Speaking of two options, should I do this or should I use my freebie............. click this title for the final revelation

So before I begin or rather if I begin, I must claim that if the quality of this blog is horrible then I will use my freebie ( this means that if I don't get a won hun-ed, then ill use the freebie), and if its ok then I won't use it........ so lets say I don't use it does that mean that the freebie will be wasted or will i be counted as a separate bonus grade? 

read first

Ok ...... : so let us begin
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.......
a monday morning, it surely was, an unsuspecting young'n, walked through the door, and what...
, yes, t'was Mrs. Brown welcoming a new old class, of students, drug (coffee) addicts, and worst of all
Over achievers.

"woe is me" thought all.... who had failed the summer assignment, and were hurt, miserable, and prone
, prone to what? shall ask me from the future, prone to giving up hope before the IB path has begun.

to not sully the mood,  I'll change the subject, to one where the wise Omar can find hope
Math, not the standard type, the Midgette type,
the kind of math that attacks you, when you're defenseless, and forces you to conform
and after you're left thinking your were a victim, you realize that you are somehow better off
your brain capacity increases, your hope is crushed to the point where you realize that hope was lie
a lie that grants the wielder incredible abilities, when they realize the deception

thus having no hope, and no emotion, yielded a brain with a predictable pattern of thinking,
a cold, hard, calculating brain, that redid the summer assignment to only get a 91 on it and a 90 in the class
The sheer underwhelming frustration, as it quickly consumed , I realized that the only way to survive
was to survive, logic at its finest, there need not be deep thought but the required amount to pass each class
those classes, or biology, where many fools dare to understand why things function,
are best achieved in, not buy questioning, but by submitting to the cruel and evil will that it imposes
memorize the facts and tie no emotion, those are words of wisdom,
 so when that won hun-ed is handed with a sticker
just forget everything and binge watch Netflix

flash forward a year later
and look at the hero of the story, grandpa bromar, called is he by the peers
a name that carries of unattainable wisdom, and brotherly hood
this fine thinking has landed him to an ok position, in which he finally didn't get a C in his english class
This miracle, this... this unprecedented event, reveals one epiphany
and that is : summer assignments are  muy malo ( that's a spanish phrase).

I expect great things come, not really to me, but in general
and it's also important to note that meursault and shakespeare, were probably one and the same
since saying that the world is a tale that signifies nothing, is way to existential to be a coincidence

----- The Chronicles of A Grandfather's Life, book 129, chapter 13, pg 7423

Conquering IB

 link of video

https://youtu.be/Mn3ITx22CI0

 

And I thought my hand writing was bad......

Looking at the the format of the first page of the book seems to indicate a logbook type of format where numbers and names were kept , names such as "Charles", and "Houston & Thompson", yet following this page is another titled "Brochure," which seems to portray a general overview of what Walt Whitman's inner thoughts were like. Firstly, since Whitman was an early promoter of the "realist" movement in Humanism, his work is very related to practicality and immediate worldly matters, this is why the page says , or rather probably says, " two characters as of a dialogue between a........... Or better lessons for a president elect." This shows that he is willing to portray a person with an opinion that is worthy of teaching a president a lesson, and since the president is technically supposed to know what he is doing better than everybody else, ( you know because that's why he, not she, (since this is the 1800), is the president and not anybody else). So this obstinate nature of Whitman that seeks to educate the president , which could have probably been Lincoln, depending on the time he wrote this, reveals that he sees flaws within society and as such there is room for improvement. The manner in which this is written is also interesting since he writes in a note like manner that is meant to describe and generate ideas rather than serve as a book of a actual publishable work. Throughout the rest of his work he mentions words like " Christ ", "Greek", and "Philosophy", along with "Platform" , which could refer to a political party public platform, which also helps portray Whitman's thoughts, which are heavily entrenched in politics. Later on the work seems to contain questions, as well as phrases like "black clouds, clouds of death," which seems to me like some sort of simile to what he is talking about, but since his writing is illegible, it is impossible to find out, or is it? The last thing to mention before actually looking at the annotated work, is the sketches which seem to be interestingly different in that none of them seem to depict Whitman, who had a ridiculously large Hillbilly beard, unless of course this showed a younger Whitman. The next image looks like a hybrid image of the sketched man and Lincoln's legendary hat, and the final image depicts a  skeleton harpy that looks like George washington's corpse with a french sword going through it, and I assumed it was Washington  since Whitman wrote " here stood Washington."

