Time Beings

  In our class reading, "Descartes" we are introduced to the science behind the human emotions and laughter. Philosophical thinker, Descartes makes a controversial point that laughter usually stems from a place of ridicule and scorn. Even the laughter that stems from joy is because there are small traces of scorn attached to it. Furthermore, Descartes leaves us with, "And it is not wrong to laugh when we hear the jests of another; these jests may even be such that it would be difficult not to laugh at them; but when we ourselves jest, it is more fitting to abstain form laughter, in order not to seem to be surprised by the things that are said, nor to wonder at the ingenuity we show in inventing them. And that makes those who hear them all the more surprised" (Descartes 25). I think this idea is the most thought-provoking of them all, as I apply Descartes' philosophies to real life. How come we are so comfortable laughing at others, yet become sensitive and defen

The chapter, "Let it Snow" by Sedaris, is yet another example as to why Sedaris' book is not what it seems. My expectation for this chapter was for Sedaris to reflect on a childhood snow day spent with his siblings. Rather, Sedaris tells us the comical, yet troubling, account of a snow day spent trapped outside his house. Clearly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from the pressure of having to entertain children during a blizzard, Sedaris’ mother takes an atypical approach to parenting–locking her children out of the house. “Selfish mothers wanted the house to themselves, and their children were discovered years later, frozen like mastodons in blocks of ice” (Sedaris 88). Sedaris and his siblings respond to their mother’s cold heart by having their sister Tiffany lay in the street, hoping she’ll get hit by a car, which will of course, teach their mother a lesson. The chapter ends with Sedaris’ mother trudging outside in no snow gear to go and get them, and the children as