Formally reply to AT LEAST 3 of the original posts beneath any of the items.  Your FORMAL replies must be written in the following format:

a.  Personal Connection (Why are you replying to this person's post?  What interested you? Did you agree or disagree with something?)

b.  Discussion (Ask questions or discuss what this person wrote in their response.)

c.  Extension (Add something to this person's ideas.  Bring something up they didn't mention.  Provide a link to a website or video related to something they said.)

Once you complete your formal replies, continue responding to others by replying to other formal replies.

Title each of your posts with Your Name/Reply #__ e.g. 1, 2, 3 to __________ person's name)

a. During this summer I had a job working along the river where part of my daily tasks was to pick up trash around the banks. Because of this I saw how much waste there actually was, and I realized that preventing this pollution would be a collective effort. My friends and I spent many days at the river and I doubt that we did not contribute to this problem at all. However, thanks to my job we were able to hand out trash bags and promote recycling within the community. It was a collective effort to fight for a change that may typically go unnoticed.

b. In ‘The Ones Who Stay and Fight’, the people we know as caretakers are not blind to the injustices that are committed in our world and thus they are aware of the innate nature of placing value on something. They understand that the system they work to protect requires a constant helping hand or so it will become tainted with our ideas. These caretakers work together so they can prevent this spread of corruption which is why they take the child in and attempt to teach it to follow the same course.

c. In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement was picking up haste and there were many more people attending protests to help raise awareness and fight against discrimination. Rather than allowing the system to overshadow their voices, they worked together and though they would not have been able to do things as an individual, they worked as a community to be heard.

     2. Those of us enjoying the benefits of a Western, fossil-fuel economy are living at the grace of a system which keeps    a child in the closet — millions of children

a. Our generation is the one that is officially beginning to acknowledge the problem that climate change is causing and we are looking for solutions. However because of methods put into place by past generations, the young adults and teenagers are having to push to promote methods of conservation that should be common practice.

b. The children living in the closet are synonymous with the child who lost her father in Um-Helat. They both suffered at the hands of the society that was meant to protect them and keep them happy. Though in Um-Helat, the child was given the opportunity to grow, where in comparison the child in Omelas remained to suffer. The question is whether we as a society will ignore this problem and become the child in the closet or face it head on and be given the chance that they gave the young girl.

c. Scientists have discovered that there are only 10 years left until the effects of climate change are irreversible. The adults who neglect these problems will only be around for half the amount of time that we will be. They won’t see the food shortages that come with it, the trash that washes upon the shore, or the contaminated rain. 

3. Readers could have been comforted, after all, by a utopia that harms no one and specifically rejects violence perpetrated against innocents.

a. I know that for me personally I can turn a blind eye if something bad is happening. It hurts to acknowledge the pain that people can cause someone that didn’t do anything to deserve that. At a camp I went to we had a whole conversation about human trafficking and how to prevent it, and hearing all those stories that people shared made me realize just how much we can miss the violent actions of those around us.

b. In Omelas, the people that live there are aware of what is happening to the child living in the basement but they choose not to help it. They allow it to suffer for their own benefit, and some are so overcome by the desire to aid it that they have to leave. They reject that injustice against an innocent child by leaving because they could not find comfort while knowing what was happening

c. Do we as a society not do this to our own history books? We cover the slaughtering of innocent minorities just so we can feel better about what we’ve built. Not knowing feels so much better than knowing that you did something wrong. Ignorance is bliss.

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one”

“Behaving correctly is more important than understanding what makes your behavior correct. They suggest that we can do this by emulating moral exemplars.”

“Hopepunk says that kindness and softness doesn’t equal weakness, and that in this world of brutal cynicism and nihilism, being kind is a political act. An act of rebellion.” 

“There’s a third choice: Would you rather stay and fight — like N. K. Jemisin wants us to — in the city of Um-Helat? - says how omelas you can stay or leave  but in the um helat there is a third option”

There’s a third choice: Would you rather stay and fight..."