Whitman Death Bed edition (click on any of the blue 22 letters to find the source)

Whitman Christmas edition (click on any of the blue 23 letters to find the source)

Looking at the annotated version of the text, reveals that Whitman used to stalk, or rather observe Lincoln rather regularly and as such he wrote about what he wanted Lincoln to do, as well as what he would have wanted to say to Lincoln if he would ever have the chance to speak to him,  although they never got the chance.  This reveals a lot about Whitman's nature  as a writer, since he would rather write about an imaginary dialogue with the president than actually have one, I guess he wasn't the strongest supporter of "Realism" after all, but it is interesting to know that Whitman was speaking of religion as well as how he viewed Lincoln's condition during the war, which was that of a tired ship captain, in which he uses this image in order to answer his question of , "is all then lost ?", which I did skillfully spot, and apparently the phrase concerning the clouds, mentioned earlier,  portrays his view of the trouble that America was going to get into, thus revealing how he uses imagery to portray his opinion on real life situations, which in fact revealed that he successfully predicted the importance of the outcome of the civil war and its impact on the future of democracy in the world. The sketches portrayed are controversial since some say that it portrayed Whitman while others say that it didn't, ultimately this reveals how Whitman viewed himself, in which according to his statements, he said that the camera was tired of seeing him all the time. All this reveals that Whitman was a narcissist that had good judgement and phenomenal predictive capabilities, as well as a knack for creating really impressive imagery.

P.S.----- The skeleton harpy was thought to have represented America, and how Whitman viewed its current state.... but the most puzzling question of all is,  why the french sword? Is it good old irony, since france always gets conquered, or is the sword really made of iron and not steel, and most importantly, will I ever capitalize the "f" in france? You can find the answers you seek and more in next and Final post of IB LitLang

Omerican Dream

The American Dream is essentially the thought that a person is free to progress throughout society both in a social and an economic fashion with the same privileges extended to them as are extended to all, thus mainly it encompasses the idea that no matter how high or low a person's socio-economic is, such a factor will not be a determinant of a persons future, for society will be made up of those with great merit and accomplishment  and can have social mobility as a result of those virtues. The complete definition of the American Dream can hence be identified as the idea that one can prosper in a society with no to little restrictions on social mobility. After WW1 the idea of cheap housing was becoming popular as an example of the American Dream, where everyone can have the ability to own property regardless of there background.

Wealth is a reservoir of any objects that holds significant meaning in society that are owned by a single entity be it man or organization. Wealth does not necessarily have to be in monetary form but can be considered in any form that has value attributed to it, thus this can even be coupled with the emotions of humans  since a person with a sophisticated wealth of knowledge can use such to influence his/her own decisions and as such this form of wealth as with all forms is capable to affect circumstances and can be gained over time. In terms of the American Dream wealth is what is gained as a result of the realization of the dream and it is the main factor that when increased promotes social mobility which in turn stimulates wealth and this continues in a cycle with a positive feedback loop , thus in simple terms wealth can be both the cause and result of the American Dream.

The view of wealth and poverty by Americans is puzzling when compared to what is desired in the American Dream. According to Teid Cramer of the New America Foundation, most Americans are willing to accept the existence of poverty and an increase in its growing rate as long as economic progress will result but of course he said that this was temporary and most Americans would like to see a decrease in the gap. This comment, assuming that it embodies the views of the American people, shows that progress of wealth is more valued that's poverty, and since wealth is what causes the actualization of the American Dream it shows an aspect of self-interest since if one has enough wealth in order to invest and increase there base wealth then they can move in social mobility, but the only way for this to happen is if there was economic progress, even if achieving this progress causes the poor to become more poor. Thus this desire to improve ones life cannot exist for all since any sort of increase on one side will have consequences on the other even if this includes the suppression of others development. Poor Americans on the other hand view the wealth as not as a source of power but rather oppression, for most people bellow the poverty have enough money to support there basic needs, and can barely save anything; this, however, according to Stuart Butler of Herotage Foundation, is partially a problem of the poor themselves for they choose whatever money they have left on lottery tickets and payday lenders rather than actually saving money, and so while the rich save and invest money to increase there wealth, the poor keep getting poorer and more indebt, thus making it hard for any possible mobility in socio-economic aspect of the world.

Omarx's..... I mean Omar's attitude towards wealth and poverty in relation to the American Dream, isquite depressing actually since the facts all lead to the... fact that the American Dream is a myth, in terms of logic it is impossible for every citizen to become prosperous and have great wealth without being hindered in some manner that would make any social mobility aspect impossible. Firstly in order for anyone to gain wealth then another must give up wealth. Wealth is  like the movement of water from a container to another it can move completely from one container to the other but cannot exist in both simultaneously without the acknowledgement that there will not be any increase in both containers of water. The flow of wealth verily works in a similar manner since people sell services or products for wealth, but that wealth obviously must come from other people this the constant redistribution of wealth is what keeps people alive, and as for poverty it exists due to the previous economic policy's of mankknds history that is filled with great injustice, so how can this be solved asks you...... Well I'll tell you.... Poverty rises from the greed and self interest of mankind as well as from indecisive decisions, thus the only way to solve this is with .....................……….………....................... wait for it ................................................................... niceness. Of people would help others and expect nothing in return.... Aka high interst rates.... then the economic status of the world will be so exceptional that economic progress won't even be a thing since humans have reached there limit........ thus the ultimate cause of poverty is human greed which can only be remedied if humans give up the want to be rich for it is truly illogical... money should only be used to meet basic needs and from that point people should try to strive for self actualization and self transcendence as according to Maslow ( pronounced MASH LAO). So Omar's view is that wealth and poverty are mere illusions that need to be ignored, for the human ignorance of clinging to material wealth is what causes so great misery, and that te American Dream is just wishful thinking that results from assuming material wealth gives people happiness, and for that I shall give only one word: IGNOMINOUS  

Citation: 

Cramer, Reid, and Stuart Butler. "Wealth Inequality in America: Two Views." Spotlight on Poverty and Oppurtunity. Spotlight, 15 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spotlightonpoverty.org%2Fexclusivecommentary.aspx%3Fid%3Dbbded7bd-f034-49a6-9813-0f2b29fe8d6a>.

