She Parts the Crowd Like the Sea for Israel: A Comparison of The Crucible and High School

The Benediction of a Serpent

Love Song – Revision

Ms. Robinson said that for the “revision” portion, we could use a poem that we have written.  Here I have the first and second drafts.  When I wrote the first one, I wasn’t really happy with it, exactly, or not as happy as I could be.  However, I never revise my “rhyming poems,” because that could mess up the flow.  Here, I decided to try it, and I really liked it.  It helped me to look at my work critically, and to make changes on my own.  I was able to take the poem in a slightly different direction, too.  I have learned to never be content with a piece of writing that I’m not wholly satisfied with.  I have also resolved to, in the future, revise many more of my poems.  I think that it helps me to be more creative.

Love Song

Why would I have loved a one as you?

You are as bright and shining as a star. 

You seem to suck the light from those nearby,

And yet you magnify just what they are.

But still, I always was content to be

Your satellite, and yearn for you and light.

It seems I never thought to realize

That I would be the one left in the night.

The other stars still pale in sight of you –

The planets are less glorious by far. 

I never could have dreamed for me the pain

That comes from loving such a brilliant star.

So blinded was I from your golden light,

That I could find my way no more, it seems.

I  cannot love you now in waking life,

But I will always love you in my dreams

 

Love Song

How could I have loved a one like you?

You are as bright and shining as a star. 

You seem to suck the light from those nearby,

But still you magnify the things they are.

I thought that I would be content to be

Your satellite, and yearn for you and light,

But I have realized, my love, you see,

That I have been the one left in the night.

You cannot mean to be just what you are,

I cannot mean to love someone like you.

But still I’m left alone – you are the sun.

I cannot compare – the planets too

Still writhe in envy of your glorious light.

The other stars cannot compare, it seems.

I cannot love you now in waking life,

But I will always love you in my dreams.

He/She Doesn’t Understand Me: Differences Between the Male and Female Brain

Rachel Best

Mrs. Robinson’s Class

Honors English III

5 Dec 2007

He/She Doesn’t Understand Me:

Differences Between the Male and Female Brain

How many times have you heard someone say that “men are from Mars, and women are from Venus,” or something else to that effect?  You have, I’m sure, heard a wife complain that her husband never talks about his feelings.  Most likely, you’ve also heard the husband say that he has nothing to talk about, or that his wife talks too much.  It’s possible that you’ve wondered why it seems that there are so many male scientists and construction workers, and so many female teachers and salespeople.  It could be that society is simply sexist, or it could be that males and females are, in general, programmed to have different specialties.  Is there a physical difference between the male and female brain?  If there is, does it actually make a difference?  Does it affect the way they think, or what jobs they will pursue?  Most important of all, how does this affect the way they interact with each other?

Many scientists will say that there are too many exceptions to firmly say that there is a “female type” brain, or a “male type” brain.  However, most in the profession will insist that there is a definitive line separating the two, with, of course, exceptions.  I have had many people take the BBC brain-type exam, and most of them have come up with a type mirroring their gender.  Surprisingly to myself, I have a male-type brain.  There are, though, far too many females with “female brains” and males with “male brains” for it to be merely a coincidence.  Therefore, despite evidence both supporting and detracting from my opinion, I firmly support the claim that the physical and genetic differences between female and male brains affect the thoughts and actions of their possessors. 

To begin with, there is one very tiny difference between the two genders – the 23^{rd chromosome pair.  The first 22 pairs are exactly the same, but when you come to the 23rd pair, women receive two X’s, while men receive one Y and one X chromosome.  It is with this microscopic portion of a person’s genes that the differences begin.  This determines which sex hormones a person will receive: testosterone for males and estrogen for females.  As said in the article “Gender Differences are Real,” “brain differences are not a matter of superiority or inferiority, but of specialization (York).”  There are 4% more brain cells in the average male brain than there are in the average female brain, and there are about 100 grams more brain matter in the male brain.  However, female brains have more dendritic connections between their brain cells, as well as a larger corpus collosum, which means that they are able to transfer and process information faster than men. It is interesting -and unsurprising- to note that women are actually “more in touch with their feelings” than men are.  They have a larger deep limbic brain, which affects their feelings, and their ability to express them.  It makes it easier for women to forge bonds with other beings in relation to men (Baron-Cohen).  This seems to imply that it is not merely that the world is biased toward men that places women as primary caregivers, but a genetic predisposition.  Most women are better equipped to read emotions and bond with people in general and small children in particular, and are thus the best choice to care for the young of a species.  This is not to say, of course, that society is not pre-disposed toward men (as these genetic discoveries were previously unknown), but that perhaps in this case, sexism has had an unexpected benefit for human children.  (Remember that I do not in any way condone either gender believing in its superiority.)Not only does the larger deep limbic brain make women better at communicating feelings, it also affects their susceptibility to psychological disorders such as depression.  Significantly, women are most likely to be besieged by oppression during times when their minds are being bathed in estrogen, the female hormone – puberty, menopause, the onset of the menstrual cycle, and after giving birth.  The increase in deep limbic brain size also seems to affect the violence of the respective genders: men, being less apt at communicating their feelings, are more likely to “fight it out,” or commit suicide.  Women are more likely to attempt to “talk out” their problems, and although they attempt to commit suicide three times more often than men, they succeed three times less often.  Interestingly enough, the choice form of suicide for women is the nonviolent overdose of pills, while men more often shoot or hang themselves.  Men are less able to form bonds which would keep them tied to life, as they say, and so may believe they have “less to live for.”} 

