Ayden's IB Survival Guide

#1. The Princess Bride This is a story told by a grandfather to his grandson, that follows a man named, Westley, on his way to rescue Princess Buttercup from having to marry Prince Humperdink, the villain in this story. On his quest, he has to defeat a band of misfits who have been hired to kill Princess Buttercup via the Prince's orders. He initially rescues her, but then they are captured. The band of misfits is backstabbed by the prince's men resulting in them befriending and teaming up with Westley for revenge, and the ultimate rescuing of Princess Buttercup.   There is no doubt in my mind that Malcolm would love this story as it's main character illustrates all the qualities held by a good and righteous man. The chivalrous aspect is one thing that Malcolm would appreciate greatly. Furthermore, there is a secondary plot that Malcolm would feel very drawn to. This would be the plot of Inigo Montoya, who throughout the movie spouts out the phrase, "Hello. ...

1. Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step  "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire"  ( Macbeth , 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)?  Use examples from the text to support your opinion. Yellow Primrose (Notice the thorns) Throughout reading Macbeth it is evident that there is a major arc in his character. In the beginning, he is described by King Duncan as a loyal war hero. He is also loved by all members of the King's Court. However, as the story continues he morphs into a deceitful, murderous, greedy man; unrecognizable to the man he once was. Shakespeare does something really special here as he has chosen to make the star of his show turn into the "bad guy" before our very eyes. By doing this he comments on the thought process of one who "turns evil" but also on how swi...

Art Analysis This artifact is called the "Reliquary Pendant with Queen Margaret of Sicily Blessed by Bishop Reginald of Bath".  This pendant is created out of gold and and roughly 2in x 1.25in x 0.25in.  Such a beautiful pendant was created approximately between 1174 and 1177 AD by an unknown artist, however it was sent by Bishop Reginald of Bath to Queen Margaret of Sicily.  The inscription around the borders state, "From the blood of Saint Thomas the Martyr, from his clothes having been dyed by his blood. From the skin, from the small garment, from the hood, from the shoe, [from the] shirt. From the skin, from the small garment, from the hood, from the shoe, [from the] shirt" ( The Met) .   This "Saint Thomas the Martyr" is in fact Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury who was brutally murdered by the knights of King Henry II.   It was most likely given to the queen as a present when her son married the daughter of King Henry...

 What does Mr. Brocklehurst’s analogy between the ill-prepared breakfast and the “sufferings of the primitive Christians…the torments of martyrs…the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself” reveal about his character? How does this attitude contrast with that of Miss Temple to reveal the author’s social message?  In the chapter I read of Jane Eyre, it is pretty clear to see that it follows a young girl and the trials she faces in a Catholic school. In this chapter, Mr. Brocklehurst, the headmaster of the Catholic school, shows up in Jane's class. Jane herself characterizes him as mean and strict and having a vendetta against her. However, the reader cannot just take a child's word on everything, especially when it involves a teacher, because during the time it was written, and even today, there is a stereotype revolving around young children's abilities to accurately characterize people as good or evil because they are seemingly naive. Thus, Charlotte Brontë, t...

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My name is Ayden Mosler. Mosler is a geographical name for someone who lives by the Mosel river.  This river is a tributary of the Rhine and runs through Germany, Luxembourg, and France. (3 generations of Moslers in Germany) My last name means a lot to me.  It represents all of my family who has come before me.  Those living and dead who worked tirelessly to survive.  My family comes from farmers and plebeian style origins, so working hard for them meant livelihood.  This hardworking value is ingrained in my family tradition and is an expectation of everyone who is of Mosler descendant.  This is a pretty heavy weight as is, because in my family you are expected give 110% all the time to whatever you are doing.  Also, this name specifically bears more weight on me as I am the eldest Mosler boy and expected to carry on family tradition under the family name.  In doing this I must first make my family and relatives proud but also se...

