Who is a leader? Can this teach us anything about our leaders today?
*Argue which character/s from both Feed and the choice for your second novel show leadership qualities (or lack thereof)
*You may wish to incorporate if characters may be like our own leaders or leaders in history as part of your response. You may also compare the characters to yourself and/or make predictions about the new book you are reading.
You may discuss any segment of the novel (including the end of Feed) but try to leave out spoilers in next texts for now.
Please take into considering societal, historical, and.or gender roles in your response (or you may have other ideas).
For full credit, you MUST have quotations as support of your points, you MUST show reading and avoid online summary info, you MUST respond to a minimum of 2 posts. Points will be deducted for those students who wait until the last 12-24 hours, for spelling problems, repeating information already stated, confusing responses, attacking classmates verbally, simply agreeing without saying much of anything, or off-topic commentary.
------Having support from databases may be given additional credit if used well----
DATABASES ARE NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS BLOG, but your argument will be judged harshly, so be prepared to defend yourself!
**This blog will end at 9 a.m. on 10/15. Remember that starting on the last 12-24 hours prior will result in loss of points since your discussion will be limited.
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ReplyDeleteThis is Lilly and I am currently reading "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller, also author of "The Crucible." Joe Keller the main character shows leadership qualities throughout the text. He is compassionate and professional. He shows his compassion while playing with a young neighborhood boy named Bert. Keller convinces Bert that he has a jail in his basement and he appoints Bert as officer. This shows Keller's loving nature and compassion to others. The example of this is, " Keller: For what! Bert, the whole neighborhood is depending on you. A policeman don't ask questions. Now peel them eyes!" (Miller, 1947, p.13). His bravery is also apparent. Keller was in a correctional center for a while for a claim on his company, when he got out people in his neighborhood were waiting to scowl at him. This is evident of his bravery by his statement, "...So I get out of my car, and i walk down the street. But very slow. And with a smile..." (Miller, 1947, p.30).
ReplyDeleteI agree that he is compassionate and he is also kind. Joe Keller was willing to give up his freedom in order to be able to make the business better for Chris, even though Chris was ungrateful (Miller, 1947, p.70).
DeleteAgain this is Lilly, I have another evident character in my current reading of "All My Sons." This time it is Keller's son Chris. Chris was in the war and was in command of his company. He takes pride in this, much like our military today takes pride in their work. He had love for these men that he lead. He was respected and honored by them even though many died. This shows leadership qualities. As shown in the text, "Chris: ... Because they weren't just men...A kind of responsibility. Man for man. You understand me?" (Miller, 1947, p. 35). They all respected Chris so much they would die for him. He must have been one great leader for them to feel that way about him.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel "FEED" by M.T.Anderson, the character Violet demonstrates many different leadership qualities. Violet shows her intelligence and divergent thinking often, notably when she decides to create a profile that is near impossible to advertise to by buying and looking at the most random, out there objects she can in a store(Anderson,2012,p.97). She also shows that she has no interest in following trends she finds silly, making her more independent.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that confuses me about Violet is she almost always shows no interest in following trends like you said, but then Titus says “Violet was standing near the fountain and she had a real low shirt on, to show off her lesion, because the stars of Oh? Wow! Thing! Had started to get lesions, so now people were thinking better about lesions, and lesions even looked kind of cool” (Anderson, 2002, p. 96)
DeleteMatthew- Adding on to what you say about Violet deciding to be different, what she's doing in the text is not what's considered "cool" to most people. She is seen as different and they don't realize that it's a good thing. Titus says, "You can be a little . . . You can . . . It's kind of scary for people sometimes. It feels . . . It sometimes feels like you're watching us, instead of being us." (Anderson, 2002, pg 168). Her independence makes her special. Being independent, and able to make your own decisions is important as a leader. Not only is Violet a leader but she is most likely one of the few leaders with the leadership quality of individualism in FEED.
DeleteLilly: In "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, there is a statement from the president that is covering up things from the rest of the world. Is this similar to our country today? I think so leaders today seem to try to say that everything is okay with our country and it's not. The example is ," ...what the President meant in the intercepted chat. This was, uh, nothing but a routine translation problem..." (Anderson, 2002, p.119).
ReplyDelete@Lilly I agree, the leader in “Feed“ appears to be similar to our leader today, but for a slightly different reason than that which you stated. I believe that our president is not trying to cover things up, but instead, trying to inform the country of the truth, no matter how hard. In your example, “... what the President meant in the intercepted chat. This was, uh, nothing but a routine translation problem...” (Anderson, 2002, pg. 119) I believe their leader was trying to tell his people the truth and someone who was probably part of his “cabinet”, so to speak, was trying to demean him and the truth he spoke. This is not unlike our leader today.
DeleteIn FEED, Violet shows classic leadership qualities. The most important leadership quality Violet shows is always questioning the system. By questioning the system constantly, she gets the other characters to quickly wonder why she’s so different and why she’s questioning their “perfect world.” Because she made the other characters see a different point of view and question whether their normal society is harmful or helpful, Violet is the best leader of all, a leader who makes their followers think for themselves instead of following blindly like most Americans do today. Violet completely changed Titus’ perspective on his world; he now understands that the feed programmed into the brain is not always this wonderful thing, it’s a thing that can kill his girlfriend and make her suffer. Because of her he understood that there is a different concept of school than just the feed’s SchoolTM, he understood that lesions weren’t a trendy thing to do, they were sick because it’s a leaking sore inflicted purposefully upon oneself, he understood that books existed and people read them and even write them. Without Violet’s classic leadership quality, Titus would still be blind on a huge perspective of a world he lives in. “...but I can’t remember anything that happened to me before I got the feed. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my past. Who are we if we don’t have a past?” Violet
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Violet did influence Titus, but I think it still was not enough to completely change his perspective. The reason I say this is because Titus says, "... we know that the big corps are made up of real human beings, not just jerks out for money, because taking care of children, they care about America's future."(Anderson, 2002, p.110) Here Titus had already known Violet for a while, but he was still so ignorant as to actually believe that the corporations were good and caring when they were actually just out to make money.
DeleteSeth Graves-I disagree with the idea that any of the characters in the novel FEED are leaders. The whole book seems to be about how the feed has "mind-numbed" most of the population. The people are all lead by the feed because of the advertising. The feed is also a strong leader because it is always in their brain. This means it is always effecting them as described in the book. The technology is also universally intelligent because everything that is put into it is known. Think of the feed as a less physically invasive Cyberdine from the Terminator movies.
Delete@Emma Not only is Violet a leader because she questions the system, but also because she inspires others to do so as well and follow her. In “Feed” by M. T. Anderson, Violet inspires Titus to do something he’d never done before; something that’s not common in their day and age. She inspires him to read the news. As Violet lay on her death bed, Titus is there and he says “I thought I’d tell you the news, what’s going on...” (Anderson, 2002, pg. 296). People say that in life, you’re either a follower, or you’re a leader. Violet shows that she is a leader by inspiring others to be different and follow her lead.
