The World Is Flat #6

My personal feelings and ideas towards the The World Is Flat have been a little bit confusing to say the least. I don't believe that I will be very directly and dramatically affected by the flat world, but still I am sure to be affected in some way. As of now, I think it affects me more in that it goes against some of my ideas, than how it affects my life. My friends seem as though they will be pretty well off in this new flatter than ever world, seeing as most of them seem to grasp the concept of it, and are very excited about the prospects of it. Those of them who maybe aren't as enthusiastic about the flatness of our world are very intelligent though, and should be able to do quite well. I myself am still slightly confused about the flat world, so maybe what I need from teachers, parents, and those more intelligent than me is more information, to give a clear understanding, so I am sure of what I am doing and how to do it. I do not really see any way my future will be hindered, at least by the flat world, seeing as I plan to do some musical theatre and then become a mother. All in all I am not quite sure yet where I stand on my ideas about the flat world, resent is a bit strong, but embrace is a bit strong on the other side. I know I can live with it, and I know there are good things involved with it, but I am certainly not over joyed at the whole concept of it.

The Once and Future King: The Candle In The Wind

Under Arthur's rule England has become a much safer place, might against right is more in check, and the arts are beginning to prosper. Unfortunately, Mordred and Agrivaine, in their hatred for Arthur and Lancelot are desperate to destroy them. To accomplish this they make plans to boldly bring the affair of Lancelot and Guenever to light to Arthur, then bring him proof. Arthur has worked so hard for his ideals and new Justice laws that if found out he would have to prosecute his best friends, or undermine his own authority and betray all he has worked for.

Gareth, who loves and looks up to Lancelot, warns him of Modred and Agrivaines plans and tells him not to go to Guenever. Lancelot, however, does not listen, and he and Guenever are found out. After killing Agrivaine and all the guards who had come for them but Modred, Lancelot escapes to his own castle.

Arthur is forced to put Guenever to death under his laws, but on the day she is to be burned Lancelot flies in to save her. Arthur and Gawaine are both actually glad for this, but the joy soon leaves when it is revealed that the unarmed Gaheris and Gareth were both killed.

Peace is attempted at by banishing Lancelot from England and having Guenever sent back to Arthur, but Gawaine wants revenge on Lancelot for his brothers deaths, so he and Arthur lay siege on Lancelot in France. While they are away Mordred is in control, and totally corrupted by cruelty. He plans to tell England that both Arhtur and Gawaine have died, that he will take Guenever as his wife, and worst of all, declare himself king.

A letter from Guenever is sent to Arthur explaining to him Mordred's plots. After reading it Arthur decides to leave off fighting Lancelot and return to England to right what Mordred is doing. Another letter is also sent, this time from Gawaine to Lancelot. Gawaine forgives Lancelot for killing his brothers and bids him return to England to help Arthur. He also tells Lancelot that his is about to die.

The night before Arthur's armies are going to meet Mordred's, Arhtur is in is tent contemplating war, the reasons for it, and how to prevent it, when he sends for a page. He tells the page the story of a king, his ideals and how might should always be used for right. He also tells that there will be a bloody battle and all will die but one page. He sends this page off to spread the ideas he spoke of so that they are not forgotten.


This is the way that T.W. White ends his book The Once and Future King. In many ways it is utterly tragic. The destruction of all the good that Arthur tried to, or did accomplish, came from within, from his friends, his wife, his family, and even some bits from himself. The trickery and lust of his half sister which lead to Mordred. Arthur listening to prophesies and advice concerning his son which lead to trying to kill Mordred, which heightened Mordreds cruelty. The affair between the two people he loved most, which caused sorrow for Arthur and his undeniable duty to punish them. Gawaine's pride and stubbornness to have revenge on Lancelot, and Arthurs own inability to say no to it, all contributed to the bloody and sorrowful end. Tragedy and sorrow follow through the tree latter books. No matter how much good is done, no matter how much good is intended or how much good is strived for, tragedy follows and happiness is short lived. You would think that this would leave the reader feeling hopeless and like there is no point in trying to do good, but at least for me, this is not the case. No matter how awful the circumstance, Arhtur never stopped trying for his ideals, he believed in them, even at the end, when all seemed lost he wanted them to stay alive, so someday, someone could try again. The ideals were worth all of it, and because of all that happened people could learn. It wasn't all tragedy, because ideas were born, and progress was made, and even though everything seemed to fall apart, all was not lost, because the ideas stayed. The last few lines of this book made the end that was hopeless, full of hope, when T. H. White wrote the words:

Explicit liber regis quondam regisque futuri

The Beginning

Faustain Bargain

In the play Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Faustus is a learned man but he desires more knowledge, and so he resorts to dark magic to give him the knowledge. He sells his soul to the devil in exchange for life for twenty-four years and a demon Mephistophilis to serve him in what ever he asks. Despite being coaxed by the Good Angel and some of his own thoughts to repent, Faustus couldn't overcome his temptation to power and knowledge. In the end, though Faustus was willing to give everything for the deal he made, he regretted it, but it was too late.

