Do Candide's Punishments Fit The Crime?

No, Candide's punishments are purposefully exaggerated and extreme to relay a message that ignorance and being naive can get you hurt, and that the actual world is harsh. If everyone believed in one philosophy there would be peace and justice in the world but unfortunately that contradicts human's natural behaviors and nature. One of the punishments that really stick out to me is Candide's flogging in which he losses all skin and his muscles are exposed. These type of radical consequences is more so a message to the reader about culture and philosophy than a resonable reprecussion. Later on Candide begins to form his own view of the world through cruel experiences and the reconecction with Cungonde in which he murders two people and slyly gets away with it by deceiving authorities. This is an ironic spin on how he went from "volunteering for a sacrifice," to getting away with murder.

Mos Def Modern Gadfly

For years Mos Def has been analytical of the world and his surrondings. He is a legend in the hiphop community and has enjoyed commercial success as an actor. In his songs he sends messages about politics, race realtions, and the black conciousness. Songs like Theives In The Night, and Mr.Nigga deal with how Americans see blacks, and how blacks see themselves. The song Dollar Day, which takes aim directly toward former President George W. Bush, displays Mos' feeling of shunning and ignoring the black community from the highest head in Government. He has starred on the Chappelles's Show multiple times, and one of the more memorable episodes is the Black George Bush skit. Mos played the Black Head of CIA in which he displayed to the press he had found yellow cake in Iraq, making fun of the actual incident. Over the past decade Mos Def has been one of the most respected and acclaimed concious black voices in America along with Spike Lee, Cornell West, Nas, and many others.

The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living?


What is the purpose of living life if you don’t know why you’re living it? The only true way to be happy in life is to question yourself. Question the way you think, what you believe in, who you are. Without doing this you walk through life blindly and you are swayed by influences in your society. Most of not all of the most influential people in history have had moments were they have questioned themselves about their lives, their actions. Malcolm X did this when he left the Nation of Islam, Muhammad Ali did this when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War, and the list goes on. To have true fulfillment in your life you must look within yourself for the answers, no one else. To give an example, let’s say there was a baker who baked pies. His whole life he’s been baking pies, as he took after his father and when he was old enough he inherited the family bakery. He made pies everyday, the best pie flipper in his city. Then one day he asked himself, “Why do I only bake pies?” Pies were all he’s ever known. That same day he wanted to try something different and started to bake cakes. He found he loved this and continued baking cakes the rest of his life. He expanded his reality simply by asking himself a question.

Eulogy

Xavier Omari Joy was a generous and respectful man. He was loved by his family and friends, and respected by his peers. Xavier will always live on in the hearts of the people in his life, and will be remembered long after his has left earth. He loved sports, music, art, politics, and travel. Xavier had a passion for football and he played the game for nine years. The game taught him life lessons and built his character and ultimately made him a better person. Football taught him hard work, how to compete, working through adversity, fighting through pain, teamwork, respect, taking advice and constructive criticism, learning how to follow, being a leader. Xavier comes from a very artistic and creative family, his father and grandfather are both artists, his aunt is an actress, writer, and director. Xavier appreciated art because of its power through many facets. Xavier particularly loved music because of its power through messages and substance. His taste for music was very diverse ranging from jazz to alternative. Some of his favorite artists and groups were Wu Tang, The Roots, Jay Dilla, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Madlib, Mos Def, MF Doom, Nas, Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Alchemist, Cold Play, Gorillaz, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Hot Chip, Flying Lotus and many others. Music was a way for him to relax and was a way to express himself. Xavier also loved to travel. He believed you not only learn more about the world, but more about yourself through travel. Traveling was always a great experience for him and he went to places like Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and all throughout the United States. Xavier always wanted to leave this earth with a legacy of helping uplift people and be an inspiration to someone, hopefully he has achieved this goal.