 - T to S: As someone who wishes to see change, I believe the only way for change to be achived is to fight tooth and nail for it until actions are taken for it.
 - T to T: In Omelas, a perfect society is only obtainable by building it off of the suffering of others, and action simply cannot happen because there will always be some kind of injustice, regardless of any attempt to create change. Um-Helat however, was able to create a perfect society by seeing the mistakes of the previous civilization before them, and disposing of any individual that could potentially create another "child in the basement" situation. One removes themselves from the situation, while the other removes those contributing to the problem.
 - T to W: Modern civilization is often of the belief that predgaduce is only natural, and fighting against it simply won't work. Many are completely unaware of the powers that simply taking actions to achieve equality actually hold. 

2. "Writing is action. Writing a hopeful and positive story of change and radical kindness is an act of courage, the essence of political activism."
- T to S: I am someone who cannot fight for equality in the ways I would like to, so being able to take action by creating something that will hopefully inspire others to do so is very useful.
 - T to T: Many of the people in Omela's find themselves in a situation where the only action they can actually take is to remove themselves from a society that thrives off of the suffering of a singular individual. Therefore, even doing something as simply creating something to inspire others to do so may cause the fall of their civilization as a whole. Um-Helat on the other hand, became inspired to create a perfect society after viewing the wrongdoings of an ancient civilization that ultimately collapsed as a result of nothing being done to fix anything. 
 - T to W: Throughout history, many forms of communication have been utilized in order to inspire those who wish to take action to improve upon society. Speeches speaking out against racial injustice in America, works of literature that put a spotlight on the many instances of targeted hate crimes and terrorist attacks against minorities. These, and many more, have inspired the masses in one way or another to take action in improving civilization and achieving equality.

3. "There can’t be hopepunk, I think, without an underlying and undying faith in global democracy and freedom."
 - T to S: I, like many others, have always dreamed of a world where everyone could truly be equal in every sense of the word. With this came my firm belief in the strength of democracy, and how sharing this mindset with everyone else could one day achieve a "hopepunk" society.
 - T to T: It's possible that many of the citizens within Omela's shared a similar vision of being able to thrive without the constant suffering of the child in the cellar. It's even clearer to see that those who chose to no longer contribute to the endless torment of the child were indeed firm belivers in a "hopepunk" like vision, but were forced to leave due to the lack of other options. In the city of Um-Helat, it's civilians no longer have to imagine a hopepunk society, as they have already taken ever action neccassary for achieving the one they're currently living in, due to their firm stances on the strength of freedom and democracy.
-T to W: While modern society is nowhere near a hopepunk civilization, there are still plenty of individuals out there who firmly believe in democracy and the powers it holds. If enough of these people were to gather together, they would be able to take action to ensure that a hopepunk society is reached.

Quote text to text 

“They were not simple folk, you see, though they were happy. But we do not say the words of cheers much anymore.” Omelas 

In the case of the story Omelas, this society with no structural social hierarchy, supposedly everyone in this world, is happy except for only one person.  

Quote Text to Self. 

When I think about the society of Omelas, I imagine how I would function in this world. Would I truly be happy if happiness were forced? Especially for the person who suffers to keep the happiness of this society. It almost feels impossible to live in a world that is truly sustainable and happy. 

Text to World- When I think about this question, I think about the relation of happiness in the world of Omelas. Omeal is a place where it's almost impossible to be sad or mad or any other time of emotion other than happiness. It’s almost a forced happiness, a sacred place. 

2.   4- Is ignorance or knowledge seen as more valued? 

Is knowledge seen as dangerous?

Quote Text to text

. In the case of Omelas, I believe that there is a point of ignorance until there are those who choose to learn the truth and know that knowledge comes with the consequences of never going back to the happiness of ignorance. For instance, when the child is found in such a state trapped in a room with no knowledge from outside of the room it's a type of shock that the civilians have never experienced in their life until that moment that is so shocking that it stays with them for the rest of their lives. 