Women are more like to verbalize their feelings, but men have other ways of dealing with them.  A woman prefers to hash and rehash a situation, looking at it in every possible light, while a man prefers to internalize his feelings, and if possible, forget about the problem.  When children are younger, little girls are more likely to use words apologize to each other, while little boys prefer to fight over something, and then later carry on as if it never happened.  This is also a prime example of the way married couples attempt to deal with their problems, and why they often fail – they don’t attempt to take the time to work something out the way the other person might prefer.  Men and women might try to solve their problems in different ways, but they are both equally capable of overlooking the other gender’s point of view!

Men and women also use different parts of their brains at different times.  A man primarily uses his left brain for speaking and performing simple tasks; a woman is capable of using both sides of her brain in these activities.  Therefore, Baron-Cohen says, if a man had a stroke affecting the left side of his brain, he would not be able to speak.  On the other hand, if a woman had a stroke affecting the left side of her brain, she would eventually be able to speak almost as she normally did, because she had been accustomed to using her right brain as well.

I am sure you have heard a woman somewhere complain that men can’t seem to do more than one thing at once – this is actually true!  While there are exceptions, the average man’s mind is really not equipped to focus on more than one action at once.  Men are born as “single-minded” creatures, who generally focus all of their attention on one set goal.  Women, on the other hand, being ambidextriously able to switch back and forth between halves of their brain, are better able to multi-task.  Their brains are equipped to divide their attentions between tasks, and they are better able to think in layer, with several “trains of thought” going at once.

The predominate side of their brain also affects the ways that men and women learn, and what areas they typically excel in.  It is not coincidence that you see so many female English majors, or male mathematics majors.  The female-type mind typically excels in language and memorization; the male-type mind typically excels in systemizing and assembly.  This affects such everyday behavior as direction-giving: a man, when giving guidance, is more likely to give them in relation to the direction and distance in which you are traveling, while a women is more likely to give it in relation to a landmark you will pass along the way. 

A male is typically better at solving puzzles, mazes, and complex math problems than a woman is; while this does relate to the society in which a child is brought up, it also has a lot to do with genetics and the individual.  Consequently, though there are many women who excel in this area, men are typically better at systemizing information, while women are better at empathizing with other people (Baron-Cohen).  Some scientists prefer to say that there are three types of brains – empathetic, E, systemizing, S, and balanced, B – rather than say that there are only male and female brains.  I would have to concur that this would be more accurate, but, for the sake of fluidity in my report, I will continue to call them male and female brains. 

The interesting bit about my being diagnosed as having a “male” or “type-S” brain is that I scored above both male and female averages for all activities, and so, I believe, should have had a “balanced” brain.  I also prefer “type-E” activities, such as singing, theater, dance, verbal exercises, and English class more than I enjoy “type-S” activities, such as reconstructing machinery, and solving math problems.  I will have to conclude that there is either a bug in the quiz which is not too unlikely, or there was more weight placed on certain exercises than others when constructing my brain profile.

Something I did not expect to come across in my research was the affect of hormones on the development of the brain.  For example, male humans born with a disorder causing them to produce less testosterone – the male hormone – are generally not as skilled at systemizing as their fully testosteroned counterparts.  A male born with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), is also less like to be as apt at systemizing, construction, or problem solving.  Testosterone is an androgen.  Female mice, however, who were injected with testosterone, solved and actually learned mazes more quickly than regular female mice, with normal amounts of male and female hormones in their bodies (Baron-Cohen).  This seems to suggest that not only does the gender-type of brain you have affect you, your hormones, especially the amount that reach your brain, affect your mental development, and thus affect you.

