The Golden Compass

The film "The Golden Compass", based off the book written by Philip Pullman, is one that is said to be anti-Christian and a bad influence. Why all the fuss? It is just a story. A very well written story with amazing imagination and, yes, some references to religions. The references to religions that we know are what make the story easy to comprehend and to understand. The magisterium (the ruling power) is occasionally referred to the Catholic Church, or Christianity. So it wouldn't be fair to say that this film attacks Christianity. Pullman states, "I prefer to trust the reader. Everyone has the right to form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions about it." He was asked about promoting atheism and his response was that promoting such a thing could be taken from the book but that is not what he intended to be taken out. He says, "What I intended for people to take from it is the experience of a good story, I also hope they come away with seeing the qualities the book promotes and cheers ahead are qualities like love and compassion and courage and courtesy too; and open-minded intellectual curiosity, those are the values of the book champion." So again, what is all the fuss? It is a good story! In the fiction section! Let a story, be a story.

Work Cited:

"Pullman on the Compass Contraversy". Today. Msnbc.com. 2 Nov. 2007. 21 May 2008. .

Blog 11

I’m so glad that I have a plan for after I graduate high school. It’s a great feeling to know that I will not be totally lost when it comes to making it on my own in the world. And of course I will always have my parents there to guide me along the way and to help me in times of trouble. After I graduate high school, I plan on attending Southeastern University in Louisiana. I want to be a teacher for either secondary math or chemistry. I haven’t quite decided yet, but it is becoming clearer to me along the way. I will go to college and get my degree and whatever else is necessary to become a teacher and then, in about 5 years, I will be out looking for my first job. I would actually like to teach at East Ascension High School because it is partially where I grew up; but any other public school would be fine. Hopefully, through my adventure of college and getting a job, I will meet that guy that I will spend the rest of my life with and marry him. My dream role in life is to be a good wife and mother (first), and a teacher (second). It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was little. So I am determined to make it happen. However, I will wait patiently for the right times of all these goals.

OUTFOXED.

Outfoxed, a documentary directed by Robert Greenwald, is a great examination of the news station FOX. The documentary's purpose is to show all viewers how subjective the news station can be. Instead of just reporting news, reporters often put their own opinions, comments, and beliefs in reports. Sometimes, it may get so often that it is no longer a report on a subject or event, but a debate. This makes FOX seem like a very unreliable source of news. Even 88% of top critics, from Rottentomatoes.com, have agreed with Outfoxed and haved called it "An often entertaining indictment of the Fox News Channel".

Like any other news station, FOX tries its hardest to get top stories and inside information to report on. However, when it comes to the reporters themselves, commentary is often used. As depicted in the documentary, reporters of FOX often provide their own commentary in a clever way. They simply state, "Some people say" or "It has been said that". In other words, "I believe" or "In my opinion". Especially at times of interviews, this may spark a debate between what the interviewer and the interviewee believe. News is not a debate. Reporters should simply just deliver the news with no extra opinion or commentary added.

Also, in the documentary, Greenwald shows that FOX may also choose their guests according to a political bias they have. FOX has had 83% of Republican guests and only 17% of Democratic guests. According to GetOUTFOXED.com, The whole documentary is ligit. All the numbers were researched and the documentary is correct. Does this not mean that they are only showing one side of the story? Or are they manipulating the news in such a way that favors Republicans? Either way, it can be concluded from the documentary that FOX is not the most reliable source of information. FOX is too subjective and bias to deliver any whole story.


Works cited:

"Outfoxed is Now Ligit". Get Outfoxed. 7 May 2008. <http://getoutfoxed.com/>.

"Movies/on DVD/ Outfoxed". Rotten Tomatoes. 17 Sep. 2004. 7 May 2008. <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/outfoxed/?critic=creamcrop>.