DeleteIn FEED Titus starts to care about his actions because of Violet,basically for love he starts to change. For the best, I beleive. In the Quiet room, Lori's brother, Steven shows the same kind of naive love. Steven is confused about why his sister is in the hospital and gets angry. He comes to the conclusion that her actions affect him to. That she overall influenced him, just like Violet influences Titus.
ReplyDeleteWhich shows leadership qualities by being able to change for love, and being able to face the odds for love.
DeleteI would disagree with you about Titus caring about Violet because while he does start to change for the better in the middle a little bit, he gets way worse in the end. At the end of the book Titus would ignore almost all of the messages that Violet was sending him. An example of this is when Violet said to Titus, "I'm going to tell you everything." (Anderson, 2002, p.253) It was one of Violet's dying wishes for Titus to have this information about her, but he cared so little about her and what mattered to her that he ended up deleting it all.
DeleteI agree with Madeleine, I do not think Titus cared for Violet very much. Once she told him about the situation with her feed starting to fail, it seemed as if Titus did not feel any sad emotion over it. He did not care to learn about the news that she would tell him throughout the book or about any of the messages that she sent. He only seemed to start to care when she was on her deathbed, where he read her some of the news (Anderson, 2002, p. 296).
DeleteTrevor- I am reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. In this book the Director shows leadership. The Director is an instrumental leader which means he focuses on completing goals and getting work done. An example of this is when he is trying to perfect the “Bokanovsky’s Process” and he says “If we could bokanovsky indefinitely the whole problem would be solved.”(Huxley, 2006, pg.7). The Director also shows leadership because he is dedicated to his work and people look up to him because he is an alpha.
ReplyDeleteIn FEED by M.T. Anderson, Violet shows honesty which is an important leadership quality. Throughout the book Violet tells Titus anything, and is honest even if Titus doesn’t want to hear it. An simple example is on pg. 89 when she talks about how she didn’t like the comedy movie but, she likes nature instead.
Jesse: I agree Violet is a very honest person which is one of the strongest leadership qualities. She is very honest and another example of her honesty is she tells Titus that she didn’t have a feed until she was seven. She says “I didn’t used to have a feed” (Anderson, 2002, pg 112). This shows her honesty with Titus and that she will say a lot of things most people won’t.
DeleteDante- I agree with you because Violet doesn't care what you think of something she tells Titus because she knows he needs to learn. When she says that her family was too poor to buy her a feed until she was seven Titus was shocked because he and everybody he knew had one.
DeleteAlex: @Trevor Not only is the Director a good leader because of his show of dedication and goal orientation, but also because of his delegation and the way that he inspires others. In Brave New World, Mr. Foster (a man who works under the Director) says, “We’ll beat them yet.” This is followed by an inspirational quote from the Director, “That’s the spirit I like! … come along with us, and give these boys the benefit of your expert knowledge.” Mr. Foster, obviously inspired by the Director’s delegation, responds, “With pleasure.” (A. Huxley, 2006, pg. 9)
DeleteIn The Quiet Room, the character Lori Winters is a leader. When she realizes her roommate Lori Schiller is ill, she goes to extreme lengths to make sure her roommate is well. Lori Winters stays up all night listening to the other Lori's voices, she calls her parents when the illness gets to bad, etc. Lori Winters does exactly what a leader should do, take care of the people and actively be worried about their well being. "The best thing we could do, we thought, was to try to make her cheerful." (pg 30) "I tried to be supportive. When I heard her up pacing at night I invited her into my room. There she would sit in the middle of the night, smoking and shaking and looking glum." (pg 31) "But sometimes I got so concerned that I called them (her parents) Lori's mother would listen to my stories, and in a very friendly motherly way, brush them aside." (pg 33)
ReplyDeleteLauren// I completely agree with you. I have not read the whole book yet, but so far the only character showing any signs of leadership is Lori Winters. While Lori Schiller's parents sit around and act like nothing is wrong and her brothers don't really want anything to do with her when she is first sick, Lori Winters notices even the smallest changes in Lori's mood and is constantly trying to lift her spirits.
DeleteA quote to back this up is "For weeks I had been keeping my eye on the bottles of pills that her psychiatrist had given her, just checking the levels every day" (Schiller, 1994, pg37). This shows how much Lori Winters cared every day for Lori and made sure that she wasn't going to succeed in hurting herself. Being a a caring person is a very important leadership quality because in order to be a leader you have to care for those or whoever you are leading.
DeleteLuke- In Brave New World, the people are artificially hatched and groomed into their future lives from before they are born. The babies are predestined "as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future ( ... ) Directors of Hatcheries"(Huxley, 2006, pg 13). The Alphas are referred to as future world controllers and are groomed from birth to have the ability to lead. At the same time, the other castes of society are groomed to lack these leadership qualities, especially epsilons who are given less oxygen to be natural followers. The Alphas are groomed to be decisive, strong leaders, however, they do lack a fundamental sense of compassion and only look for the most efficient way to accomplish something. I would not consider the Alpha’s to be good leaders since they are dictators that do not care or take criticism/advice from their subjects, which is an essential quality in a leader.
ReplyDeleteTrevor- I can agree and disagree with your view of the Director as a leader but, I think he is a leader because of other qualities like his intelligence and wisdom. On quote from the Director that I feel shoes the qualities is when he says,"that is the secret of of happiness and virtue-liking what what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny."(Huxley, 2006, pg.16). I feel this quote shows intelligence and wisdom because he knows how people and society work.
DeleteAnthony- Hey Luke, I would have to disagree with you I believe Alpha's are leaders because they are hard workers, well respected, and are very smart. Even the alpha children are shown to be respected just like they said in the book, "Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever..."(Huxley, 2006, pg. 27). The quote shows that even the children are respected for their intelligence and hard work. So I believe Alpha's are a good example of leaders.
DeleteI‘m going to have to disagree with you Anthony that the Alpha’s are good leaders because they are well respected by the other castes. The other castes are conditioned this way by the Alpha’s from the time that they are born. This also builds in resent for the caste that is below their caste. “I’m really awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas.” (Huxley, 2006, pg 27). The next page of the book goes on to say that this type of propping up of Alphas and degradation of lower castes is repeated to them for thirty months. So while I agree that other castes do look up to Alphas, I don’t think that makes them leaders since they forcefully condition others to look up to them.
DeleteSeth Graves- I agree with Anthony because there is a difference between a good leader and a nice leader. Hitler, for example, was a good leader but not a nice one. The Alphas have organized some form of lifestyle in which the society operates. Jobs that people dislike are still being done without their concern. The Alphas have formed a world in which everything operates to there will. There leadership is clearly not by the peoples will but they still have power. The caste system used to be used for years previously. Perhaps this is just an equivalent of what has already happened but just in the future technological setting.
