Month: February 2017

I assume Twain had Plato’s allegory of the cave on his mind when writing A Connecticut Yankee. In the book, Hank Morgan represents enlightenment and the people of the 6th century represent the unenlightened masses.
When Plato wrote the allegory of the cave in the republic he was trying to say that the masses were too ignorant to govern themselves and should be ruled by someone enlightened, a belief which i’m sure he shares with Hank Morgan. Not only did Morgan and Plato have similar views, but their views were opposed by the same organization, the church. Not only does A Connecticut Yankee play on enlightened peoples quest for power but it also shows how the church tries to suppress enlightenment to keep control.

In a way this also relates to what is going on in our country right now. The “Muslim Ban” the Trump administration as just put forward is essentially us as a country being scared of other views and not wanting to face them.  In general people don’t like opposing views but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have to face them or that they are crazy. In this country we need diversity to enlighten us.

A common theme I want to address with The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and the rise of Trump is that history repeats itself. You can see this theme expressed in The Connecticut Yankee when Hank wants to create a peaceful revolution. He is aware that the social order is convoluted and something like the French Revolution is bound to happen if nothing is done. So, throughout his time in the 6th century, he tries to create change without violence. He soon finds out that this is not possible. So, history repeats itself in a bloody battle between the nobles and the lower class.

Although it is a scary thing to realize, Trump has shown certain characteristics that are similar to Adolf Hitler during his reign of power. Laurence W. Britt advocating and warned people of the early signs of fascism. These included “powerful and consuming nationalism, disdain for human rights, identification of enemies/scapegoats, supremacy of the military, obsession with national security” and many other corrupt ideologies. Trump has proven that these are on his top list of priorities in his new job as president. One in particular is his ban on refugees for fear that they will bring terrorism with them and endanger the safety of U.S. citizens. It is quite the opposite actually.

We were lucky enough to be able to attend the walkout that was held in the quad, where people gathered to discuss and provide support for those affected by Trump’s recent ban on refugees. This movement is un-American and unpatriotic. This country was built on immigrants and refugees. It is ironic considering that those that first came to our country (the pilgrims) were searching for a safe place to practice their own religion. It is not right that we are shutting the doors on those who are in danger. People from Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Iran are trying to flee their country because of the horrific violence that is occurring. America, in their mind, is an opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Alicia Keys produced a great short film that put Americans in the shoes of the thousands of refugees who are not safe in their homeland. For a lot of us, we may feel for those who are affected by this ban but we are fortunate to not have to worry about something happening to us. The point of the video is to bring the struggles of the refugees into a relatable context. I think it is important to blur the line between “us” and “them”, because in the end we are all human.

Thursday we talked about energy transformation and how it relates to our current readings. Two days before, I participated in the campus walk-out.

In The Human Motor, we learn about idleness and how the definition changed over time. In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, we see Hank Morgan, who comes from an era where idleness is not praised, live in an era where the King and knights live and wander aimlessly. They have no future goal to work towards and seem to live their life day-by-day, playing games and telling outlandish stories. In the 19^th century, technological innovation was thriving and progressing quickly. Even now, productivity and hard work are rewarded and idleness is looked down upon. One example of energy transformation in Twain’s novel is when Hank puts advertising sandwich boards on the knights. Hank saw the knights as lazy and jobless, and used them to promote soap. His soap advertising was a modern concept that he viewed as a step towards civilization. Hank used the energy the knights had, to educate the public; in this case, about soap and its importance.

I see energy conversion in the present time period also; from the Women’s March last month, to the walk-out we had on campus three days ago. The objectives of these protests are to convert the energy of the activists and momentum of these acts into social and political change. We disrupt daily routine to send the message of solidarity and the necessity for change. The Bucknell community came together to show that we would not be idle and passive; we would not continue on in life and pretend nothing happened. The similarity between the knights and the walk-out activists, is that we both used the energy of society to promote change. The difference is that the knights did it because someone of a higher rank, Hank, told them to, and we did it because we don’t agree with the current state of our country and our country leaders. I am proud to be part of a community that does not accept fate blindly, that does not settle for anything less than the acceptance of everyone, and that comes together in solidarity.