Quote text to self 

Quote text to the world. 

        3-   16. What roles does history play in the stories

Text to Text

            

2) #11: "How much emphasis is placed on community or solidarity?" 

3. #22: "Are there characters who are other? (they don't belong/fit in)"

A. I personally agree with this reasoning that it is okay to favor your friends and family at the expense of others, when only necessary.

B. This can relate to Omelas' story, where the people favor themselves and their families, living in ignorance from the suffering child. 

C. This can be applied to survivors and survivalist stories, where parents look out for their children and would possibly kill anyone to make sure their children survive. This could also be applied to Machiavelli’s The Prince, where he explains that a leader should favor his own power and subordinates at the expense of others. 

2.  “The new Spock engages in the same reasoning in Into Darkness when he is willing to sacrifice his life to ensure that the prime directive is not violated. Revealing an alien presence to the native people of Nibiru would contaminate their entire culture; Spock believes that the needs of the Nibiru natives outweigh his need to live.” 

A.  I can relate to this quote because it aligns with my morals, that my life can have more value if it is to serve and protect others. I want to serve in the military to protect my country, people, and community; if needed, I would gladly sacrifice myself for the survival of my people.

B. This quote can relate to Omelas: The Ones who Walk Away, where the people of Omelas live in a utopian society, only possible due to the suffering of a child. The alien presence to the native people of Nibiru would ruin their culture, so Spock believes in sacrificing himself for the betterment of Nibiru. This is similar to the Omelas people allowing a child to be deprived of happiness for the continuation of Omelas.

C. This quote clearly aligns with utilitarianism, something often explored as favoring the majority at the expense of the few. There are many ethics across cultures and societies that favor this reasoning, allowing for an almost universal thinking. 

3. “We identify virtuous people and then try to behave as they would behave. Kirk is acting in line with virtue ethics when he saves The Enterprise at the cost of his own life. He tells Spock, as he sits dying on the irradiated side of the glass, that he did it because that is what Spock would have done.” 

A.  I can understand this reasoning, that people often strive to behave like those believed to be virtuous. I often try to behave like famous people who have done great wonders, such as Abraham Lincoln.

B. This can connect to Machiavelli’s story, The Prince, where he explains that being a virtuous leader is a terrible idea; he instead tries to persuade the audience to have a fake behavior and lie. Machiavelli connects these basic principles and attempts to apply it to unvirtuous or previously thought virtuous leaders of history.

C. This quote relates to the moral ethics of our society because it explains that we identify virtuous people and try to behave like them. Numerous people in history can be viewed as virtuous, and there are countless people to this day who strive to be them. In wartime or revolutions, people create martyrs or heroes that they believe represent virtue; creating many idolizers who attempt the same. 

Text to Self: I think that if I were a child in Omelas it would definitely be difficult to learn of what they do to an innocent child, especially if I knew them prior to that, but also it would be difficult to make the decision of leaving because of the great unknown, and an even greater challenge to stay and try to make changes because of everyone else’s support to authority due to their families and children being safe and happy because of that child’s suffering. 

Text to Text: When considering Omelas, there is great value in knowledge, specifically of the child in the basement, which causes all the people to be grateful that they are able to have fulfillment because of that child, and it makes them more caring for their children. When considering Um-Helat, there is also an importance for knowledge because although knowing of all the bad things of our world would lead those in Um-Helat away from happiness, it would encourage them to stay and fight for improvement in the system which they live in, as well as taking responsibility for it. Ultimately, in both texts knowledge holds great value because it is crucial the people’s choice to leave Omelas from guilt, or fight for change in Um-Helat.

Text to World: When comparing our current world to Omelas and Um-Helat, the level of knowledge or influence heavily influences everyone. It’s shown in Those Who Walk Away From Omelas, by the author’s commentary on our society that we should question our selfishness, and how it has affected our societal systems and structure. Furthermore, in The Ones Who Stay and Fight, the speaker states how the people of Um-Helat would be living in a perfect world if it wasn’t for the evil things that came from our world, but have become normal to us, like racism and sexism being called “natural instinct”.

