Blog Topic #6: A Hike in Tution

The University of Alberta has announced a tuition hike of $550 for the school year 2010-2011. Clara Ho from the Edmonton Journal stated that particular studies like Medicine could expect a tuition increase of 60%, which translates to approximately $4000. As of March 26, 2010, students can expect the increase of medicine and dentistry to drop from a $4000 hike to about $3400 and for undergraduates a slash of $160 of the old proposed increase (Stolte, 2010). I find that the increase of $290 is less of a drastic change as opposed to $550. The increase of $290 will be effective for the next two years. In four years, I plan to apply for medicine. Knowing that tuition was already expensive, I did not predict the tuition would increase by $3400 each year. Governments across North America stated countries are in need for medical doctors. The demand for doctors is also due to the government’s inability to fund medical students. It takes a large amount of money to allow one student to graduate. Students demonstrated how they felt about the increase in tuition on Thursday by marching to the Legislature. Elise Stolte stated that the government would cut of $20 million to fund the University of Alberta. This cuts school activities, lay-offs for professors, and less spots in courses.

I do not think the unequal distributed tuition amounts are fair. There should be a certain amount (percentage) in which the University can increase each year. The percentage should be consistent with each faculty or degree for which the individual applies to. In Canada many students cannot afford secondary education because they are restricted the amount of money they possess. “Every person has a right to be educated” is what makes Canada a country with rights and freedoms. However, the increase in tuition might have citizens wondering if that is the case. I believe the government should put aside a greater percentage of the budget into education. By doing so, students are willing to consider medicine as a potential career and more students can be accepted into the faculty.

There are other ways of subsidizing the deficit of the University of Alberta. Fundraisers and school rallies can help aware individuals of a particular topic and help collect money for the school. This is not the greatest idea, but it is a start.

The road ahead is a long one, so make the best out of it. The hard work a student goes through in University is difficult. And remember that the money an individual puts aside for University is not that easy to gain. Therefore, study hard and the reward will eventually pay off the debts of University.

Blog Topic #5: The Lady of Shalott

Gazing out her window, she admires the vast scenery that surrounds her. It seems as though the Lady of Shalott was waiting for someone – a knight perhaps. Time is on her hand as she describes vividly about the road to Camelot; the river and the village that it goes by. The Lady of Shalott watches the knights go by "two and two" but they were not the one she desires. She periodically glances at her mirror, hoping that someday "the curse" will break and that particular someone will come. Miraculously one day, a knight by the name of Lancelot rides down that road to Camelot. She left her tower and flowers bloomed, but the curse was still upon her. The mirror cracked. The love she had for Lancelot is something that she did not experience in her lifetime. With four stanzas describing Lancelot's physiques, the Lady of Shalott describes him as charming, handsome, and bold. It seems though as if Sir Lancelot fell in love with another individual. The impact of this devastated her. Leaving that night to a boat, she sings a song and dies.

This was a great read, and I think that the relationship between the Lady of Shalott and Sir Lancelot would have been successful if they had given it a chance. Seeing, as she had never experienced this kind of emotion with any other knight, the love that she had for Lancelot is truly pure. The curse that Tennyson puts on her character made her imprisoned to her tower. The first few stanzas shows how much she wants to see the actual world beyond her four grey walls. Within the first few stanzas, Tennyson uses imagery that the Lady of Shalott sees outside her tower. She hopes one day that she can turn those images into reality.

This poem has value to society. An individual's mind can alter by how they interact with society. Since the Lady of Shalott is "trapped" within her tower, she doesn't have the opportunity to see much of the world. The critical struggle within the Lady of Shalott is parallel to the artist's struggle.

The structure of the poem has no particular rhyming pattern. However, most of the stanzas end with the line "Lady of Shalott." It is significant because it reminds the reader the emotions and actions the Lady of Shalott feels. The poem is a bit confusing at first; I had to take it slow. It doesn't mean that I think it's not a good poem, but there is more analyzing and interpreting in this particular piece than any other pieces we've read so far this term.