984, where Winston started to notice how his perfect world wasn’t so perfect. It was actually terrible, everything had the same but no one was truly happy. It’s like when you are little and everything seems right and perfect and everyday you start to notice terrible things.

Candide's Pain (Tuza)

Now, I feel pity for Candide. As you read through the book you encounter this tragic moment, “Cunegonde is dead!” (Page 29) Candide’s love had vanished in one little moment in time. This must be one of the most terrible feelings. I had already stated how death can change everything for a person. Immediately after I read how much this hurt Candide I thought of Billy Pilgrim and Slaughterhouse-Five. The way which Billy Pilgrim sees death is completely the opposite as Candide, I would say Candide has a more human way of seeing this. It’s also crucial to know that Candide hasn’t witnessed death so much as Billy did therefore; they have a completely different view of it.

The theme of love is a huge thing everywhere it appears. It might be because it is a pretty strong feeling. As Candide faints after hearing about Cunegonde, they say that, “I fear it is love,’ said his companion; ‘love, the comforter of humanity, the preserver of the universe, the soul of all human beings; tender love!’’ (Page 29) It is certainly a huge topic which all of us look at differently. But this is the way which his companion looks at it and as a result, Candide will probably look at it in a pretty similar way. This might probably be the reason why it hurts so much to Candide, because of his perception about it.

Poor Little Candide

In Candide we find a lot of humor. I could actually find myself laughing out loud at the book. Candide is a very noble person to which I can relate a lot. I feel that he is a teenager, who doesn’t care about anything and just thinks about himself. Candide answers a question made to him in a way that I could see myself answering, “Do you believe the pope is Antichrist, my friend?’ Said the minister. ‘I have no idea but whether he is or he isn’t, I want some food.’” (Page 27) We all know that satire is present all through the book with all of the exaggerations and ironies it has. It has also some targets but I believe these will become clearer as I advance through the book.

"After being turned out of this earthly paradise, Candide wandered off without thinking which way he was going" (Page 22) Candide is very careless about many things in life. I have noticed things like this a lot through the book. Here, this aspect doesn’t reflect the behavior of a teenager any more, he is now behaving like an 8 year old, so naïve about everything. Simply walking around with no idea of where he is going. Candide is a pretty funny character. Another thing that I thought with this part, was how people have a comfort area and a way of living and whenever they leave this zone it hurts them a lot and stop caring about everything because of the feeling they have.

Relating To Candide

Candide is a character you can relate to very easily. Candide is simply a normal guy who studies, likes a girl, and is young and simple. As many high school students are, in fact as most of them are. One of the main characteristics of an average high school student is the way in which he refers to his classes and to his teacher. It is very funny how all of us refer rather informal or even inappropriately to our teachers. One example could be how we often say “That guy is crazy! Making us read 2 chapters for tomorrow I hate that guy”. But this is simply our way and our custom of whining and complaining about everything. Candide refers to his teacher in another informal way, “Pangloss taught metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigo-logy” Page 20. Another aspect about Candide is how he really liked Cunegonde, “for he found lady Cunegonde extremely beautiful” Page 20. This is another basic characteristic of a high school student how they like someone and they don’t tell them. It’s nice to read something you relate to once in a while, not like Dante’s Inferno or Epictetus.