#midterm paper

100 days of productivity day 14

I’m working on a paper on the character of Dupin in Edgar Allan Poe’s mysteries and I HATE this guy. The best part is I get to write an entire scholarly paper on why he’s a terrible person. Stuff like this reminds me of why I love being an English major.

Write a response to the passages–at least 20 words to each passage. Here are some suggestions for your responses:

What’s in this passage that interests you: imagery, characters, plot, pacing, tone, etc.

Is this text influenced by history or other factors?

Reflect on what you know about the author. How might his or her biography influence the text?

How do characters contribute to the story or…

(I realize that I never posted my midterm paper and I’m currently writing my final paper so I should post them)

“Obedience is the mother of success, and success the parent of salvation” (Aeschylus) and a key point in the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although in past times the principle of obedience was more common and taught as a necessary quality, in recent times is used more exclusively as a term associated with religion. I see obedience in a gospel sense as being committed, as well as willing to do the things we are asked.

Obedience is formally defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance” specifically to “commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions” (Dictionary.com) which is compelling because of one the Christ-like qualities we recognize is the act of being submissive. From this we can learn that to act obediently is to submit ourselves to our duties, namely gospel duties like paying tithing, fulfilling our callings, going to church and many more. Obedience is often related to the commandments, particularly the fifth, to honor thy father and mother. This principle can also correlate with agency and steadfastness which have great significance to me and my life.

My favorite scripture story growing up was always the story of Nephi and his brothers as they were commanded to go and get the brass plates. I loved it because I could relate to Nephi—although on a much smaller scale—and his struggles with Laman and Lemuel. I have three younger brothers and I saw it as my duty at a young age to encourage (or maybe boss) them to make good choices. Despite my stubbornness, over time I came to better understand that they had their agency and were going to make wrong choices even—and sometimes especially—if  I was there telling them that it would be a bad decision. After explaining how well-trained and obedient horses can understand instruction by just a gentle tug, Elder L. Tom Perry said on obedience, “This gentle tug is equivalent to the still, small voice with which the Lord speaks to us. Out of respect for our agency, it is never a strong, forceful tug” (Elder L. Tom Perry, 2014, April General Conference). I’ve realized now that the best way to help my brothers make good decisions is to lead by my example and be a constant in their life even when I don’t agree with the choices they make. Nephi’s example of asking his brothers “…Have ye inquired of the Lord?” (1 Nephi 15:8) is one I often follow and implicate when encouraging my brothers to turn to God and the gospel for answers. Likewise this is something many authoritative figures have encouraged me to do as well over the years.

In my life I’ve seen many firsthand examples of agency explained in the scriptures as “Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the power of the devil…” (2 Nephi 2:27). In recent months, my younger brother has struggled with the church and with our family. I’ve supported him and gave him my ideas of what I thought he could do be happier. In the last few weeks, he’s made several decisions which led to captivating consequences which while fair, were not ideal to him. Instead of receiving the freedom he was seeking, his choices became even more restricted than they would have if he’d chosen to be obedient to the teachings of our parents and/or the gospel. I’ve never felt so concerned and troubled for my little brother as I have in the last few weeks as I’ve watched these decisions affect his life in a negative way and have even more fully been able to relate to Nephi; “I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts…” (1 Nephi 17:19).

Something I’ve noticed that people like my mother, brother and others who’ve fallen away from the church sometimes have in common is that although they were being obedient to some or all of the commandments, they didn’t understand why they were doing it or their hearts weren’t fully in their actions to do so. It’s something that can happen to all of us but can be spiritually dangerous. As members of this church, we have a tendency to sometimes go through the motions of going to church and saying our prayers without really thinking about the significance of what we are doing. When we are going to church just because it’s what we are supposed to do, we may say that we are being obedient but we are not genuinely being dutiful and submissive to the gospel, principles and especially our Heavenly Father that we testify of. “You cannot approach the gospel as you would a buffet or smorgasbord, choosing here a little and there a little. You must sit down to the whole feast and live the Lord’s loving commandments in their fulness.” (Elder Jospeh B. Wirthlin, 1998, Liahona). Agency allows us to choose whether or not we are obedient, which leads to consequences whether they are good or bad. When we are fully converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we strive more to be obedient to Christ’s teachings consequently strengthening our testimony and becoming a better example to help those around us also come unto Christ.

I’m writing my paper, and then I turned around. I immediately went to his crotch. He is just sleeping in a wifebeater and champion boxer briefs. The bulge is so noticeable. God, it’s making me hard, fuck!

but not me.

This bitch has a paper to write. :( 

Boy found my charger and brought me iced coffee.