DeleteMadeleine :) I'm reading The Once and Future King. I am still in the first half of the book, so at the moment Arthur has no idea that he will ever be a king, but already he is demonstrating qualities showing that he is an exceptional leader. The character trait that stands out most to me is his bravery. An example of when he shows his courage is when he went into a very dangerous forest all alone at night, knowing that he could easily get lost. "He felt that it would be safer to go home, while he still knew where he was-but he had a stout heart, and did not want to give in." (White, 1965,p.19) When he knows the right thing to do, he will do it even if he is afraid to. He is also very compassionate. This was obvious to me because he went through a lot of trouble and was willing to go into the forest to catch Cully, a hawk that he knew was very important to his friend Hob. "But Hob made Cully. It is all right for us to lose him, because we did not have to sit up with him three nights and carry him all day and that. But we can't lose Hob's hawk."(White, 1965, p.17) He put in a lot of effort and work to protect something that another person cared about. To me, that is such an amazing quality that makes for a great leader.
ReplyDeleteI have not read The Once and Future King, but from what you have said about the book, it seems to me that he is also showing selflessness. He risked getting lost in the dangerous woods just to go find his friend's hawk. To me, that is an outstanding quality of any leader. Being able to put others before yourself on occasion is a wonderful trait to have, especially when you're a leader.
DeleteI am currently reading "The Quiet Room" by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett. Someone who shows leadership qualities is Lori Schiller, but in the beginning of the book. When the book starts off, Lori is going to be a camp counselor at Lincoln Farms after many years of attending herself. She tells of how she "...shepherded the nine-and ten-year olds through sailing, canoeing, and archery." (Schiller, 1994, pg1) She then goes on to tell of how much she appreciated life and how much she loved and cared for everyone is it. "I was energetic and active, happy and bubbly, a friend to everyone." (Schiller, 1994, pg4) In the previous quote, she expresses many qualities that would make a good leader that she felt she had. Lori was also a leader to her younger siblings in the home. In a chapter written in Steven Schiller's perspective he says "When i was eleven, all I wanted to be was 17, because Lori was 17 and she had it all. Lori's life looked so glamorous that i often enjoyed fantasizing about the day that I would be able to do the things that she was doing." (Schiller, 1994, pg56) Every day before the voices took over Lori was a leader and role model to both of her younger brothers, setting examples for good grades and doing her best in everything she did. I feel like i can relate to Lori before the voices in some ways. For one, I set an example of how to do things right and how to do good in school every day for my younger sister. I feel like a leader when I set that example for her because I am helping to lead her in to the direction of success, just like the way Lori led her brothers every day. Before the voices took over, Lori had very many qualities of a leader and showed it many ways.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, but even after her illnes takes over she is still a leader. She is still fighting and still trying to be the best leader she can be, even without being lucid.
DeleteI agree that before the voices took over she had leadership qualities but afterwards she tends to lie a lot to her friends and family and the people that try to help her. I think she lost her trustworthy-ness and becomes a danger to herself.
DeleteI totally agree with you that Lori Schiller does show lots of leadership qualities. When applying to colleges Lori said, "...I had a pretty good chance to getting into any of my choices..." (Schiller, 1994, pg 19), which shows how she is confident in herself. Many leaders are confident in their abilities and are not afraid to show and say it. Even though she does begin to change, the qualities are still there just not as prominent.
Delete“I didn’t know how to communicate my suffering to anyone else. My anger was returning. I was screaming for help, but the language I was speaking no one seemed to understand. (183)” In this quote it shows that even while fighting her illness she is still trying to overcome it. She is still trying to be the leader she was. Shes begging for help but no one understands her, is that her fault or the people arround her that never thought anything could be wrong with her?
DeleteSydney- I agree with you Lauren. I feel like Lori Schiller showed role model skills for the younger children at Lincoln Farms. I do have to disagree on how she was not a leader anymore after the voices took over.I believe she still had leadership skills because she was fighting even though the voices kept talking.
DeleteAnthony- In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and in the book the Director is a character that shows leadership. The Director is very respected and admired, he is also a very smart man and knows what he is doing. An example is when the Director is talking to the students about the test tubes he tells them, “‘at blood heat; whereas the male gametes,’ and here he opens another door, ‘they have to be kept at thirty-five instead of thirty-seven. Full blood sterilizers.’” (Huxley, 2004, pg,5). On this he is telling the students that the male gametes have to be stored at thirty-five degrees and the female gametes get stored at thirty-seven degrees which shows he is an intelligent man. The director is also an Alpha so he is looked up to and works very hard with his studies.
ReplyDeleteIn the book FEED by M.T. Anderson, I think Violet is a good example as a leader. Violets shows some good traits of a leader, she is very brave and honest. She is very honest with Titus throughout the book, like when they were talking about the government, “... so I was like, Then you should do something about it. It’s a free country. You should do something. She was like, Nothing’s ever going to happen in a two-party system. She was like, da da da, nothing’s ever going to change, both parties are in the pocket of big business, da da da, all that? So I was like, You got to believe in the people, it’s a democracy, we can change things. She was like, It’s not a democracy.” (Anderson, 2002, pg.111) This shows that violet is very honest and brave for calling out the government. She is also very brave because she states how the feed is having a negative affecting on people and how everyone's communication skills have decreased.
Trevor- I agree with you that Violet is a leader because of her honesty. At the end of the book after Titus and Violet fight, she messages Titus saying "... I am messaging you to say that I love you... you're someone people could learn from."(Anderson, 2002, pg. 276). This shows that even when Violet is mad at Titus she is still honest with him.
DeleteI also agree that Violet is a good example of a leader. She is not afraid to speak her mind and be brutally honest when something is bothering her. A example is when she gets angry at the party and says "Can i tell you what i see? We are hovering in the air while people starving."(Anderson, 2012, pg.201). This shows that Violet is willing to speak her opinion and be honest even if it wont be liked.
DeleteDante- In FEED by M.T. Anderson Violet is a character that shows leadership qualities. She explains things to Titus even if she knows that he will disagree. She tells things like they are and not like the feed wants you to hear it " No they didn't. They disconnected us . They shut down most of the functions. The feed was still on. It's part of the brain (Anderson, 2002, pg. 171) This shows that People with the feed do not always know as much as they think. Violet knows that people can't live without feed once it is in you.
ReplyDeleteIn the book The Great Gatsby the narrator would show the most leadership. When Tom took him to town to see his misstress the narrator did not want to participate "Hold on, I have to leave you here." then says " well I'd like to but----" (Fitzgerald pg. 28) this shows that he does not want to partake in something he knows shouldn't be happening.
Daryn - I would completely agree with you that Nick, the narrator, has some characteristics of a leader. He shows tolerance when he is around Tom. While travelling around New York Tom says to Nick, "We're getting off, I want you to meet my girl." (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 24). Earlier in the book, Nick mentions that he does not like Tom, but he is trying to be nice, so he tolerates Tom's behavior.
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DeleteDante I disagree with you that Nick is a leader. From the start of the book he has does nothing but follow. For example when Tom Buchanan invites him to come along, he just follows and does whatever he is told like when when Tom says "We're getting off" and sure enough Nick says nothing and simply follows orders to get off the train to meet Mrs. Wilson (Fitzgerald, 1925, p.24).
