STiLL ALiCE Journal

Still Alice is a very intriguing novel. It helps me understand how people with alzheimer's cope with every day life. "As if she were riding a roller coaster with her eyes shut, she couldn’t predict which way she was being turned next” is like an endless struggle that Alice is fighting. She can't help the fact that she is forgetting the simplest things that she used to know off the top of her head.

Alzheimer's is predicted to effect 1 in 85 people by 2050, which is quite a high number. Unfortunately there is no cure at this point in time. Alice and her family will be greatly affected by this tragic disease. Sadly Alice must face that she will not be able to recognize her loved ones. Due to the disease the saying "Family comes first" is going to slowly fade away, not because Alice doesn't believe that, but because she will not be able to identify her own family.
 Personally I may not have alzheimers, but I can relate to how she feels.  Her life is  like a roller coaster spiraling out of control. 


We all have moments in life where we have to look down and see that our feet are still planted firmly on the ground. It can feel like walking down a windy path trying to reach you destination but being knocked of course. Yet knowing in the back of your mind you will never reach it. All our personal connections fade like a well-aged  piece of driftwood floating in the ocean. It will never sink but it will exist as a foreigner, far from home. Lost in a world of transition, yet knowing what awaits you.

Public Displays of disaffection

1. The three main points of  "Public displays of disaffection" are cellphones are unprofessional, an addiction, and clearly cause problems with communication. It is obvious how  the use of cellphones can be thought as  unprofessional or rude, considering people sometimes talk or text in inappropriate situations. "It says, to hell with you" states, Pamela Eyring, director of the Protocol School of Washington. On the other hand over cellphone usage can be referred to as addiction. Cellphones are a common problem in society today, it is evident that people are over using them and abusing the privilege of having a cellphone, especially students who cannot put them down. They all have addictive qualities in them the fact of the matter is that people have found another means of communication which has proven to be a problem. Which brings me to my next point, problems with communication. Two way conversation no longer exist. "Half alogue" mean basically only understanding half of the conversation while the other half is completely focused on the vibration coming from the device in your hand.


2. Personally I believe cellphone usage can be unprofessional, for example when you are in an important meeting for work, talking on your cellphone in the midst of a coworkers speech inappropriate. As well having your cellphone out  all the time with no regard for others in my opinion is considered an addiction. These electronic demons also cause problems with communication. why not talk to someone face to face?


3. On the other hand cellphones can be good at times. I believe that a cellphone owner has both advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages being, you don't have to find a payphone or a land line to call someone, you can keep in touch with family and friends easier as well as work, if you are lost you can be found if the authorities track your number. That is a very minimal list of  the good. But when students use cellphones to text another student while in school, or someones cellphone goes of in the middle of a public theatre the good vanishes. I do not think it is appropriate under these circumstances that anyone should be aloud to use a cellphone in such a irritating blunt manner. 

Historical Moment

If I were to choose a historical moment go back in time to see, I would choose the holocaust. I want to go end the rein of Hitler (although I doubt I could) and end the terror he struck into the hearts of those less fortunate. It pains me just thinking about all the abuse he put all those poor people through. Some words that linger in my head when i hear the word holocaust are death, blood, murder, pain, torture, and war. If those that were killed then, survived I wonder what the  world would be like today. To know that they had a chance to live a happy life far for Hitler’s torture camps would have made them a different person. The holocaust was a very historical time in history that everyone will hear about even in the future. After all the Past is what shapes the "Now." Unfortunately you can't change the past you just can look forward to what the future holds.