Graduation Speech: Make Your Own Rules :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good evening my name is Ben Rood I would like to share with you something that Michael Konda once said: "The fastest way to succeed is to look as if you're playing by somebody else's rules, while quietly playing by your own." I couldn't agree more. I am standing here today because for the last four years I have unknowingly followed this advice. It started my freshman year when I was in the right place at the right time. Due to the overcrowding here at AHS the Microsoft Windows NT class was changed to an after-school class. This normally full class now had empty seats. As a freshman I did not meet the prerequisites for the NT class so I quietly slipped into one of the empty seats as a pass/fail student. As the year progressed I slowly moved away from the rules and took the class for a grade and as you can see it paid off with "A's". By the end of the year I was able to pass the Microsoft Certified Professional exam at age 14 and land a job at Microsoft. I would not have been able to do all of this and more during my freshman year had I "played by somebody else's rules." I continued to bend and break the rules both silently and blatantly. Through Microsoft I was able to participate in and manage conferences for any where from a hundred and fifty to 10,000 attendees. Interns are not generally invited to help with conferences, but I was fortunate enough to start with a manager who "(looked) as if (he were) playing by somebody else's rules, while quietly playing by (his) own." In school I broke away from the crowd a little more obviously. After individual debates in English class our teacher invited us to debate the different topics as a class. One of these topics was where our "new" school should be located. I was the only one in my class who didn't agree with the bond being presented to the public. While I listened to the points made by my peers and the teacher I still maintained my points and did not jump on the bandwagon. As many of you know I spend much of my time at a computer. Some would say that's because I'm a computer geek. Well I may be a computer geek because I spend lots of time at the computer, but I spend it there because it is much easier to bend the rules of the computer than it is to bend the laws of physics.

Poetry changed alongside wider society Essay

We learn that Arnold can no longer draw comfort from the â€Å"sea of faith† or religion which encompassed him and like the â€Å"folds of a bright girdle furled. † Instead, the coast and sea is an analogy for religious trend. Christianity is ebbing away because of scientific dispatch. This results is the â€Å"naked shingles of the world†; a place that is unprotected and fragile with no supreme power to guide man. This confusion is emphasized the informality of its structure. The lack of a coherent rhythm and rhyme scheme creates the illusion of tide, â€Å"But now I only hear, Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating to the breath,† which swashes and washes along the coast just like the different line lengths. As we can see, Arnold is hesitant of change and acceptance for him results in apprehension. This is unusual in the sense that, conventionally, acceptance results in peace of mind. Ironically, in god’s Grandeur, when Hopkins refutes absolute science, he is more buoyant and cheerful towards which is not the usual characteristics of denial. In the poem, despite the fall of contemporary Victorian society, â€Å"nature is never spent† and permeates the world with â€Å"the dearest of freshness. † Hopkins conveys an image of god being a regenerative force who is able to bring morning following the â€Å"last lights of the black west. † He is defiant of the theory of evolution and instead believes in the â€Å"holy ghost. † Gods Grandeur ends with: â€Å"World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings. † This imagery is inspired with hope and resembles the techniques by Romantic poets where an animal would be used as the vehicle to escape misery; for example the skylark in Keats poem. On the other hand, Dover Beech is not optimistic but instead shares the pessimism associated with poems in the 1900. Arnold depicts the world as a stagnant site with â€Å"neither joy, nor love nor light. † In the last stanza, he talks personally to his wife: â€Å"Ah, love, let us be true† In a place of no faith, Arnold wishes to pin their faith on each other- the language becomes poetic with a series of semantically related adjectives: â€Å"So various, so beautiful, so new† The Victorians lived through a time of change however change in the near future results in â€Å"neither certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain. † This apprehension is felt by Arnold who is â€Å"swept with confused alarms†; the complete antithesis of Hopkins.

John Locke and Karl Marx on Social Justice - 812 Words

Social justice is how justice is served throughout a society as a whole or to its classes. Various unique ideas on creating a just society have been established throughout history. Two of the more well-known concepts are those of Locke and Marx. While both have their ideas for a Just State, they are both very different within their aspects. John Lockes views on social justice and a just state began with his belief that all humans are governed by what he calls natural laws and are protected by their inalienable personal rights. Our inalienable rights are life, liberty, health, and property. They are considered inalienable rights because they are God-given, and ideally, no other human could ever have the right to remove or threaten†¦show more content†¦In Lockes just society, this state works for the needs of the people, as their servant, and if they dont work up to the standards of their social contract, or agreement, the state can be dismissed by way of a revolution. The po litical state was formed with a main purpose of protecting and effectively carrying out God’s law of nature. To guarantee this, several things were required. First, it needed to be clearly expressed to ensure a universal understanding of the law. Second, Judges needed to be appointed to perform different interpretations of the law and to â€Å"check† and â€Å"balance† each other out, eliminating any biases. Last, there must be a substantial amount of power to enforce the law; otherwise, it would not be effective. Locke believed it necessary to have different branches of government. Each would have their certain powers and duties specific to their branch. These branches include the legislative, executive, and federative. The legislative branch was in charge of creating and interpreting kaws for the society. The executive branch was to put the laws into effect. Finally, the federative branch was responsible for making war and keeping peace. John Locke believes t hat a just society is one based on the ideas of liberalism. However, Karl Marx disagrees, insisting that it is one based on communism, which was built upon the ideas of socialism. In a society based onShow MoreRelatedHobbes Vs. Marx On Government s First Duty1038 Words   |  5 PagesMrs. Sauter World History – Block G 15 December 2014 Topic #1 – Hobbes vs. Locke vs. Marx â€Å"Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives,† said Ronald Reagan. Some political philosophies like John Locke would agree to this statement, while other, like Thomas Hobbes would not, and some will both agree and disagree, like Karl Marx. 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