We Gave Them An Inch ,  Fargo, North Dakota (1999) Wing Young Huie In just glancing at this photo it is clear to see that this man is standing proudly puffing out his chest.  On his chest lies the words, "We gave them an inch and they took 5000 miles" surrounded by images of Native Americans. Upon looking at the image closer it is most likely that he is of Native American decent.  This can be deduced from his choice of clothing, the fact that the photo was taken in North Dakota, which has deep historical ties to the Native American community, and his appearance.  Knowing this, the shirt is more than just a statement, rather it is a rallying cry for his people and an accusation against the U.S. government.  The fact that he sticks his chest out with these words on it prove how he is passionate about being Native American and that he doesn't wish to be anything else.  One can see how he doesn't wish to be Americanized; however, he already has. Ev...

Both of the above images depict art inspired by George Orwell's book, 1984.  Upon reading the first part of the book, it is apparent that the story follows a man named Winston throughout his days living as a party member of INGSOC in Oceania, London. The book radiated strong themes of surveillance and the puniness of the individual.  Both of these themes are clearly in the pieces of art above. However, their methods in displaying these themes are drastically different. The top image is diffidently literal in the sense that it shows Wilson and the Anti-Sex League Woman and Big Brother.  It is so literal to the book 1984 that it even shows the pyramidal buildings of the government. The art pushes both the themes in quite a round-about way, however. The theme of constant surveillance is brought to light via the plethora of faces glaring every-which-way; even Big Brother is glaring! Secondly, the theme of surveillance is shown because both Winston and the Anti-Sex Le...

My father, an avid Pearl Jam fan, added this song to my first ever ipod ages ago.  Ever since that day, Just Breathe has been one of my favorite childhood songs.  Eddie Vedder, the band's lead singer, based this song off of one of his previous instrumentals that he put on movie soundtrack for Into the Wild .  This movie revolves around a man trekking across the country to live alone in the wilderness of Alaska.  The movie's specializes in showing how the slow life can be really fulfilling.  Likewise, in 2009, when Eddie and the band created this song its central idea involves taking time to slow down, enjoy loved ones, and be reflexive upon ones life.   Pearl Jam puts forth this theme primarily through the language of the song.  In the beginning of the song he sings, "Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love. Some folks just have one, yeah, others they've got none"  In starting off the song with such a powerful ide...

On February 3, 2019, in the 4th quarter of Superbowl LIII, the Anheuser-Busch company premiered their commercial promoting their beer, Budweiser.  Simply put the commercial shows a dalmatian with his ears flopping in the wind, sitting atop a beer wagon.  The wagon is pulled by the famous Budweiser Clydesdales.  In one sweeping motion the camera is shown passing through the wheat fields the wagon is riding through and turning to reveal a wind farm in the background.  This all coincides with the song, "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. Then at the end it states that their beer is now brewed with wind power, in hopes for a better tomorrow. The negotiated reader would find that this commercial was very persuading.  This is because the commercial emphasized the pathos argument beyond anything else.  At least for me, the sweet song coupled with the wagon riding through the wheat fields gave me chills.  All of my family lives in Ohio country and the comm...

Simulations can be defined as a controlled imitation of a real-world scenario as practice for the same situation in real life.  Simulations have been used as far back as the early 1900s to support pilots in their training process.  Since then these simulations have become more and more complex, and have been expanded to a much wider variety of situations. There is some controversy concerning these simulations.  Take for example a flight simulator, people today are debating whether or not that simulator can be used as practice to get a pilot's license instead of flying in a real plane.  So, to expand that, the broader question is if work in simulators can rid the need for practice in the real system, before achieving the freedoms to use it.  To that, a majority of people say no. Practice in the real system is necessary to gain the freedoms of it; however, a supplement from the simulation is helpful in the total preparation for obtaining such freedoms. Pract...

Ronald Reagan became the 40th US president in 1981 to a economically stagnant and inflated country. However, prior to becoming the president Reagan was an actor as well as the governor of California. Upon coming into the most powerful position in America he imposed "Reaganomics" which involved decreasing government spending, reducing taxes on large cooperation, and decreasing the supply of money. Over the 8 years he served as president, as well as boosting the US economy, he also played major roles in the Cold War and in the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.  All of these actions is what made him one of the most popular US presidents of all time. This portrait, painted by Everett Kinstler , was created to show off the essence of  Reagan and what he was all about; the same goal for almost all other presidential paintings.  In this painting, the first thing that I noticed was the shining smile on Reagan's face. Along with that is the contrast in colors between the backg...