Category: Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

This Film is a timepiece as well as a thrilling adventure that the entire American people have remembered as a truly “Giant Leap for mankind”. In the fascinating real-life events that Apollo 11 documents on it is seen just how NASA and the three brave astronauts overcame what looked to be all better odds due to poor take-off conditions and technical difficulties. However, Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. persevered placing their lives on the line to make history as the first nation to ever set foot on the moon. The Awestruck faces of every spectator observed that day represented the face of every American listening across the country who saw the bravery and courage it took to complete such a task and been one of the proudest moments our country has had in the last 100 years, if not ever. Scientifically the documentary explained the basic concepts and intended plan that Nasa had set out for the expedition and how the team allowed for the astronauts to scientifically be able to travel through space and back in a very compelling manner. Overall this film should inspire every American with a feeling of patriotism and remind those how our ancestors have felt, especially during a time of major concern with the cold war looming over everyone’s heads, It was just as much a spiritual victory as well as a scientific one. The finishing speech by John F. Kennedy was just also incredibly meaningful and was personally highly regarded by my grandparents as they often told me about it when I was younger, I would not be surprised if many could say the same, It’s status in American culture has reached a legendary level and was a large reason for the unprecedented amounts of American Patriotism in the decades after the event. Overall, this documentary shows a great time for our country and people that stands to be mirrors for the foreseeable future.

Apollo 11 is a very unique movie that gives the viewer a first hand account of the moon landing. It is different from all the other movies and documentaries previously released about the moon landing. The director of the movie Todd Douglas Miller edited original, mostly unseen clips including the liftoff, the landing, the departure from the moon, and the return to Earth. The event in itself is obviously very exciting and groundbreaking, but with this original footage the viewer feels as if they are actually there, which in a way they were. The director does a great job portraying the dramatic nature of the event by showing clips from movie like angles. When the platform is being wheeled to its designated spot the director chooses a clip that magnifies the giant size of the takeoff spot. After takeoff the movie shows clips from inside the spacecraft and also the people on the ground making sure everything in the air is going well. The footage in the spacecraft shows the tenseness of the astronauts while also showing their excitement due to the monumental nature of the task they are attempting to complete. My favorite part of the movie was when the astronauts took a call from President Richard Nixon. This showed the importance of this event. Another interesting part of the movie was the footage shown from the outside of the spacecraft. It showed the orbiter and lander separating and reuniting accompanied by other cameras showing the reactions of the NASA workers on the ground. All this vintage footage gave viewers not only a better understanding of the moon landing from a viewing perspective, but also from the perspective of its importance.  

Chapter 10 of The Case for Trump by Victor Davis Hanson is titled “End Trump!”, and therefore, is about the hatred and opposition towards President Donald Trump. The chapter starts off when Hanson explains that there has never before in the history of the president of the United States been as much effort by the opposition to remove the elected president during their first term in office. Hanson does note that the hatred and idea of impeachment for Bill Clinton occurred during his second term as president. There are a number of reasons why people do not like, and even hate, Trump. In fact, Hanson goes as far and states, “the efforts to delegitimize or even destroy him seemed to have ushered in a veritable second American civil war” (281). An interesting point about Trump being elected is that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, however, he easily won the Electoral College. Therefore, it was clear that he faced intense opposition when being elected from the citizens in the nation. There were even thoughts and jokes about killing Trump from celebrities as well as other public figures, as they were meant to bring down Trump’s popularity and hurt his image. Additionally, both celebrities and politicians have routinely mocked and shown hatred towards Trump in a number of ways, such as on TV talk shows as well as social media. Democrats and others tried to charge Trump for policies and other reasons and ultimately get him in trouble, such as for his issues with Russia. It is clear that people have tried to get him in trouble and out of office since being elected. Despite this, Trump has remained the same person with the same manners and lifestyle. The author also mentions the Resistance, which are those who are against Trump, as Hanson discusses some of their strategies to weaken Trump from even before Inauguration Day. A good portion of the people that are against Trump are left-wing, however, an interesting point made by the author is that those opposed to Trump are not all left-wing. Therefore, some Republicans do not like Trump, as these people are known as “Never Trumpers”. Towards the end of the chapter, Hanson discusses in more detail the investigations of the Trump-Russian collusion. With this information in mind, how do you think people’s opinions on Trump have changed since he was elected or are they similar? Do you think that all of the hatred and opposition towards Trump is deserved or is some of it unfair? What are the chances of Trump being elected for a second term? 

In chapter 7 of The Case For Trump by Victor Davis Hanson, he highlights the ways in which political candidates have focused on the United States as having declined and the need to resolve this. He specifically focuses on Trump’s campaign as his campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again.” Trump, unlike most progressives, focused on a need for an increase in consumerism in hopes that it would provide the middle class with aspects that are typically only available to the wealthy. He further found that many issues stemmed from a lack of nationalist patriotism of capitalists, rather than inequality among capitalism itself. He focused on teh American focus on looking overseas as a cheaper alternative for trade and manufacturing. A potential source of this is that he found the elite and rich no longer cared about the Americans in teh lower classes that lost job opportunity as a result of this systematic issue. Additionally, he argued that there is an issue in which immigrants, sometimes illegal, often take jobs that Americans need as they are left lost in a system in which no jobs are available. Trump further argued that America essentially lacked not morality, but a sense of American pride and spirit. Hanson further argued that Trump did not argue that America was not rich, but that rather it deserved to be richer than it was and that many Americans who were not rich were yet to be and both should and could be. He finds Trump essentially hoped to instill a new “can do” confidence amongst Americans rather than a “don’t care” timid midset. Although, Trump’s focus on the cultural decline as a result of rigged economic, social, and trade policies stemmed from issues that were not only from those outside of the United States but to those who lived within its borders.