Dragons, Gilmore Girls, Physics & Philosophy, the Kardashians, and More
For a school assignment, I got to summarize 7 sources related to things I’m interested in. I loved writing these summaries, so I wanted to share them! These summaries will lead you to some awesome sources about dragons, Gilmore Girls, physics & philosophy, the Kardashians, and more.
Source #1: “Album Review: Lizzy McAlpine’s ‘five seconds flat’ is already album of the year” by Bre Offenberger
Since I first heard the song ‘ceilings’ by Lizzy McAlpine a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been listening to it and the rest of Lizzy’s album five seconds flat non-stop (‘called you again’ and ‘all my ghosts’ are two of my other favorites on the album). A review of five seconds flat by Bre Offenberger says it best: “Listening to Lizzy McAlpine is like sinking into your bed at the end of a long day, FaceTiming your best friend and letting it all out. You can never tell where the conversation will go, but it doesn’t matter — because it always still feels right.” I’ve had some really busy days at school lately, and I find myself looking forward to my drive home so I can listen to five seconds flat and sing along. It really is that special of an album, and this review by Offenberger perfectly sums up its magic.
Source #2: “When physicists and philosophers realize they share a noble truth” by Robert P Crease
Physics and philosophy may seem like completely unrelated fields, but this article completely disproves that assumption. The author of this article talks about his experience at The Linköping conference which “brought together these physics-versed phenomenologists…with philosophically sensitive physicists, in roughly equal numbers. It was as if the door between physicists and philosophers – slammed shut for perhaps a century – had suddenly collapsed and we found ourselves in the same room, dazed and amazed, with the two groups sometimes speaking a little awkwardly with each other.” As you can see, this article details the fascinating lessons the two groups learned from each other and the fundamental truths the two fields share. As somebody interested in philosophy and not so interested in physics (ha!), it was cool to learn about the value of understanding and connecting both fields.
Source #3: “Gilmore Girls - Rory, the O.G. Annoying Millennial” from The Take YouTube Channel
Gilmore Girls has been my favorite show since I first watched it in 8th grade, and I’ve always admired Rory Gilmore. The thing is, Rory has some of the worst character development ever, and this YouTube video from The Take talks about it. This video examines Rory’s many character flaws, such as her false sense of entitlement and her inability to take criticism. The video also talks about the difficulties people can experience when they pick a career path at a young age, which Rory did. Overall, Rory is such a fascinating character to me. I aspire to be like her and I relate to her in many ways, but I also really don’t want to end up like her. Seeing Rory’s “downfall” allows me, a 16-year-old girl with similar ambitions to Rory, to recognize potential flaws I could develop and work to combat them.
Source #4: “What Your Kid Can Learn From The Kardashians” by Austin Scholar
This article is from my friend Austin Scholar’s newsletter, and I absolutely loved reading it. A few of my friends (including Austin Scholar) and I started watching the Kardashians show on Hulu earlier this year. Of course, the Kardashians are a very controversial and often problematic family, but they are very entertaining. So, it was fascinating to read this article and learn about the positive lessons that can be learned from them. Austin Scholar writes, "The Kardashians can teach us how to use our own skills and passions to our advantage and live more successful lives.” I think this is a great way to look at the Kardashians and get value out of watching them.
Source #5 - “Terrifying dragons have long been a part of many religions, and there is a reason for their appeal” by Emily Zarka
This was probably the coolest article I read while writing these summaries. It’s all about dragons, their history, and their symbolic meaning. One of my favorite quotes from the article was related to why the myth of dragons emerged: “Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scientist Carl Sagan wrote a book on the subject, arguing that dragons evolved from a human need to merge science with myth, the rational with the irrational, as part of an evolutionary response to real predators.” The article also says that “One enduring reason dragons continue to appear in our world could be because they represent the power of nature. Stories about people taming dragons can be seen as stories about the ability of humans to dominate forces that cannot always be controlled.” Through this article, I realized the philosophical meaning behind dragons and a little more about their history. Dragons are definitely my new favorite creature!
Source #6: “Rear Window - How Does Its Message Remain Relevant Today“ by Fern Nicholls
About a month ago, I stayed with my Grandma for a week and while I was with her, we watched the Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window. After doing some research, I found this great article all about the film and its messages. In Rear Window, the main character Jeff is injured, so “He spends his days watching the happenings of the Greenwich Village courtyard, which enables Jeff to peer into the apartments and lives of local residents. The curiosities which exist in such an intimate setting fulfill Jeff’s instinctual need to watch. The act of observing events from a secure distance is as tempting as reality television and magazines. To this day, these mediums provide entertainment tailored to popular culture.” I found this to be such a fascinating comparison because humans do have a desire to watch others. Even if most of us aren’t creepily spying on our neighbors, we all watch other people in one way or another, whether that be in real life or on a TV screen.
Source #7 - “Maisie Peters - ‘Good Enough’ - When The Horn Blows” by Brooke Pollock
I first heard Maisie Peters’ music last summer, and since then she’s become one of my favorite artists. In fact, my sister (who literally never listens to music) has Maisie’s song “Boy” as her alarm because she loves it so much (although she regrets making this song her alarm because she now hates it). Well, last week, Maisie released a new song “Good Enough”, and it’s my favorite of the singles she’s released over the past few months. When The Horn Blows did a review of “Good Enough” that would convince me to listen to the song if I hadn’t heard it yet. “Good Enough” is a beautiful song with heartbreaking lyrics, and the review puts Maisie’s songwriting on this song in great terms: “Her songwriting is so raw that it feels so personal- too personal almost- to apply to anyone else, and yet, it’s unbelievably relatable. Unrequited love is such a universal experience, after all.” If you want a good sad song, check out “Good Enough” by Maisie Peters and the review from When The Horn Blows!
Thanks for reading! I’m going to be posting 7 more summaries next week, so look out for that!
Written by Peyton Price - Entertainment Values