Faustus was willing to give anything at all to obtain knowledge and power. That is the meaning of Faustian bargain. To have such an obsessive and greedy desire for intelligence and power, that you would give anything or all to obtain it. There might also be a little bit of a hint that you will regret it, that it won't turn out as you wished.

The World Is Flat #5

Friedman believes that the flat world is indeed a good thing for America. His reasoning is that, although many people are worried about the loss in jobs for Americans if we have free trade agreements, that there is no need to worry. This is because he believes that although there may be lumps of jobs lost in places, there will be new jobs in smaller amounts all around. He thinks that with jobs going to other countries, money also goes and so the other countries economies are boosted, and the people want more and better things, like computers or cars, or smaller things and that with this desire and the better means they will buy more from us. In this way it is sort of like a circle. He also firmly believes that there are always going to be more jobs created, because not everything that is going to be invented has been, and not every idea to be thought has been used. Also, he is sure that there is no limit to jobs for creative minds, "idea-generated jobs" people who can find new ways to do things, more efficient ways of doing things, or anything new or helpful in general. So, although jobs may be lost, and some wages decreased, in the long run, the flat world will be a good thing for America. That is, if actions are taken to make sure that America's people are educated in the ways they will need to excel in this world and it is made sure that we have and keep enough of our own resources going so as not to be over taken. The key is 'if'. America can prosper in the flat world but only if these things are taken care of and taken care of correctly.

The Once and Future King: The Ill-Made Knight

In the third book of The Once and Future King, The Ill-Made Knight, the french boy Lancelot, son of the french king Ban, meets King Arthur. Arthur tells Lancelot of his attempts to end might being used without good cause, and asks Lancelot if he would help him when he is older. Lancelot agrees and spends his his time in France working to become a great knight, and becomes more and more dedicated to Arthur. Finally after training of years he comes to the court of Arthur.

In the beginning Lancelot hates Arthur's wife Guenever, because he feels like she is in his way of being close to Arthur, but as time goes on, Lancelot and Guenever begin to have an attraction to each other. When Arthur and Lancelot come back from wars with the Romans, they are even more tightly bonded, but seeing Guenever, Lancelot knows that she could get in the way. Tired of fighting his love affair with Guenever, Lancelot leaves on a quest. On his quest Lancelot has many adventures and fights against might being used in the wrong way. Every one he triumphs over he sends back to Guenever to repent. When he returns, it is even harder for him and Guenever to fight temptation in their affair. Through all this Arthur blinds himself to his best friend and wife's affair and instead focuses his attention on trying to find a way to divert his knights from their obsession with games and competing for greatness amongst each other.

Over whelmed with hatred for himself Lancelot leaves on another quest. On this quest he saves a beautiful girl named Elaine, who could only be saved by the best knight in the world. Elaine's father Pelles invites Lancelot to stay at his castle, but Lancelot is lonely there, missing Guenever. Elaine loves Lancelot but knows that he only loves Guenever and won't be with her so she tricks him. While he is drunk, Elaine has her butler tell him that Guenever is near and waiting for him. He flees to her and in the night he doesn't realize that it is really Elaine waiting for him, and by morning she is baring his child, who she says she will call Galahad. When Lancelot realizes, he is furious, believing that now that he has slept with a woman he can no longer preform miracles, so thinking that he has nothing left to lose, he goes back to Camelot and begins sleeping with Guenever.


When Guenever realizes the a woman named Elaine has Lancelot's child, she is crazed with anger. At this point Arthur has realized the affair going on but refuses to recognise it. Meanwhile Elaine comes to Camelot, and once again tricks Lancelot into sleeping with her. A raging Guenever confronts Lancelot and Elaine stands up for him saying she tricked him, but Guenever is still crazed. Lancelot goes mad and jumps out Guenever's window and runs away. After Lancelot runs off insane, various accounts of a strange wild man who may be Sir Lancelot float about.

Eventually Elaine finds Lancelot and has him taken care of until he comes out of his madness. Lancelot starts living with Elaine, and goes by the name Le Chevalier Mal Fet, french for "the ill made knight. At a tournament Lancelot defeats all opposers and meets with two knights from the round table who he reveals his real identity to. These knights convince him to come back to Camelot.

