The death of hope is the birthplace of logic!

Voigt 6/3/13 LA 10

s t u h he t f o s ' t y r u o t O s i h of me a h s e s ri I

Terribly alone in a world without God...without love or mercy. I was nothing but ashes...

The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.

Down with Hope! Long live logic!

Down with Hope! Long live logic!

Hope, the Emotion that Holds Us Back
! If hope is an emotion, then getting rid of hope is the perfect way to build a better life, a better world. Frequently, our emotions are what drive us to commit atrocious acts of violence, racism, discrimination, hate crimes, and genocide, not to mention those every day, small hatreds like name calling, bullying, and gossip. These hatreds keep us from achieving our potential. They bring us down. Getting rid of hope allows for logic, straightforward and simple, to build new ideas, to create a better world. Hitler used his hope of an Aryan nation to eradicate all Jews in Nazi Germany. Likewise, the German people acquiesced to Hitlers hope of a better Germany and fell into the trap of blaming innocent Jews, gypsies, and all people who were considered different than Hitler, scapegoating them because it was easier than having to deal with their responsibility for Germanys failing economy. It was hope for a better Germany, hope that economic failure was not their fault, and hope that all the human failings could be pinned on a particular group of people that led to inhumane acts of violence and murder during WWII. If we took hope out of the equation, logic could be used to think through such acts before committing them and injustices might better be prevented. Maya Angelous poetry, the thoughtful words and phrases she deliberately uses, also points logically towards a daybreak that is wondrously clear of a past that is rooted in pain. Though her appeal is primarily emotional, her logic is impeccable; out of the huts of historys shame we can rise by learning from our mistakes and not making them again. Losing hope, hitting bottom, allows us to be logical in our quest for something better...justice, equality, and freedom from oppression.

Layout and Design

! I chose the background image of the sunrise to indicate a new beginning. I chose a somber blue color to contrast with the new beginning or the idea of hopefulness and to convey loss. I placed the original maxim at the bottom of the page so that it can be seen as the basis of the sunburst or the new beginning and the basis of the interpretation of the maxim (or the super Maxim) which is darker and clearer at the top of the page in black. Both the Maxim and the super Maxim compliment each other. I chose the picture of the caged woman as my stereotype so that people might see the idea that women are frequently that caged bird, but perhaps if we can free ourselves from that emotional entanglement with hope and focus on logic, we, too, might be free. Finally, the image of the phoenix rising is the idea that with logic the caged bird can be free to claim the sky!

Angelou, Maya. "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 24 Poems by Maya AngelouEdit." I Know Why The Caged Bird ! Sings by Maya Angelou Classic Famous Poet. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. Angelou, Maya. "Still I Rise." PoemHunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. Creativity 103.com. Image 8/139. a sunburst background with a grainy paper effect. 24 May 2013. Web. Rainbowlullaby. "Caged Bird by ~rainbowlullaby on DeviantART." Caged Bird by ~rainbowlullaby on DeviantART. N.p., 18 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 May 2013. Sputzy795. "Sputzy795 on DeviantART." Sputzy795 on DeviantART. N.p., 20 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 May 2013. TheHalcyon. "Phoenix Rising by ~TheHalcyon on DeviantART." Phoenix Rising by ~TheHalcyon on ! DeviantART. N.p., 31 Dec. 2009. ! Web. 28 May 2013.

Wiesel, Ellie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print.