DeleteDaryn - I am reading "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the very beginning of the story, you meet Tom Buchanan. Tom is the main character, Nick's, cousin through marriage. Tom is a horrible man that possesses none of the characteristics that a leader has. He is a very rich man, and he isn't afraid to admit that. He boasts as he is walking around his house, "I've got a nice place here" (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 7). Later in the book, you come to find out that Tom is having an affair, which shows that he has no loyalty to his wife. There is a gathering that Nick goes to with Tom and Tom's mistress, Mrs. Wilson, where another one of Tom's actions shows that he is not a leader. At the party, Tom is arguing with Mrs. Wilson and ends up hitting her in the face, giving her a bloody nose. He is not respected by Nick or any of Mrs. Wilson's friends. Overall, Tom is not even close to being a leader.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Tom, Violet from the book "Feed" by M.T. Anderson was a great leader. She was very intelligent, dedicated, loyal, and passionate about certain things. While Violet and Titus were dating, she was very loyal and stated, "You're the most important person in my life. I'm going to tell you everything," (Anderson, 2002, p. 253). She also stated that she wanted to be with Titus forever. Violet was also very passionate about the environment. At dinner with Titus's family, Violet was arguing with Titus's father about how they need to stop cutting trees down (Anderson, 2002, p. 125). Violet had many leadership qualities that showed throughout the entire book.
Jesse: I disagree when you say Tom has zero leadership qualities. He has show he has a lot of confidence and determination which are very good leadership qualities because if you want people to follow you they must know you have confidence and determination. For example Tom can get most people to go with him somewhere or listen to him as shown when he says “We are getting off I want you meet my girl” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 24). Tom was talking to Nick and getting him to get of the car. Then Nick says “... his determination to have my company bordered on violence” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 24). Nick even says his determination is so crazy it bordered violence. Also you said he walks around his house and boasts about himself which shows high confidence.
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DeleteDante- I would agree with you on saying that Tom has no leadership qualities. Tom is having an affair which shows no leadership quality, he even admits to not loving daisy anymore" Neither of them can stand the person they're married too." (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg. 33). Another action he does that shows no leadership quality is when he breaks Mrs. Wilsons nose. "Making a deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with an open hand"(Fitzgerald, 1925, pg. 37)
DeleteI agree with Daryn about Tom boasting about money not making him a good leader, because citizens in turn see he has money and wonder why he isn’t helping. Tom is much like todays President Trump, receiving a small loan of a million dollars for his business startup, I believe some of that money could be used to help citizens instead of personal gain.
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ReplyDeleteJesse: I am reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the book Tom Buchanan shows a few leadership qualities such as confidence, dedication, and passion. Tom shows confidence everytime he talks as he is a full of himself kind of guy. He also shows dedication and passion to staying where he lives and not being threatened to leave. As in the story him and the narrator (Nick) are talking and he says that he is a bond man and told Tom for whom he was a bond man and Tom says “Never heard of them” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 10). Nick replied back saying “You will if you stay in the East” and Tom said back “Oh, I’ll stay in the East, don’t you worry” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 10). Nick also says “... as if he were alert for something more” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 10). This shows passion and dedication to the East and that he will not be threatened and pushed out by someone he does not know.
ReplyDeleteIn the book Feed, Violet shows great leadership qualities such as strong values, intelligence, and passion. She cares about having knowledge about everything and not just what the government will let her know through the feed. For example she says “ No one with feeds think about it. When you have the feed all your life, you’re brought up to not think about things. Like them never telling you that it is a republic and not a democracy. It is something that makes me angry, what people don’t know about these days” (Anderson, 2002, pg 113). This shows her strong values that she wants everyone to have all knowledge not just some and her passion for the intelligence of her and her peers.
I totally agree with you that Violet is a leader and is very intelligent. Violet knows a lot about the country, she is very aware of what is happening in the country and is smart enough to understand everything. An example is when Violet tells Titus, "Only about seventy-three percent of Americans have feeds" (Anderson, 2002, pg. 112). This shows how aware Violet is about the county and shows she knows many thing that other people do not.
DeleteJesse I agree with you that Tom shows that he has a few qualities of a leader, but I disagree when it comes to him being an actual leader. Also, how can you say he has any dedication when he cannot even show the slightest hint of it to his wife? Tom does indeed share some of the same qualities as that of a leader yes, but in him they do not exude leadership, but rather bring out his arrogance and distastefulness as a person like when he hits Mrs. Wilson across the face(Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 37). Thus to call him a leader cannot be a reasonable assumption.
DeleteI agree with you that Tom could be described as a leader because he is well known and has influence. He has confidence, dedication and passion, but, is he using them in a positive way? To be considered a good leader, he would need to show that he has those qualities and use them for good.
DeleteAs for FEED, Violet shows leadership, not only for others, but for herself. She wears what she wants and thinks what she wants, not what she is told. Being independent and being able to make decisions for yourself are very important qualities in being a leader. For example, Loga, Calista, and Quendy all follow the daily and sometimes hourly trends that the feed shows them is in. If they have done their hair one way and 20 minutes later the feed says that hairstyle is out and something else is in, they immediately go to the bathroom and chair their hair. You never once see Violet take part in the trends that change multiple times a day. "Once she (Loga) went to the bathroom, casual like, and came back with her hair parted in a different place. Calista and Quendy watched her. Later, without saying anything, they went and did theirs different like that too" (Anderson, 2002, pg 52). This quote takes place in the hospital after everyone except Loga gets hacked in the dance club. Loga is the only one with a feed and it tells her to change her hair, so she does. The other girls without feeds follow, except Violet.
ReplyDeleteEmily- I agree with you when you say that being independent makes violet a leader. At times, a part of being a leader is not following others when they are doing something bad or unnecessary, like obsessively parting their hair. Violet leads by example. she is proving to everyone around her that it is not necessary to to follow the Feeds trends, and to keep up with them all of the time, even though everyone around her is constantly worried about the latest trends. It is very easy to fall into peer pressure when everyone around her was following the Feed, but Violet doesn't follow her friends every move, and that is a very good leadership quality to have.
DeleteAlyssa- In the novel "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, Violet shows leadership in one main way, by her intelligence. Violet is the most intelligent person in that novel, besides her dad. Unlike the other characters in the story, Violet has real intelligence. The others just have their feeds. If someone asks Violet a question she is more likely to know the answer right off the top of her head. For the others, they have to look it up on their feeds. Having that knowledge in your brain already allows you to make decisions quicker and make more intelligent decisions. Being able to make quick and intelligent decisions is a very important quality that a leader must have. Being able to make those decisions requires knowledge. Knowing things that have happened in the past and learning from them is a must for a leader. Imagine if people today never knew about the Holocaust. If people didn't know about that, then they may think that it is alright to send people who are different to get killed. On the topic of getting discriminated against, I am reading another book called "Native Son" by Richard Wright. This book is the story of an African American man going through life shortly after they were freed from slavery, when extreme prejudice was still taking place. The main character, Bigger, is trying to get his life together. He went from being in a gang, to working for a white family in the white person's neighborhood. Him and his gang were about to rob an old man's store when Bigger finally realized that he had a chance in life.
