Paradox and Dream Blog

James F.

5/21/15

Paradox Reflections

Paradox Reflection One:

“We are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education; but it is hard to find a man or woman who does not want something better for the next generation.”

This paradox shows what is happening with people in the United States. In the paradox, John Steinbeck is saying that we are happy with our lives and our belongings. He shows us this by saying; “We are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education…” Then John Steinbeck is saying that even though most people are happy with their lives they want their child or a young person that they know to do better than them. He shows us this by saying; “…it is hard to find a man or woman who does not want something better for the next generation.” Overall, John Steinbeck is saying that even though that some people are happy that they want the future to be better.

The reason I picked this paradox was because I can connect to it through my personal experiences. I can relate to this paradox because of my family members. My parents relate to this paradox because they are completely happy with their lives, yet they encourage my sister and I to do better than they did. I feel that many parents do this is because even though they are doing great in life they want the best for their children. All in all, I choose this paradox was because I can connect to it through my personal experiences.

Paradox Reflection Two:

“Our lives as we live them would not function without electricity, but it is rare an or women who, when the power goes off, knows how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it.”

            This paradox shows how electricity is an American way of life and how we would be without it. In the paradox, John Steinbeck is saying that we all live with electricity in our lives and that is all we do. He shows this by saying, “Our lives as we live them would not function without electricity…” Then he is saying that if the power went off nobody will know how to replace the burnt fuse. He shows this by saying, “...it is rare an or women who, when the power goes off, knows how to look for a burned-out fuse and replace it.” To conclude, this paradox is showing how we are dependent on electricity went when it breaks we can’t fix it.

            The reason I picked this paradox was because I can connect to it through one of my personal experiences. I can relate to this paradox because I kind have exampled this paradox. So, when I was playing on my Xbox, in the middle of the summer, the power went out. Then, since I did not know what to do and did not charge my phone I had nothing to do so I waited until my dad came home to fix the burnt fuse. At the end, the reason I picked this paradox was because it related to one of my personal experiences.

(The picture below is a picture of a burned fuse. A=fine B=burnt)