Question #5: How is Stability defined? What is sacrificed in order to achieve it?

Text to Self: I think it’s really interesting the way that Omelas shows stability through acceptance of a child’s constant sacrifice because it really makes us put into perspective our level of selfishness/selflessness, and how far we are willing to go in order to achieve “happiness” and fulfillment for ourselves and loved ones. Also, the way that Um-Helat doesn’t have a group of people who do nothing about injustices, because they always take responsibility and are willing to stay and make changes.

Text to Text: Stability in Omelas would be defined by one’s ability to accept the sacrifice made by an innocent child because it is already described as having everything that would make people happy, including a house, family, etc. In Um-Helat, the definition of stability is widely varied because the knowledge/influence from our world bring “evil” to them, forcing them to make a choice of fighting for change in the system they live in. Ultimately, Omelas has a clear definition of stability which involves the sacrifice of a child, causing them to deal with guilt, while Um-Helat doesn’t have a specific definition of stability.

Text to World: Similarly to Um-Helat, I think that the definition of stability isn’t one specific thing, but rather varies for everyone, because although certain sacrifices can be made in order to attempt to achieve it, there is always something new/different occurring in the world, and there is always a group of people who will have a different opinion on something, which is also why moral and ethical decisions aren’t set, but rather based on opinion.

Question #11: How much emphasis is placed on community or solidarity?

Text to Self: This question reminds me of the first few times when we talked about morals and ethics in class because when we talked about decision making, one of the first things to consider was the overall impact of our decisions on ourselves and the community as a whole. It very much ties back to both stories because in Omelas, there are people who value their own/communities’ happiness over the sacrifice of a child because it’ll contribute more to the “greater good”.

Text to Text: In Omelas, emphasis is placed on solidarity when stating that at a certain age, children have to learn about the child in the basement, which leads them to make a choice of staying or leaving Omelas. Then, emphasis is placed on the community when those who stay agree to keep the child in those conditions in order to maintain their happiness. On the other hand, in Um-Helat, when people look into the things of our world, they see the “evil” things, and are contaminated with it, then leading to the automatic choice of staying and fighting for change together, showing emphasis on community.

Text to World: I think that both texts are able to capture influence/decision making in the real world because they don't only show the way that our own actions have effects, but also the way that as a group, we can have an impact. Additionally, the way that the people of Um-Helat are willing to stay and fight for justice and equality, is able to encourage us that if we are able to work together we can also achieve change.

2a)Relating to Omelas it's a prime example of the quote. Their happiness balances out with the one child who must suffer, just so they can live in this place where everything is perfect.The Ones who stay and fight, It is an opposite opinion of the quote. The world that Um-Helat states that we can have the same happiness and more but we don't need the balance of badness to give us this, and furthermore state that we would usually be expecting to want a bad to make the balance even. 

3a)In the real world we really do deal with the people who suffer so others can be happy. That there could be no happiness without suffering, for example if you are choosing ice cream for yourself, the utilitarian view is that you should choose the flavor that will give you the most pleasure. If you enjoy chocolate but hate vanilla, you should choose chocolate for the pleasure it will bring and avoid vanilla because it will bring displeasure.

Text to world: "That is what we’ve been struggling with, people who are so fragile that they’re literally willing to destroy the planet rather than give up controlling it. "
A real world connection that came to mind after reading this quote  was the current environmental stance of our planet. More specifically the causes resulting in our planets sustainability dramatically decreasing. Money, wealth, and our economic progression has over ruled our own planet and increased environmental issues  to a concerning point. Thinking more utilitarian, the ignorance of our people  blind to  our carbon footprint and overall environmental impact is similar to Allegory Of the cave. The people who believe our planet is good for another million years are ignorant to the statistics and research showing our world is deteriorating and they are blind  to the knowledge that could positively impact our planet.