ReplyDeleteHe was a fool for wanting to rob Blum's just when he was about to get a good
job. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Why take a fool's chance when other
things, big things, could happen? If something slipped up this afternoon he
would be out of a job and in jail, maybe. (Wright, 1940, pg. 37)
Bigger is aware of his opportunities available and takes action upon that. That is another very important quality that a leader must have. A leader must be able to recognize when they have an outstanding opportunity and act upon that.
Olivia- I agree with you that Violet is very intelligent. But, I will have to say that violet also depends on her feed for inelegance just like the other characters do. While Titus and his parents were arguing at the dinner table when violet was there, Titus's dad called him a brat and Violet chatted Titus through the feed that he was not a brat. "Dude, I just bought you an upcar, and you're being a brat", Titus's father, "You're not being a brat, Violet chatted" ( Anderson, 2003, p 128).
DeleteViolet tends to use the feed, or more specifically the chat, when she's in an uncomfortable situation. She used it in that situation so she didn't get the backlash from Titus's father. Violet acted the way any person today would. If it was an uncomfortable situation for her to stand up for Titus in person, then the least she could do is try to comfort him. She tends to use the feed more for personal or experimental reasons instead of using her feed to replace her intelligence.
DeleteMatthew- Although I will agree that Violets Intelligence is an important leadership quality, I will argue that her ability to care is just as important as her intelligence when it comes to being a leader. Caring for others when leading them is important because if you do not consider their interests of what would happen to others when you make a decision, then you aren’t helping anyone but yourself. Violet shows her care when she says, “I’m sorry. Please. Tell Quendy I’m sorry.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 215) This is significant because Violet had said something out of line to Quendy and she thought about it and felt really bad. This shows that Violet cared for Quendy’s feelings, even if Quendy wasn’t her favorite person.
DeleteOlivia: I am currently reading I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb. The story is about the young teenager, Malala, and how she is fighting for education and while doing so gets shot in the head by the Taliban and survives. Malala shows many leadership qualities. One, for instance, after she is shot there was a Malala Fund created that sends her money. When she receives the money she takes it and sends it to people who need it more than she does because since the shooting she was moved into a rich neighborhood into a nice house. When she sends the money instead of taking it for herself it shows the leadership quality of taking no reward. Malala says, " When I get prizes I send them to Swat children to go to school or adults buy small businesses, like a shop or a taxi to drive so that they can earn money for their families" (Yousafzali, 2015, pg xvii). Malala also shows she is willing to risk her life. She knows that she is in danger going to school as a woman, but also is in danger because her father is a political figure in Swat. Lots of people do not agree with what her father says. This makes it sketchy for Malala to school. "Moniba said, 'Look, it is one of those journalist coming to interview you'", "Since I'd started speaking at events with my father to campaign for girls education and against those like the Taliban who want to hide us away, journalist often came, even foreigners,though not like this in the road" (Yousafzali, 2015, pg 9). This was happening on the school bus on her way to school when the bus was shot and Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteOlivia: In feed Titus shows the leadership quality of loyalty. He is loyal to Violet. When all of Titus's friends were going into Mal he said decided he did not want to because Violet was with them. This was a way of proving his loyalty to her. Also, when she is talking about how she wants to make herself not noticeable to the feeds, Titus goes along with it even when he does not believe it is possible.
DeleteJacob: I don't think that Titus was loyal to Violet at all. When she started to take on major effects from the hack, Titus basically stopped caring for her. He decided to start dating Quendy. When he tried to act like he cared the first time, He sat by Violets bed not rally saying anything as he watched her get worse. Titus even got into an argument with her father that left him crying like a child. The only time he actually cared was when she was already brain dead, and it was too late.
DeleteI disagree with you Jacob. Titus may have seemed to not care for Violet towards the end of the novel, I do agree with that. But, I do believe that Titus doing that was just his way of coping because he knew that Violet was going to die and he wanted to not be too attached to her when she actually died. He was trying to save himself from getting hurt. Yes, he did hurt Violet in the process, but throughout the entire novel Titus doesn't really know how to handle feelings. He doesn't quite know how to act and things that he should or shouldn't say. I wouldn't say that those things determine that Titus doesn't care for Violet. I mean, he did come around in the end and he was there for Violet to hold her hand and be with her when no one but her father was there.
DeleteEli: I am currently reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and so far there hasn’t been an example of a true leader. However there has been an example of a bad leader; Tom Buchanan. Tom has many of the qualities of a poor leader: he is very disloyal and as well as arrogant. He shows his true self right after his introduction in the novel when he brags about his estate saying “I’ve got a nice place here” showing how is very full of himself (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 7). Tom continues to show his poor leadership when we learn that he is having an affair with a girl in the city (Fitzgerald, 1925, p.15). Loyalty and integrity are traits that all great leaders have, and Tom’s unfaithfulness to his wife as well as his arrogance prove that he is incapable of being considered a great leader.
ReplyDeleteIn FEED by M.T. Anderson, we see the exact opposite type of character, one who exhibits excellent traits of leadership. Violet is a great example of how someone who is intelligent and independent can be a leader. The society in FEED has become one made up of mainly followers so when the characters run into someone like Violet who is not, they’re fascinated. When Titus first sees her the only thing he can think about is how weird her clothes are, Violet doesn’t conform to society in the same way and she doesn’t feel the need to (Anderson, 2002, p). Violet is also very passionate about what she believes in, like when she fights with Titus’ dad at dinner about the environment or when she talks about how the government is a democracy not a republic(Anderson, 2002, p.113&125). Violet’s traits of being intelligent as well as passionate help to make her a good leader.
Jacob: hey Eli, I'm Going to have to disagree with you about Violet. While she is intelligent, she never uses that do lead the group. Also, while she does argue with Titus' dad, this was after the hack. Later in the book we learn that the hack started to ruin her feed, making her have outbursts. Could this attack on Titus' dad have been an outburst before we learned how bad it was getting for her? Look at her character before the hack and how shy she was, she chose to sit in a corner and not really interact with the others. this was even true after the hack at the parties they went to. While she did put in an effort to interact with the other girls at one of the parties, it talked about how she was visibly uncomfortable.
DeleteIn the book Feed by MT Anderson, I would say that Calista is described as a leader but only because she is the leader of her, logas, and Quendys little clique. Calista, to me, is one of the farthest things from a leader. She brags about all of her money and how she's always up to date on the newest trends. She is described as being physically attractive and popular which are bothe leadership qualities but she is also rude and cruel to even the people that are supposedly her friends and are always by her side. Calista really looks down on Violet because she is lower-class and strange. She is very condescending towards Violet and treats her like she's stupid. When violet was confused about a certain riot on page 163 Calista was condescending in the way that she said, “like a riot, i dont know, violet. Like, when people start breaking windows and beating each other up, and they have to call the cops. A riot. You know. Riot?” A true leader wouldn't make someone intentionally feel bad.
