Motivation: Writing Before Reading

There are many times when we are put in a situation when we don’t want to follow the person that we are told to. In other words: submitting to authority is against human nature. People want to be in charge of themselves and don’t want to be told what to do by someone else. An example of this would be when our parents tell us to do something. Whether it interferes with previous plans or we’re just feeling lazy, the idea of doing what they say makes us want to scream.

I believe that military leaders have to enforce harsh decisions upon their soldiers. If a military commander is soft and compassionate towards his soldiers in training, they won’t be ready for what is to come in any way. They have to be strict and mean and everyone should think that they are the most horrible person on the planet, because if they let people get away with anything, that is how mistakes are made in combat.

It is very important for a unit to work as a team. If everyone is off on a tangent of their own, trouble is caused and nobody knows what each other are planning. Soldiers could be lost and there could be tragic consequences including losing the war.

If a commander is not in control of his troops, mistakes are made, men are lost, and the soldiers themselves will have no direction and no way to know what they are supposed to be doing. They are not the head of the army and they don’t know how to win a battle and they will just make fools of themselves.

"The Charge of the Light Brigade" Analysis

The poem “Charge of the Light Brigade” was a very sad poem. To me, it was about a fleet of 600 soldiers charging into battle. They seem fairly confident and charge in with strength. The poem describes the setting as “the jaws of death” and “the mouth of hell”, showing that they are plunging into a situation where loss and death are inevitable. The poem says “cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, cannon in front of them.” They are completely and utterly surrounded and they are totally annihilated. The end of the poem reads: Shatter'd and sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not, not the six hundred.” They were killed off and only a few returned.

Reflection

Our cannon was not successful. We believe this is due to the temperature. Because it was so low, the pressure build up was low and this would not allow our cannon to fire according to Gay-Lussac's Law. We will try again in the Spring when there is warmer weather. Ciao for now!

Characteristics of a War Hero

Soldiers who are at war and are fighting for their country have many redeeming qualities. These men [in 1812, soldiers were only men], were very corageous. They put their lives on the line and sacrifice cut all attachments to do what good they can for their country. In most ways, courage is about having to forget your fears and do what is absolutely right at that time. Whether it's fighting in a battle for your country or fighting off monsters from under the bed, courage i courage: an or woman, child or adult. Honor is another of these redeeming qualities. Men who leave behind everything to defend their country are also defending not just their, but the country's honor.

People are often classified into being a leader or a follower. A leader is someone who can take charge in ALL situations. They do not back down when times are difficult. A leader is also someone who not only has the courage to take charge, but the adequacy to do so. You cannot be a leader if people aren't willing to follow you OR if you cannot handle these difficult tasks that you take on. A follower is someone who stays back in the crowd. They do not make their voice heard in any way, and do everything exactly as their superior tells them to. Ths can be a good thing and a bad thing beause sometimes a follower does things they know are wrong just because someone above them demanded it.

Controversially, but still obviously, there is a fairly significant difference between justice and vengeance, but it can be difficult to pinpoint. Something that factors in to this is the person issuing it. If a person were being punished for murder, justice would most likely come from a person of a 3rd party with no inside interest in thematter. Vengeance would more likely come from the inside, from somebody personally effected by it. I think the main fundamental change in the two, is that justice attempts to give the offender what they truly deserve for what they've done, while vengeance is all about eye-for-2 eyes, when often the avenger takes more than fair.

The Overture of 1812

The Overture of 1812 is telling the story of Napoleon’s struggles in leading his troops to battle against the French. The cold weather and larger numbers of the opposition ruined their chances of defeat. In the piece, I believe it is interpreted that Napoleon did win the battle, when in reality, he did not.

The Overture of 1812 is an amazing work by Tchaikovsky. The beginning of the overture starts

out with a sort of melancholy tone, signifying either an end to something tragic or even a beginning to something that is also sad. It then takes a few lighter notes, which almost intensify the sadness. Afterward, a more adventurous and frightening tone comes over the piece. Something you would expect at the climax of an old war movie, or a scene where someone is hiding from someone else and is about to be found: it puts you on edge. The tone of the piece then changes completely and becomes more familiar with notes that people recognize. The tone is almost valiance as we thin about a cavalry coming into battle. It then takes on that anxious, fast tone from the beginning once again and made me picture a brigade in the main part of a battle. The brass in the background really intensifies the war and army feelings that we get—the tones of nobility and honor. It then shifts into a bittersweet, light, lovely tone that brings on a feeling of love and happiness—almost the picture af a ball forms in my head during this portion. Once again, it then shifts into a seemingly spooky tone once again with an edge of war and valiance to it. Listening to it, I picture soldiers on horses, seeking out their opposition. It becomes very fast and anxious and we worry for what isn’t even there. But it then once again, becomes a victorious tone almost signaling that the piece is coming to a close. In the piece I listened to, bells are ringing out, the musicians are reaching their peek of excellence, and you can almost hear the cannons firing, showing that the “good guys” have been victorious.

Optimal Angle and What We Did Wrong

Optimal Angle: The angle at which an object leaves the ground and gains maximum speed and disance.
When the height of release and landing are the same, assuming no air resistance, the theoretical optimal angle of release is 45°, thus our choice. However,we did not factor in the effects of air resistance, thus leaving the optimal angle somewhere in between 35-45° to compensate for those effects. When the height of release is greater than the height of landing, as in shot-putting, the optimum angle is always less than 45°. When the height of release is less than the height of landing, the optimal angle is more than 45°.

The Experiment

We completed the experiment this morning at 11:14 AM. In the end, our cannon did not take any distance and overall...didn't leave the cannon. The factor involved that is most likely responsible is the temperature. Because off cold temperatures outdoors, the pressure build up was very low. In the end, not a single cannon fired. We are hoping to reconstruct and retest this experiment come April, with a little bit of warmer weather. Wish us luck!!