B-I do wonder, Has desire been an asset to success during your lifetime, have your desires steered your life into a direction that you are content with?

C- I think you should continue to advocate for this stance, it's encouraging and makes me personally alter how I approach my goals in life.

B- I do wonder, How do you feel after staying true to your beliefs, do you feel a sense of freedom? Positive or negative, im genuinely curious

C- I think you should share your ideas and your perspectives with others in similar situations. There are many cases of children following their parents' beliefs out of their parents' desires although they might be very unknowledgeable of the true broad way of thinking and might want to make changes in their lives too.

“what do you do when you find out peace and prosperity are built on intense suffering?” A relation i have to this quote involves school. Its like the way i find peace is by acidemic validation, but at what cost? My mental health? My ability to do other activities? I have to sacrifice being able to do things that I want to do in order to turn in my work that half the time, isn't even on time. I do know that it’s my fault for the suffering, but getting my work in at least and getting a neat grade is a good feeling. I simply have to accept that fact. In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas they feel “disgust, anger and outrage”. There’s nothing they can simply do though. Like me, they must accept the fact that there's nothing that can be done to stop it. In our world we have always accepted it. Labor workers in factories is a geat example for this. They work and work and we dont have consideration for how we were able to receive such objects. How do the people working long hours in factories feel that we dont really pay attention to them. They deserve so much more than probably most of us not as important people. 

“what happens when somebody decides to break that social contract rather than submit to it.”

As a text to self, text to text in The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, and text to world, everything will fall apart. I have agreed to something for one of my siblings in exchange for another thing, but what happens when i just decide to stop? It goes downhill because once i stop, so does their side of the agreement. Our system falls apart and just doesnt work anymore. The text says “if the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of omelas would wither and be destroyed.” saying that their whole system will fall apart if one side of that agreement fails to submit. In our world, its like the government system. Our three branches, the separation of powers, what happens when one overpowers the other? It falls apart because we’re supposed to be on agreed terms. 

a. To me this quote is talking about greed and how some people would just prefer to give up on the situation so that they can avoid the consequences. By saying that it would benefit an individual is true and false because in the moment you would get to avoid the consequences of the group action but would now forever live with the guilt. Something that comes to mind with this situation would be like a stunt in dance, which requires all the members. In a stunt it can be easy to pinpoint the blame on one person for messing up and remove yourself from the blame, but in reality it was a group effort. 
b. This can relate to The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, as the people believe that by leaving they can avoid the consequences. The people that end up leaving Omelas attempt to remove the blame from themselves of the child’s suffering by walking away thinking it will benefit them as they are no longer directly hurting the child. However, this is no good either as not enough people are walking away to manifest a change. 
c. This can be seen in the real world in any system that has a set of leaders or officer positions. Mistakes sometimes happen and the blame will fall on everyone that makes up the cabinet. Some people that don’t want to make themselves look bad will simply decide to resign or walk away before they have to acknowledge and suffer the consequences of their actions. They may think that they are free from this mistake but in reality everyone knows the reason that you walked away so you may benefit for a moment but not all the time. 

2. “The girl, rather than being locked powerless in a closet, is given agency to address that which harmed her by fighting against its root cause.”
a. The way I can connect with this is with any student government position that I have held throughout my high school career. Instead of being quiet and not voicing my opinion I was given the opportunity to join a leadership team where I am guided to help make school a better environment for everyone. As a woman some people can still tend to look down upon us but with the confidence and skills I have gained it has made me a better person and leader. 
b. This directly connects to both The Ones Who Stay and Fight, and The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas. It  connects to the first one as the girl in the story is one that is given the guidance and power to be able to fight giants and the unfairness that takes place in this world. It also connects to the Omelas setting but in an inverse manner, the child in this story is locked up and has no power to fight against change of the society. 
c. In the real world setting this can connect to any female figure or leader that has fought for change in society. Some examples could be Michelle Obama or Kamala Harris, who weren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in and helped influence the country to do so as well. They didn’t allow themselves to be powerless but instead powerful and allowed themselves to gain guidance for what they wanted to accomplish. 