ReplyDeleteIn the book I am reading, “A Quiet Place”, by Lori Schiller, the main Character Lori Schiller suffers from Schizophrenia. Her friend Lori Winters shows true leadership in how she helps her friend lori get the help she needs and helps her get better. Lori winters tells loris parents about her being worried and how she needs to get help soon, page 33. Lori winters is strong, respected by lori and her parents and is brave enough to help her friend even though she knows it could ruin her friendship. Lori with Schizophrenia though, is not a leader to me. She lies to everyone that tries to help her and although she tries to be brave, she pushes everyone away and lies her way through everything.
this is kiira ^^^
DeleteI agree with you that Lori Winters shows true leadership qualities. But, I will have to disagree with you about how Lori Schiller does not have leadership qualities. To me, Lori Schiller shows that she is brave. After her second suicide attempt her Father wants to admit her to the psychiatric ward for further treatment. At first she refused to go but after a lot of begging from her brother and Father she decides to admit herself. This was very brave of Lori in my eyes because she does not think she needs treatment but after seeing the pain on her family's face she then realizes she really does.
DeleteOlivia^^^
DeleteKiira- i do believe she is brave and i can see your point of view. I just think she does what she thinks is good for her and she doesn't listen to her parents. She is selfish and a liar so i dont believe she is a good example of a leader.She does at a few points just try to give up and let her disorder get the best of her. On page 131 she says, "I felt hopeless. I was never going to get better. All i was doing was spending time that was really wasted since i was ultimately going to get done what had to be done.... killing myself was my job, my responsibility" (Schiller,Bennet, 1994, pg 131)
DeleteJacob- In the book Brave New World, we start off with a character called The Director. He is a powerful figure within the Central London Hatchery an Conditioning Centre. He is followed by a group of students scribbling down notes almost every time The Director says, or as the book states it, " straight out of the horses mouth. The Director is said to be a very good looking man, " Tall but rather upright..... He had a rather upright chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips."(Huxley, 1998, pg. 4) Good looking was one of the leadership traits we learned about. The director is also very well respected. this is seen by how the students are in awe at every fact that is given to them. This is seen again when the group arrives at the Infant Nurseries, Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms. When the nurses see The Director, they immediately stand at attention and are ready to take orders. The nurses follow The Director's commands literally at the wave of a hand, " He waved his hand again, and the Head Nurse pressed the second lever." (Huxley, 1998, pg. 20) The Director is also a very intelligent man. As he talks to the students, he decribes the different processes that they use for creating babies, like " Bokanovsky's Process".
ReplyDeleteIn FEED, I don' think that any of the characters are good leaders. out of all of them, Violet holds the most leadership qualities, Like her unusual knowledge compared to the others, but most of the time, she just sat in a corner being quite and shy. She never used her qualities to lead the group. Quendy could bee seen as the learder of the other girls, because they respect her, but the most that she does is cause the other girls to follow popular trends like hair styles. The main character of the book Titus, doesn't really show any of the leadership characteristics. All of the members of the group just follow the others, nobody every does anything that makes them a leader.
Jacob- My bad, meant Calista, not Quendy for the second part. :(
DeleteI agree with you Jacob that none of the characters in FEED show leadership qualities. All of the the characters, including the parents, never really make any decisions or display leadership qualities. Such as, after the hack when the kids are stuck on the moon, Titus’s dad comes to check on him. Instead of reassuring Titus all his dad does is say “They want to subpoena your memories. This is this thing which is . . . Okay, This is bullshit.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 56). At the end of the book Titus’s father further proves he his a poor leader because he did not remain faithful while on a work outing. His father shares his memories from the trip once he returns home “I kept on looking at this like forty-five-year-old V.P. lady and getting completely turned on.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 282). Adults and kids don’t show leadership qualities in FEED.
DeleteI would have to disagree with you that there are no leaders in Feed. Although Violet isn't perfect, she does stand out of a crowd because she is not afraid to be different or question authority. Constantly throughout the book she is bringing up a lot of topics like if the Feed is really good for you or not. She also is brave in telling that she did not get her Feed until she was 7 (Anderson, 2002, p.113). Which most people got their feed when they were born, and she did not get hers until she was 7. And not having it until then seperates her from most people, which is also most likely why she questions the ways of the world because it doesn't all feel normal to her and she can see that more than most people which makes her a good leader because she has an independent mind in some ways while having the feed.
DeleteA leader is someone who will help teach and inspire those under them to help the greater good for a cause or the group. Many people have such qualities of a leader, but do not know exactly how to use them. In both of my books, Feed by M.T. Anderson and The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett, characters portray such leadership qualities.
ReplyDeleteIn Feed, Violet constantly is showing us how she is a leader and takes her own steps to things. As a leader, Violet purposely does not see the best in everything. To be a leader one must be able to see what is going on to be able to make a change in it. Throughout the story Violet shares with Titus the many ways that their society is slowly failing and it will continue to do so if they were just to allow it to keep going downhill. In Feed it says, "She's always looking for stuff about the decline of civilizations, and everything's a mess."(Anderson, 2002, pg 184), this shows how Titus too is noticing how Violet is not like the others and sees things that others do not see. Her qualities to see the change and decline of so much helps her be a leader even though she is not leading a group to do something about it, a leader can be someone who has the courage to share something that everyone else may disagree with.
In The Quiet Room, Lori Winters shares her own set of leadership qualities. Lori winters is the best friend of Lori, who has schizophrenia. One quality of a good leader is to be there for your people no matter the situation. When Lori began to start act differently, Lori Winters did not let that affect the way she saw and thought of her. The line, "When I heard her pacing in the night I invited her into my room." (Schiller & Bennett, 1994, pg 31), shows how Lori Winters was sympathetic and truly cared for the ones she loved. As a leader caring and being there for people in the hardest times makes them a stronger, more personable leader. Lori shows this quality so much through the reading.
Kaila- I agree that Lori Winters shows great leadership qualities in this book. Looking out for your friend who is in need is so important and Lori is right there with her through this. Lori really shows that she is a leader in this book. I also agree that Violet is a leader in the book Feed. Violet sees things different than everyone else and in the book they really show her different ways of thinking.
DeleteI agree with you that Violet posses many qualities of a leader even if she is not necessarily leading a large group. The way Violet sees things and chooses to lead allows her to look past the social norm and do what makes her happy. Violet leads herself, which is more rewarding than leading a large group of people that she has no interest in.
DeleteKaila- In the book Feed by M.T. Anderson, Violet shows many leadership qualities throughout the book. Violet knows she was raised different than many of the people that she was hanging around, and Titus started to realize that violet was different too. Violet didn't get her feed until she was 7 years old unlike most of the people in the book, so she remembered what it was like to be without her feed. “My Friends and I were all home-schooled, so we’re a mixed bag. Bettina’s Mother has us come over and weave ponchos.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 78). This quote from the book is showing how Violet was different from Titus and his friends. Violet was homeschooled and didn't learn things about the feed like Titus said they did in school. Violet was her own person and she goes on to tell Titus how people don't really think about life without their feed because they didn't have to. Violet stands up for herself in this case and I feel that standing up for what you believe is right is a very good leadership quality.