It seems that, when it comes to male and female brains, and the differences lying therein, the two sexes will just have to “understand they won’t understand,” but at least make an effort.  Although you will find it hard to think like a brain type you are not, you will hopefully be able to place yourself in another person’s shoes, at least for a little while.  Reviewing all of my data, I am led to believe that there is a substantial difference between the brains of men and women.  Although many men and women do not have the brain type cohesive with their gender, this does not make them and more “masculine” or “feminine.”  It also does not make the hypotheses of myself and many scientists incorrect, relating to the affect a person’s brain has on his or her behavior.  With men and women being so different, I believe that it is a good thing for us to recognize and celebrate these differences, even if we do get exasperated sometimes.

Welcome to Life, Small Baby

For our, I believe, first journal entries, Ms. Robinson gave us each a slip of paper, and told us to do what it said.  Mine said that my sister had just had a baby, and to write the first thing I tell him or her.  This is the result of that assignment.  (I remember that Sarah Grenier’s was really good!)  I actually like mine much more than I had at first suspected, and something like this is going to happen to me someday! Ah…  how nice.  I basically just told the baby things about me and my family, and what to expect growing up with us,  here it is!

Welcome to Life, Small Baby

      Hello, small baby.  Did you know that you are beautiful?  You are a part of my sister, and so, a part of me.  I know your life’s story so far, and so, to make it fair, I will tell you about me. 

      Baby, I love to sing, and whenever you want them, I will sing you lullabyes.  Did you know that your mommy is my little sister?  I have two others besides her, so you have two more aunts to meet!

      I love the water, too.  I will teach you to swim so we can be safe as we float along together.  I am a terrible artist, baby, so I hope you are fabulous and can give me some lessons!  I did pretty well in school, so I can help you someday, if you ever need it. 

      I grew up with your mommy, so I know how difficult she can be.  If you ever need someone to spoil you and take you shopping, and talk about how unfair she is, just call me.  But don’t forget: she’s my sister, and I love her, so I won’t really be agreeing when we talk about her awfulness.

     I will always take care of you, small baby, so don’t forget it.  I love you!

The Brain and Copy-Changing

One day in class, Ms. Robinson put a bunch of sentences on the board, and told us to copy-change them.  As I was working on my research project on the brain, most of the sentences’ subjects reflect that.  I didn’t take down the precise sentences that we copy-changed, but I have the ones that I wrote.  Some of them seem really weird, even to me (and I wrote them!), so it’s perfectly acceptable if you don’t understand what I’m talking about.  Copy-changing is taking an existing piece of work and changing it in some way, like by using a different subject, but keeping the structure either similar or the same (basically).

The Brain and Copy-Changing

The brain chuckled to itself and thought away, quickly as a moose, about the barren wasteland of the male mind, where women dare not tread.

Brains are temporary, but thoughts are forever.

Even though many minds and many brilliant people have fallen or may fall into the grasp of apathy and all the odious apparatus of boredom, we shall not flag or fail.

It began around 1920, by the Thames River, near London, in what was and is England.

He spent hours in the lab playing with the brain, studying the synapses and working one experiment after another.

Intelligence is not what you know; it is what you do with what you know.

Dove Chocolate: Innocent Candy Company or Sinister Cult?

This is, by far, the strangest thing I’ve written until now. I haven’t written anything quite so strange until now, but I don’t know the strangeness of what I may write in the future, so I can’t promise that something like this won’t happen again. I think the prompt was actually simply a free write, but to use as many vocabulary words as possible, and at least five. We also had to use parallelism. (I have underlined these.) We were eating chocolates in class (yes, we were allowed), and the fortune on my chocolate was “Keep the promises you make to yourself.” Our teacher’s chocolate said “Go to your special place.” Upon further contemplation, I realized that these were actually rather menacing messages, and thus was born my journal entry.

Dove Chocolate: Innocent Candy Company, or Sinister Cult?

“Keep the promises you make to yourself,” my chocolate said. Alright, I will. But which promise? Scrutinize them. Are they good? Are they right? Are they helpful to others? Are they laudable? Are they probable? Are they even possible?The brevity of the statement “keep the promises you make to yourself” seems commendable, but is actually rather evasive. Let me embellish on that thought. It at first seems to evoke images of a woman sticking to her diet, but, as it is a chocolate company, they cannot mean that. Following this line of logic, it is obviously something far more… sinister.

Let me reiterate that statement so a novice like yourself can understand: Dove chocolate is simply the cover for a cult! When Ms. Robinson’s chocolate said to “go to your special place,” it actually meant “go to the cult headquarters so we can perform human sacrifices and imbibe blood and other noxious liquids!” I know, shocking, isn’t it? Looked at in this light, “keep the promises you made to yourself obviously means “keep the promises you made to us.”

This so-called “chocolate company” must really be some kind of affluent, mafia-like cult. If you never hear from me again, you know why.