3.  But working toward the holistic justice of engaged community and relationship as a way to care for the future is humanity’s best hope.
a. To me this signifies that in order to be able to keep surviving in this world we are all going to have to do our part and join together in an active community. I can make a personal connection to this with being on Diamond Line, it takes everyone putting in the world and having unity within one another to be able to be successful as a team. If even one team member isn't fully committed to that practice or that competition it can mess up the relationship and cohesiveness of the team. It is our best hope and in our best interest to build that strong foundation with each other to be able to succeed in the future. 
b. This can connect to The Ones Who Stay and Fight in a way that the whole community needs to be able to step it up and fight for change if they want any hope for success in the future. In order to fight for change you need to be the change by staying put in Um Helat and believing in what is right to save children from having to go through the same pain that the girl did. c. A real world example of this could be a school setting where all of the teachers, administrators, and students will have different opinions but if they want to have an enjoyable environment compromises must be made. The community and relationships between students and teachers needs to be a cohesive one so that they are able to both voice their opinions. 

a.  I failed one of my midterms and my family decided to take away my laptop just like the girl's dad was killed for spreading the ideology. As the society educated and brain washed the girl into become a social worker, my family decided to educate me the importance of success rather than failing. 

b. Machiavelli's philosophy states how a prince should 'educate' his army and rather what benefits the enemy, harms him; and what benefits him, harm the enemy. Whoever is more vigilant in observing the designs of the enemy in war, and endures much hardship in training his army, will incur fewer dangers, and can have greater hope for victory preserving the mechanism of Um-Helat.

c. As of 2020, it was estimated that Chinese authorities may have detained up to 1.8 million people, mostly Uyghurs but also including Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other ethnic Turkic Muslims, Christians, as well as some foreign citizens including Kazakhstanis, in these secretive internment camps located throughout the region. As compared to Um-Helat, these camps detain people like the little child to turn them into one of them for thinking, acting and behaving in society.


2. " To reject one’s culpability in the system and live separately from that which ultimately benefits us. "

a. I constantly try to reject the faults of my family and live away from it. The other day, I did not let my mother toxicity of comparing me to other kids bother me at all. It benefited me with the mental calmness and not making me feel not good enough. 

b. Machiavelli tells the new princes to ignore what people think about them. He has to be feared rather that being love for their own benefit to rule a kingdom wisely and strongly. 
 
c. Even tho the government banned gay marriage, gays ignore the government and hate for their own health relationship which ultimately benefits them to live merely. 

3. Climate change will affect future generations more than most people alive today.

a. Living in Texas, I already experience climate change everyday. Currently it should be spring, but rather temperature drops down to freezing. Few days ago, hail damaged my car and left a dent on it hence I think the climate change will get worse and affect the future people more. 

b. Plato’s cave allegory symbolizes ignorance and superficial reality, but also the importance of education and acquiring wisdom. For those who are ready to leave the cave and enter the sunlight, there are helpful resources available from NASA, Project Drawdown, UNFCC, GreenBiz, Climate changed, Nature, New Scientist, inspiring movies and countless apps that help free the chains and start your journey towards the sun. 

c.  In Plato’s cave prisoners are chained, head fixed so they only see shadows projected on the wall in front of them. To the prisoners the shadows on the wall are reality. Artists and demagogues project shadows, at best to lift human spirits, at worst to control them. Our modern equivalent is the media where climate denial gets as much attention as climate facts. Politicians, corporations and industry lobby groups do their best to convince people that humanity’s impact on climate is negligible and project shadows accordingly on the wall. The International Monetary Fund estimated that in 2015 the fossil fuel industry received more than $5.3 trillion in direct and indirect subsidies, about 6.5% of global GDP. In 2013, $53 billion went to livestock subsidies in 35 OECD countries. Two sad results of the masters of shadows.