Much of England has been doing well and improving under Arthur's ideals, but there are still problems, so Arthur decides that maybe just ideals are not enough so sends his knights on a search for the holy grail, which is supposed to be the cup Christ drank from at the last supper. After searching many knights give up with no luck and come back to Camelot, but holy knights like Galahad and Bors keep searching. Galahad defeats his father Lancelot making him the greatest knight, and leaving Lancelot feeling distressed. He decides to make reparation for his sins and when he returns to Camelot he does not continue his affair with Guenever. Guenever is very upset by this and demands he leave on a quest instead of torturing her, so he goes.

Camelot is starting to fall apart and Mordred and Agravaine are trying to destroy it more and try to ruin Guenever. While Lancelot is gone, Guenever has a banquet an sets out apples because Gawaine loves them, but another knight poisons them and the blame is rested on Guenever. Sir Bors agrees to fight for her cause, but before the fight takes place Bors finds Lancelot and he fights for her instead, saving Guenever. Later her innocence is proven by Nimune.

Lancelot goes to visit Elaine, but soon leaves her and she realizes that Lancelot does not love her and never will so she commits suicide. Soon afterwards Guenever is captured by Sir Meliagrance, and Lancelot goes to save her, which, of course he succeeds in, but he also begins his affair with Guenever once again.

At the end of this book a man with unhealable wounds comes to Camelot to be healed by the greatest knight in the world, and no can heal him, until Lancelot lies his hands on the man. The man is cured, but Lancelot finds no joy in preforming this miracle, and instead cries in sorrow.

One of my favorite parts in this book is the confrontation between Guenever and Elaine. After Lancelot goes mad and jumps out the window Elaine seems suddenly less child like, and stands up to Guenever, speaking against Guenever's love affair, which I don't believe Guenever had ever heard before. Elaine seems suddenly Clam, stately, and only slightly cruel, while Guenever is beside herself. Elaine Questions Guenever on why she had to drive Lancelot mad. She had The greatest husband in all the world, but she could not leave Lancelot for someone else, not even a girl who loved him and bore him a son. When Elaine leaves, walks out with just the cutting, but true words, "Yes, he is mad. You have won him, and you have broken him. What will you do with him next?" The whole scene is tragedy, and yet I think it is Elaine's finest moment, and makes you think more about Guenever, and in different ways.


Arthur has been spending his whole life trying to better his kingdom. Making sacrifices and doing all he can to bring the world to higher ideals, and for periods of time it seems to be working and progressing well, but there is always something else to be fixed and worked on. Towards the end of the book we realize that Arthur's kingdom and ideals are on the decline, despite all that he tries to do, despite his best intentions and all he suffers, but he doesn't stop trying. The most depressing thing, is that we really realize now that it is going to be Arthur's family and and the ones he loves most that bring down his ideals and all he has fought for and suffered to accomplish.

The World Is Flat #4

Having a flat world has many potential negative consequences. One being, when you are outsourcing so many of your countries jobs who really is benefiting? On the one hand, it might seem as though it could be very good for both sides, the country who outsources the jobs get the work done cheaper and the consumer gets better products probably for less, and the country being outsourced to gets more jobs with a decent wage for their country and this helps their economy. On the other hand, the country outsourcing the jobs loses jobs for people in it's own country. Also, for an American perspective, how long will it be before we become the country being outsourced to, instead of the big country outsourcing all it's jobs? As we build up their economy with jobs, they won't stay poor countries accepting our low wages. For them this is good and really it is a good thing to help boost other peoples economies, but if this happens, it won't be cheap like it was to outsource to these places, and then where do those jobs go, back to America? And then, will the jobs still be cheap? Or, what if these countries begin outsourcing to us? What will that do to us, and how will we feel then? I think maybe our pride might be slapped around a bit if anything close to that happens.



Another problem is, when countries are expanded and based all over the world it is harder to tell what kind of company it really is and where it's loyalties are. Maybe it is an American company but a lot of the parts are made in China and the company has head quarters in India. It gets rather jumbled that way. Also, it must be harder to tell how your country really is going business wise, because unlike years ago when if businesses in your country were going well your country probably was doing fine, but now a business in a country really doesn't have to have that much to do with the country at all, it could be more involved and important to somewhere else.



Another thing is cheap working employees with bad benefits. It is harder to find out what to do about that. People want cheap products and in order to make them cheaper, in the long run, it seems companies pay their employees less and give worse benefits to do so. The problem is now these employees are have bad benefits and not so decent wages, which is no good, for us to have cheaper prices. But are we really paying that much less? Many of these employees with bad benefits we will have to pay for with our tax money. So what do we do.



