Journal 6

1. Explain what was involved in Franklin’s plan for self-perfection? What conclusion did Franklin come to regarding the effectiveness of this plan?

Franklin’s plan for self-perfection was to make each of his virtues a daily habit. The virtues are temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He started with temperance and used each of the previous virtues to help perfect the rest of them. Every time that he would make a mistake, he would make a mark in a book that he kept. Franklin started the first week by focusing on temperance, trying to keep that week clear of marks in his book. Each week he added a virtue and attempt to keep each of the virtues clear of any marks. For the virtue of order, he created a page in his book that plotted the time in his day for the things that he needed to do each day. Franklin found it extremely difficult to keep the virtue of order because time depends on other’s time as well as your own. He came to the conclusion that his plan was ineffective because many of the virtues require other people to be perfect as well as yourself. He also concluded that it was better for a man to be imperfect because a perfect person would be hated and envied.

2. Do you feel that a plan such as Franklin’s would improve you as a person? Why or why not? What would be your top five virtues?

I think that Franklin’s plan would improve me as a person, but only if I continued to do it for the rest of my life. If I stopped, I would eventually go back to what I was before I began his plan. My top five virtues are industry, frugality, moderation, sincerity, and temperance.

Journal 4

Today for lunch, I bought a chicken sandwich and French fries from the John Carroll Cafeteria. As I took off the top bun to put on the honey mustard, I could see the steam rising off of the chicken patty. When I sat down and started to eat the sandwich, the succulent chicken meat, infused with the taste of honey mustard, left the feeling of joy in my mouth.

I would take breaks from enjoying the chicken sandwich to test my pallet against the tastes of the French fries and hot sauce. Unfortunately, the fries had been doused with too much of the spicy sauce and it was not very comforting to eat them. There was so much that the smell made my nose burn. I could only handle so many of them at one time. Overall, the chicken sandwich with the side of fries created a pleasing combination of sweetness and spice.

Journal 3

1. Cite three specific examples of Hodgman’s descriptive imagery that you find to be particularly effective.

“The mock marrow inside was bit more problematic: in addition to looking like the sludge that collects in the treads of my running shoes, it was bursting with tiny hairs”

“It was the only one to contain ‘dried beef digest’; a mysterious substance that the Purina spokesman defined as ‘enzymes’ and my dictionary defined as ‘the products of digestion.’ ”

“In the world of canned dog food, a smooth consistency is a sign of low quality—lots of cereal. A lumpy, frightening, bloody, stringy horror is a sign of high quality—lots of meat.”

2. What do you think Hodgman’s purpose was in writing this essay? What overall message/meaning do you take from the essay?

I think that Hodgman’s purpose in writing this essay was to show how humans are more advanced than dogs and other animals and how we can discern between things that animals can’t. The overall message that I take away from this essay is that marketing is deceptive. She contrasts the products’ marketing with how the products actually taste.

Journal 2

1. How are the moths in the essay’s opening different from the moth at the campsite? What do the different moths represent?

The moths in the essay’s opening are different from the moth at the campsite because the moth at the campsite died from being burned, but then the body started to burn like the wick of a candle and it is given a second life. The moths at the beginning of the story represent Dillard before she became a writer and the moth at the campsite represent Dillard wanting to become a writer again and rekindling her desire.

2. What lesson does the moth provide that Dillard takes back to her students?

The lesson that the moth provides that Dillard takes back to her students is that if they want something then they have to exert all of their energy towards it like a moth is drawn towards a fire.

3. How many references are there to fire in the essay? What’s the larger significance of fire in the essay?

The larger significance of fire in the essay is that it represents a goal that her students are drawn to.

4. Address how each of the following quotes connect to Dillard’s overall point.

a. “I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”

-Jack London

This quote connects to Dillard’s overall point because Jack London is saying that he would rather die in something majestic than by doing nothing and wasting away his life. Dillard’s point is similar to this because she says to her students that they should be attracted to their goal like a moth is attracted to fire and their goal should completely consume them.

b. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

-William Butler Yeats

This quote by Yeats connects to Dillard’s overall point because he is saying that education sparks more and more interest and creates something beautiful. Fire will continue to burn but a pail can only hold so much water.

Journal 1

Once upon a time there was a cowboy named Arnold. He was a very famous Texan rodeo cowboy and had gotten a job in New York City. He had never flown on a plane before and couldn't wait to get to a big city.

The company flew him all the way from his hometown of Austin, Texas to New York. He got picked up by the company employing him in a cab and he gave the driver the address of his hotel. Unfortunately the driver ended up taking him to the wrong hotel. Before Arnold realized that he was at the wrong place, the cab driver drove away.

Arnold was stuck. He had no bags, no money, and no idea where he was. He decided to pass some time and figure out what to do by smoking a cigarette. A man driving through the city decided to stop and ask if he needed some help. The cowboy asked him to drive him back to the airport so that he could just go home to Austin. The man was in a giving mood and decided to pay for his plane ticket and Arnold was able to go back to Texas where he belonged.