ReplyDeleteIn The Quiet Room by Amanda Bennett and Lori Schiller, I felt that Lori Winters has shown some very good leadership qualities. Lori Winters said how she noticed Lori started to act different and that what they needed to do was keep her cheerful. Lori Winters would get concerned sometimes and call Lori Schiller's mom and tell her the stories when she would be worried about Lori (Schiller and Bennett, 1994, pg 30 and pg 31). I think that Lori Winters calling Lori's parents to tell her mom that she was concerned about her shows a great leadership quality. That really showed that she cared about her friend and her well being. She tried to keep Lori cheerful and make sure she was ok and that is something that is important in many friendships and shows she is a leader for Lori Schiller.
Autumn : I agree that Lori Winters is a leader. She is always trying to make sure Lori feels comforted. Lori Winters telling Lori's mom when she was worried about her goes to show how caring and compassionate she is about other people, she doesn't just care about herself.
DeleteEmily- In the book “Feed” by M.T. Anderson, Titus shows examples of leadership because he was very determined and mentally composed. He says, “ I’d like to have like, this intense pleasure in every one of my senses, all of them so full up that they just burst me open, and the feed like going a mile a second, so that it’s like every channel is just jammed with excitement and it’s going faster and faster and better and better, until just -- BAM” (Anderson, 2002, pg 145) This shows how determined he is, expressing his passion for knowledge. The whole quote talks about his personality and demeanor. There is nothing more important in leadership than feeling the need for more knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIn the Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett, Lori Winter shows leadership qualities such as communicating and trustworthiness. Lori Winter shows these strong leadership qualities by helping out Lori Schiller when she couldn’t sleep. In the book Lori Winter says “Come into my room, if you can’t sleep” (Schiller and Bennett, 201, pg 24). She offers her a place to sleep and comfort her through good communication. Lori Winter also gets Lori Schiller to say “I’m having some problems… I think I need to talk to someone” (Schiller and Bennett, 2011, pg 24). Which shows she is a trustworthy person and is easy to talk to, which is a key to good leadership.
In Feed, I would say Titus does not really show leadership in many ways, so I have to disagree with you. In the end of the book when Violet is slowly dying, she is sending long text about how she feels and all her memories as she is trusting Titus to be a god friend. Titus however ignores her. In fact he says, " I deleted everything she had sent me." (Anderson, 2002, pg 254). To me, ignoring someone and not being there for someone when they need you, would make you not a good leader. Titus continually "disappeared" everything time Violet was in need.
DeleteIn The Quiet Room I would say it is more empathy that Lori Winter was showing for Lori Schiller, which is also a great leadership quality. So I would say that communication is a good leadership quality, but for this example I would say it is more empathy that she is showing.
DeleteHello, this is Taylor. I am currently reading “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and so far in the reading the important characters I have met are Nick, Tom, and Daisy. Daisy has leadership qualities such as honesty and confidence. She says “You see I think everything’s terrible anyhow…” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 16). Which shows she is a very honest person and that she isn’t afraid to address what is on her mind. Daisy also says “Sophisticated-God, I’m sophisticated” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 16). This shows she is confident in herself and thinks she is knowledgeable about what is going on in the world. These qualities that she posses are not the same as the mainstream known and powerful leaders, but it shows that she is a leader to herself and that is what is important. Unlike Daisy who has shown some exceptional leadership qualities, in the novel “Feed” by M.T. Anderson President Trumbull has shown the opposite of what it takes to be a respected leader. When on the feed news he would lie and the government would try and cover up them up. He would also use disrespectful language such as calling people “shit heads”. When you think about our president today, Trump and Trumbull are not all that different, and many people do not think that either of these presidents are very respectable. Earlier I stated that Daisy was a good leader because of her honesty, which is not a quality that President Trumbull posses.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in "Feed" by M.T. Anderson that President Trumbull is the complete opposite of a great leader. The major quality about him that I noticed was also a liar. When the president disrespectfully calls the Prime Minister a "shit head," his workers that speak for him say, "This is an American idiom used to praise people..." (Anderson, 2002, pg 119). They continue to lie, "The President meant to say that the Prime Minister's head was fertile.." (Anderson, 2002, pg 119).
DeleteEmily- I have to agree with you that president Trumbull does not show good leadership qualities, although in a small, horrible way, he does portray a key aspect to being a good leader. President Trumbull has a very effective way of getting the people he is "leading" to be brainwashed into believing anything he believes. A part of leading is getting people to follow you, and President Trumbull does a great job of that through the Feed. For example, Lesions are these big sores, that in any right persons mind, would be horrible, but through the feed he gets everyone to think they're cool and trendy. President Trumbull does a good job of getting everyone to follow him, but he uses his good leadership qualities for the bad.
DeleteThis is Sydney, I am reading “The Quiet Room” By Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett. I believe that Lori Schiller is a leader. She suffered for so long, and even though despite a moment of weakness and tried to commit suicide, she otherwise never gave up. She always fought the fight as best as she could.
ReplyDeleteSo for the last year of high school, as the Voices came and went without warning, I played a game of cat-and-mouse. I kept on going to school, I kept on studying. I went to the prom, applied to college, went skiing with my friends, listened to music or talked about guys with Gail. But always I had to be on my guard. When the Voices began to shriek, I had to stay composed. (Schiller, 1994, Pg 17)
This shows so many leadership qualities like tolerance, commitment, and dedication. “Today this illness, the Voices, are still a part of my life. But it is I who have won, not they.”(Schiller, 1994, pg 7)
In the book “Feed” by M.T. Anderson, Link and Marty do not show good leadership qualities. They are not trustworthy and they don’t have the best interest of others in mind. They both try and pressure people to go into mal. Violet was not happy when Marty was like, “We could malfunction.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 33) Link agreed with Marty and asked the girls what the problem was. “Violet looked uncomfortable now.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 33). Everyone has the right to make their own choices, and friends should never try to pressure a friend into doing something they don’t want to do, or make them feel bad if they won’t do it.
I agree that Link does not show good leadership qualities. He is very negative and does not think of other's feelings. In the beginning Titus and his friends go to the Ricochet Lounge and Link complains the whole time. He starts saying, "This is null. This sucks." (Anderson, 2002, pg 13). After Marty tells Link to give the place a chance Link says, "No. Play by yourself. Play with yourself..." (Anderson, 2002, pg 13). Link is very negative and does not take others into consideration at all. He does not show any leadership qualities at all.
DeleteI agree with you that Lori Schiller is a leader. I did not even see the standpoint you are taking on it, but I am glad you did. Even through attempted suicide twice, Lori Schiller is still here and trying every day to be better. "I tried to clean up my act as quickly and completely as possible. I tried to obey all the rules, to attend every community meeting, to take my medication without protest. And I tried to endure silently the fear that accompanied the raging Voices. It was my will against theirs: I held firm and refused to heed their commands, refused to become lost in their screaming, refused the relief of screaming myself" (Schiller and Bennett, 1994, pg 162). She realises what she is doing is wrong and is making a conscious effort to fix it, which takes a strong a brave person to be able to do. She is slowly turning in to a leader for her own mind against the Voices.
