Candide's punishment

Candide went through so many things in the book and many of them weren't entirely his fault. It all began with the kiss with cunegonde. This act was innocent in his mind yet he got kicked out of the castle for it. I personally don't feel like it was his fault and that punishment definitely did not fit the crime under the circumstances.

As time went on, however, many of his acts started to become questionable. For example stealing jewel and killing highly esteemed people might not be entirely justifiable at this part in the book. It can be argued that he was solely trying to save himself and cunegonde, but the innocent mindset that he had in the beginning of the book isn't really present anyone.

The way I think of it is that he was a child at the beginning of the book and didn't know any better so he shouldn't have been punished so harshly for kissing cunegonde. But every child at some point reaches adulthood and comes to an understanding of what exactly it is that they are doing. The more experiences candide encounters, the more innocence he loses and the more fault he has in his actions.

Overall, I think that the punishment for any crime in the world he lives in is very extensive. Burning, killing, and beheading criminals is a bit inhumane. Regardless of that fact, if he hadnt been kicked out of the castle, he would've never had to encounter what he experienced and he wouldnt have had to.do the crimes that he commited.

Modern Gadfly

So what is a Gadfly? Well, a gadfly is someone who annoys or provokes people by being critical. Socrates was known as a gadfly in his time because he annoyed and provoked people by questioning their reasoning. He was so much of a pest to society that we was sentenced to death. Today, we don't really have a man like Socrates who goes around questioning people's beliefs and making people feel uncomfortable, but we do have many people who stealthily question societal ideas through music, films, comedy, etc. Although they do not annoy society enough to be sentenced to death like Socrates was, they still stir up controversy and annoy certain people in society with their opinionated statements. Lewis Black is a great example of a comedian who likes to ridicule history, trends, religion, politics, and many other topics. Movies like Heathers and Fight Club also touch up on societal issues in a critical manner. There are a variety of songs that also criticize political ideas and social norms in a way that can aggravate many people in society. Different people talk about many different topics but I think that the people who are the biggest gadflies are the ones that criticize religion because they will receive the most opposition for their statements. All in all, I don't think that there is a single modern day gadfly in today's society that can compare to Socrates, but there are definitely many critics in society that aggravate and annoy certain people.

The Unexamined Life is not Worth Living

The Unexamined Life is not worth living. I think this statement, although a bit harsh, is true to some extent. I definitely believe that it is necessary to examine your own life. “What you're doing”, “Why you're doing it,” and “What you will be doing in the future” are three questions that everyone who should be asking themselves on a regular basis. Otherwise, they will be like robots doing the same exact same routine without a purpose. It’s necessary to examine and organize life in order to achieve success and happiness. Setting goals and achieving them is the great purpose of life in my eyes. Everything one does, everything one participates in, should bring them one step closer to their goals and ultimately to happiness. For example, if you don’t believe being in school will benefit you in any way, then it is better to drop out and do something that will get you where you want to be than to stay in a system that you will not benefit from. Many people have dropped out of school and are now one of the most successful people in the world. Although it is necessary to question the purpose of your own life, I don’t think it absolutely necessary to question every single policy in the world we live in. For the most part, the government that we have established has been set up in such a way that if we were to have a problem with a policy or a system, then we are able to address our concern and change it. The fact that we are able to fight for equality is a prime example of that. It’s hard to really question the policies that the government make because if it’s not benefiting one person, it’s benefiting another. We can’t exactly examine every single law to our own liking because we live in a society; laws must benefit the majority. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that we can’t all have it our way. The education system, for example, might not be necessary for everyone, but it is needed for the majority. Without it, our standard of living would be much lower and many people will not have the opportunity to grow and learn. All in all, the life worth living is one with a purpose.

Me

My name is Noemi, and I love roller coasters. The odd thing is that I am completely afraid of heights. I can ride the Raging Bull at Six Flags with excitement, but I can't stand near the edge of a bridge without feeling like I'm going to trip and fall.  There's just something about roller coasters that makes me happy.  Maybe it's the fear that starts to build inside me as the ride goes higher and higher, or maybe it's the thrill that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise as we begin to gain speed,  whatever it is, I love it.  I think my life is like a roller coaster:full of fear of the known future and the thrill of the present. 

What makes my life feel most like a roller coaster is the fact that I have a big family.  I have four sisters, two brothers and an older half brother. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know how I could live my life without them.  Yea it can get loud and they can get annoying, but there is never a dull moment with them. Without them I'd feel lonely and no one likes feeling lonely. 

My mother is the one who controls us all. She's a single parent and she's honestly my everything . I don't know how she's been able to raise so many kids on her own but kudos to her,  she's doing a great job.  I'd like to think that I'm somewhat like her: strong, wise and independent. However the biggest similarity I think we share is probably the fact that we both love fashion. 
 
There's something in designing fashion, like riding roller coasters, that makes me happy. It's so fulfilling to see a design that I thought of in my mind come to life. 

I have to admit that I'm a bit of a workaholic, but in my mind that's a good thing. I work at PepsiCo, which was one of my three summer jobs this year, but I absolutely love working there.  My mom thinks I only work because I like having money to spend, but in reality I like the feeling of being productive more than anything else.  If I don't have a job or a big responsibility to keep me busy, I feel like I'm not being efficient with my time. 

So I love my family,  roller coasters, fashion,  and working, but I actually really dislike literature.  Reading and writing are not my strengths,  I would much rather do mathematical computations or review scientific research.  That being said, I hope this class is interesting..