Despite the fact that our class only met once this week, I found it one of the most educational experiences. While participating in the walkout, it touched me how many people of the Bucknell community chose to come together and support those who have been and will be effected by the executive order. In the spirit of our discussion on Thursday, and as a continuation of the past discussions we have had, I have found myself further analysing the situations in which I find myself as well as the state of the world today in an attempt to put it all into perspective of this class, and I find the walkout to perfectly encapsulate all of these things. As was the case with Hank Morgan in Twain’s novel, I have noticed a particular transformation of energy amongst the greater Bucknell community. While many people may have tried to make a difference alone, or have felt pain brought about by the executive order, or have been at a loss for what to do, there was always a bit of an aimlessness to the energy spent, not unlike the bowing of the man or the aimless wandering of the knights, whose energy Morgan was able to harness and transform into something useful for him, whether that be a sewing machine or free advertisement. And like Morgan, this walkout was able to harness the energy of many within the community, to educate, to show support, to share pain, and to make a difference. And since the walkouts have begun at this school, I really have noticed a shift in the energy and the atmosphere at Bucknell, shifting away from the individual in favour of a supportive community. Similarly to what was raised in the human motor regarding the increased productivity of workers once the product they were producing was made available to them, it seems as though by making the issues addressed during the walkout more accessible to those not directly impacted by them, there will be in increase in activism and a sense of community and caring around campus, and hopefully around the country.

While the walkout has been able to do so much for those willing to stand in the cold and sacrifice an hour and a half of their lives to attend, it was not just the people who were able to incite change, but the technology they were able to have access to. It was through technology that I was first able to hear about the walkout, and it is through technology that I and countless others am able to stay abreast with today’s news. And yet, as wonderful as this technology is, it is not blameless in the great divide of our country. It was discussed in my walkout that it is due in part to technology that the American news rarely shares impartial stories, and thus few people are exposed to an unbiased truth about the world today. Most people only listen to, watch, or read the news provided by supporters of their party, and thus are only exposed to a biased truth, and sometimes not even a truth at that. As is the case with reading articles or anything else, people ought to question what it is they are being told, and further investigate themselves; however, so few people have the patients to question what they are being told, and instead accept everything and pass it on to the next person. Thus in many cases, people who fight about different sides of something do so because they do not know what it is that the other person holds to be true, and neither do they attempt to know. As wonderful as technology can be, it is at the same time something to be wary of, since it may just be one of the things driving us all apart.

I thought it was intriguing in the reading and in class when we explored the reasoning behind Hank Morgans secrecy of certain technologies he was trying to implement. These technologies included the telegraph, newspapers, and schools. Although, initially it might seem like a strange concept for why he wanted to conceal these advancements; it eventually became evident that it was to avoid backlash from the church and shock from the citizens. It isn’t far from how our society operates in todays world. There is a countless amount of intelligence, advancement, and secrecy that is withheld by governments from us in todays world.

It is my impression, that as citizens of the United States, we know roughly 25% of what is actually happening in our country. Even the information that is perceived as known is likely doctored or not entirely true. For example, the whole reasoning for going to war against Iraq is still uncertain. The government told us that it was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction although it has been, for the most part, confirmed false. Other instances where citizens are left in the dark include UFO encounters, area 51, which is sticktly confidential. Unauthorized and explained payments to foreign governments, and black sites where the CIA collects evidence.  Just as in Hank Morgan’s thought process, it is for the greater good that citizens are left in the dark for certain developments. In most circumstances regular citizens are not equipped to understand the full scheme or purpose of advanced knowledge or technologies. Also, it may leave it in the hands of people that could use it for the wrong purposes.

While initially I was shocked by the notion of Hank Morgan hiding certain advancements, it increasingly became evident to me how hypocritical it is for me to think so. In our society advancement is masked just as much if not more than in the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.