A problem that when I was reading I saw as pretty big in my own mind was when Friedman brought up and kept mentioning Karl Marx. Friedman was saying how many of the things Marx wrote about are extremely similar to what he is writing about now. Possibly I am over reacting but when someone starts talking lightly about how what is going on in society today seems very like what a huge communist writer spoke of, a red light comes on. We have all this talk about capitalism, and then Friedman tells how Karl Marx described capitalism as "a force that would dissolve all feudal, national, and religious identities giving rise to a universal civilization governed by market imperatives." What bothered me the most about this was that some of it was things I had already been thinking of that sounded like they were happening and others were things that Friedman seemed to be hinting at. While reading this book I had started to think on my own that it seemed almost like a basically universal civilization would be something not so far fetched. The way businesses are disregarding boundaries and different countries are all starting to use the same products. Also, the way businesses are so important to everything and changing so much the way we live, who is to say that they won't be a serious part of our government? It would seem to me that anything that resembled something Marx had been writing about should be taken very seriously, and it is frightening to think that our world might be headed toward something like what Marx wrote about. People should be taking steps to make sure that our countries don't turn out to the way that people like Stalin, who was a Marxist, made their countries.

Another thing that bothers me is the lack of personal contact. Everything is machines, and technology. The kind of job you get and if you are successful is becoming more and more about how tech savy you are and less about your character and how your people skills are, and just how decent of a person you are. I think it is a little excessive how heavily we rely on our technology. Not to mention there are different kinds of smarts. Repeatedly in this book Friedman states how in order to keep up people will have to be able to move up in the technological world, by having new things to contribute and by thinking up new ways or better ways to do things technologically. Not everyone can do that. It is as simple as that. It doesn't mean that they aren't smart but people have different ways in which they excel. Also, if mediocre jobs keep being outsourced, this could be bad too. Some people need those jobs, we can't all manage businesses or be the head of something. Middle man jobs are needed. It seems to me that if this flat world is going to work, and work for more than one country, or one class of people, many things are going to have to be worked out.

The Queen of Air and Darkness

The second book in The Once and Future King, The Queen Of Air and Darkness, sets a different tone than the happy childhood story of Arthur in the first book The Sword in the Stone. The second book starts the hardships and tragedy that follow Arthur through his life while he tries to set up just ideals and better England.

In the beginning we see the Orkney boys Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and Gareth, and their mother Morgause, and the disturbing life they lead. Morgause is obsessed with herself and her sick beauty, paying little heed to her children's upbringing, showing them cruelty, and then random moments of affection to make herself feel perfect. The boys struggle with their lives and the confusion put forth by the mother they love. All show deep scars to their character do to their mother's poor parenting.

While fighting some of his Gaelic aggressors, Arthur has many discussions with Merlyn and Kay about might and right, and how might should be used. Merlyn states his opinions but forces Arthur to come to his own conclusions. Arthur finally puts down his opponents, and begins to start forming his ideals, his moral code of chivalry and decides he should have knights at a round table to avoid quarreling among the knights about rank.

In the end unknowing that Morgause is his half sister Arthur is seduced by her natural charm and a charm she wore around her neck, to sleep with her, and nine months later she gives birth to Mordred.

T.H. White is a perfectly wonderful writer. He weaves controversial subjects like war, and how it should be used into into his story thoughtfully and touchingly. His own opinions are obvious but there is room for discussion. Merlyn does not believe in fighting unless in self defence, and when Kay states that he thinks that if you had a valiant ideal but, people are to stupid to convert to it that you could use aggression for their own good, to make them understand it was for the best, Merlyn gets angry and makes reference to World War II and Hitler.

The Orkney boys are a tragic example of the effect that your lifestyle, surroundings and influences can have. Each of the boys loves his mother but all suffer because of her influence on them. they are never sure what is right or wrong, because their mother doesn't say, she will punish or ignore on a whim. They try to please her by catching the unicorn that she wanted, and at first she fails to even notice what they had done, and when she finally does notice, she has them beaten. Her flaunting of her sexuality and appeal ruins her son Agravaine, because he becomes confused and loves his mother in a way that he shouldn't.

In all the book is becoming more deep and the tragedy of it is starting to come out. Arthur has realized the basics of his ideals and plans to better England, but he still has the struggle to try to have them realized and followed ahead of him, and he will have to do it with only the help of Merlyns teachings sense Merlyn is soon to leave.