DeleteCheyenne- In the book “Feed” by M.T. Anderson, Violet’s father shows leadership in many ways. He is very passionate about his beliefs, is very intelligent, and has a large imagination and sense of humor. He has strong values and is passionate because he didn’t want his daughter to become overly reliant like the others with their feeds. He also has the house filled with books unlike anyone else in this dystopian society. When Titus enters the house he describes it as, “Everything had words on it. There were papers with words on them, and books, and even posters on the walls had words.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 135). This is very significant because it shows Violet’s father’s beliefs and how he is different from the others that are completely brainwashed. He also got Violet a feed when he thought she was old enough and mature for it unlike the rest of society that are taught to be completely dependent on the feeds at a very young age. He has a bit of a sense of humor also. When he first meets Titus he says, “I am filled with astonishment at the regularity of your features…” (Anderson, 2002, pg 136). He is being sarcastic when he is saying this joking around with Titus. These features that Violet’s father shows are some of the many that contribute to being a good leader.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have noticed that Daisy shows some characteristics of leadership. She shows great tolerance and is very mentally strong and passionate. She starts explaining to Nick about when she gave birth to her daughter and says “...she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where.” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pg 16-17). Basically, she knows Tom is having an affair throughout their marriage and still is very tolerant with him. She is very passionate about her beliefs and family values. She wants the best for her daughter and her family’s reputation. She may be suffering but she knows how to keep it together and do what she thinks is best for her family. Those are a few ways Daisy has shown leadership from what I have read so far.
Chey, I'm going to have to disagree with you about Daisy being a leader. She knows that Tom is cheating on her, yet she does nothing about it. This shows a lack of respect for herself. If she was a true leader, she would leave him because she knows that adultery is very wrong and it will only make their daughter's life more confusing as she grows up. Nick states, "It seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do was rush out of the house, child in arms-- but apparently there were no such intentions in her head." (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 20).
DeleteHello this is Mikala. I am reading the book "The Quiet Room". In the book Lori Winter shows leadership qualities that are quiet unique compared to other leaders. One quality she has of being a leader is being strong. Everyday is a battle for her because she constantly battles with voices in her head that tell her to kill herself or hurt others. The voices also make her feel very bad about herself saying things like "You whore bitch who isn't worth a piece of crap!" (Schiller and Bennett, 2011, p.6). Although Lori constantly deals with these voices in her head, she tries to act as calmly and normally as she possibly can so she doesn't do or say things that could hurt other people. She also shows bravery when she begins to be honest about what she is feeling. She tells here friends that she wants to kill herself, which is brave and smart so she can be safe. (Schiller and Bennett, 2011, p.36)
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, a character by the name of Violet shows leadership in the form of questioning authority and not being afraid to be different. She is always questioning the ways of their perfect society which then makes other people wonder if the way their world is, is perfect. She is a good leader because she doesn't just follow the ways of everyone else, she always does things in her own way because that is the way she trusts. She is also a good leader because she isn't afraid to not be like everyone. Violet told her boyfriend Titus that she did not get her feed until she was 7, which most people got it when they were born. Titus reacted like it was the craziest thing he had ever heard. (Anderson, 2002, p.113) But Violet on the other hand thought it was good to know a life without feed. Showing that she doesn't care to be like everyone else which is a good leadership quality.
I meant to say Lori Schiller not Lori Winter!
DeleteSydney- Mikala, I agree with you completely on "The Quiet Room". But I think you mean Lori Schiller, not Lori Winter.. Besides that, I also think she is very strong through the parts I have read so far.
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DeleteAutumn: I agree that Violet shows many qualities of a leader. From the beginning of the book, she showed being a leader. From never giving up when their feeds got hacked to coming up with ideas so the corporations couldn´t run the feeds. I agree that she isn´t afraid to be herself. She said Ï didn´t use to have a feed.¨ (Anderson, 2002, pg 112). Shes not reliant on her feed like everyone else is.
DeleteAutumn : I am reading “The Quiet Room” by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett. In this book, Lori Schiller looks like she lives a perfect life on the outside, but on the inside she’s fighting the voices in her head.
ReplyDelete“You must die! Other Voices joined in. “You must die! You will die!” (Schiller, 1994, pg 5)
“You must die, you bitch,” they shrieked. “Die! Die! Die!” (Schiller, 1994, pg 21)
On top of fighting voices, she began fighting with objects in her life as well.
“I had to conceal the fact that objects around me were beginning to feel hostile. Once I was in my bedroom alone when the phone rang. I picked it up and no one was there. A strange feeling settled over me. It rang again. Again no one. And then again, and again, and again.” (Schiller, 1994, pg 17)
Lori Schiller had a roommate named Lori Winters. Both of these girls showed leadership qualities, but Lori Winters stood out to me more as a leader. She began noticing that her roommate had something wrong, although she didn’t know what that was yet. She always tried to make Lori feel comfortable though and do what she could to help, no matter what that be. When she first noticed something, she told her “Come into my room, if you can’t sleep.” (Schiller, 1994, pg 24) A good leader is always looking out for people and trying to help in the best way they can, and Lori did just that. From staying up at night listening to the voices with Lori to calling her parents when things got bad. That shows how much she really cares about others, which is a leadership quality to have.
In “FEED” by M.T. Anderson, Violet is a good leader. From when they got hacked at the party and ended up in the hospital, she was trying to make it so the corporations couldn’t run the feeds anymore and made herself a consumer profile. Even when her feed started to malfunction a lot and she felt as she was dying, she never gave up which is what good leaders do. Everyone throughout the book is very reliant on their feed, but Violet isn’t. “I came into the world alone.” She picked up her shoe and scratched the crust out of the tread. She said, “I didn’t want to go out of it alone.” (Anderson, 2002, pg 270) Here, leaders do things by themselves, but it is okay to want some support.
Kaila- I agree with you that both Lori Schiller and Lori Winters showed leadership qualities. Before the voices in Lori Schiller's head took control of her, she did what she could to be the best she could be. She took care of her brothers and did the best she could in everything she did. I also think Lori Winters showed great leadership qualities too. She noticed her friend acting different and was there for her when she needed it and also contacted her mom because she was concerned about her friend which showed that she really cared about Lori. Being caring like Lori Winters is, is such a great leadership quality to have.
ReplyDeleteMatthew- In "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, the director showed leader-like qualities when he made the decision to send the boys to the nurseries instead of the Alpha Plus Conditioning. This showed leadership because when time was short he made the decision that took into consideration what the boys would get to see. He was thinking of others. The quote for this is "'Ten to three' he said. 'No time for the intellectual embryos, I'm afraid. We must go up to the Nurseries before the children have finished their afternoon sleep.'" (Huxley, 1998, pg 18).
ReplyDeleteIn the book FEED by M. T. Anderson, Violet showed leadership by being courageous. When she was at the party playing spin the bottle she spoke her mind, which is something people don't usually do in FEED. In the text it says, "'Stop it,' said Violet, standing up, 'Stop it all.'" (Anderson, 2002, pg 201).