Ich esse einen Apfel........deutschen brot......dusseldorf........

#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

• The sentence appears to be a run on due to its lack of a comma between the dependent and independent clause; this choice enhances the message carried in a manner that favors a more awesome introduction, since it tries to let the sentence flow freely without the hindrance of punctuation.
• The choice of beginning with the dependent clause, "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams," emphasizes that his transformation emerged from an otherwise normal event, which ,surprisingly, is Samsa waking up from nightmares, or rather dreams that conflict with his superego, thus causing a feel of uneasiness.
• Using "he found himself transformed," rather than, for example, "he realized," sets a tone of detachment , since the word choice separates Samsa's consciousness of his body and condition from himself, as if he is an outside observer.
• The usage of "gigantic," is surely interesting when compared to other translations of the original german word "ungeheuren", since it only gives a denotation with an almost identical connotation, since it only portrays a word that appeals to only a physical aspect, rather than a personality characteristic like that given from the word "monstrous."

#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.

• The sentence structure is written in a manner that gives off an informative tone, and this is especially clear since the author seems to be trying to explain to the reader why this certain morning would be different that the previous ones; this is shown by his using of "only," to show the surprise of the outcome of what happened to Samsa.
• The fact that "one morning" isn't surrounded by commas from both sides emphasizes the authors straightforward manner to convey the sentence without any pauses. The syntax also seems to support the feel of the entire novel, which tells of the absurdity Samsa faces after becoming a bug; this is evident in the accusatory sound of the sentence, which is written in a manner that seems to state that Samsa did everything he was supposed to do, normally, but then became a bug unjustly.
• The word choice of "to find himself," is still prominent in this translation which, as with the previous one separates Samsa from his physical body, and likens him to that of an observing stranger.
• The usage of the word "giant," and "uneasy" both are simplistic in a way that reveals a meaning no deeper than the denotation of the words, unless uneasy is interpreted as a sort of internal conflict within Samsa's mind.

#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.

• The choice to begin the sentence with a dependent clause, gives a rushed or immediate feeling to the sentence and it also makes it seem like a cause and effect way of storytelling.
• In terms of the syntax, the lack of punctuation is evident , since no commas are surround "one morning," and also the dependent and independent clause were not separated by any sort of punctuation; this choice seems to add to the intrigue of the first sentence, since the lack of pauses attracts the reader forcefully by showing them the effect of a past action.
• The usage of "troubled dreams" emphasizes a previously unprecedented point, in which the dreams themselves are characterized , not their effects the on Samsa, thus considering such a thought makes it seem that it was the state that his dreams were in made him wake up, thus his concern is that of sympathy, since the dreams are considered as separate entities in this translation.
• The using of "enormous" as a descriptor, has a more elaborate connotation than the words used in the previous translation in that it can refer to not only the physical size of the bug, but also to it's effect on tone since enormous carries a sense of something overwhelming, in size and burden of will power.

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.

• In terms of syntax, it is worded in a manner opposite to the other previous translations, in that possesses an excess of commas, such an effect can create scene where the specifics of the situation are being built up slowly as the words are given, thus clarification increases after each pause made.
• The use of "agitated dreams" is similar to that of the previous translation in that the dreams are themselves separately personified, thus making their effect an outside one.
• The use of "monstrous vermin" is intriguing in that the creature bieng described, is now being generalized into a category based on human emotion, which in this case is hatred, rather than being a specified species. This alienated the thing which he became and made it more unknown and doubtful, thus it supports the usage of monstrous as an adjective rather than gigantic, in which monstrous gives an immediate sense of fear and disapproval, before it becomes a apparent to the reader that monstrous also refers to the size of the creature, thus in this case monstrous has many connotations that transcend that of size, into a more personable view.
• Placing "upon awaking from agitated dreams " in between the clauses of the sentence makes it seem as an irrelevant portion for the sentence, as it only serves as an outside descriptor, or maybe it could have been done for the sake of saying that the condition that Samsa was in is not important, with the reality of his condition being the only thing of relevance.

Overall analysis

The ways that the sentence can be portrayed affects the meaning significantly in more ways than one. Firstly the usage of diction can disassociate certain aspects of Samsa that are a part of him, and the making Samsa seem as a sort of victim to some sort of transgression. The sentence structure and syntax affect the meaning through the initial effect that the sentence has on the reader, thus the less punctuation the more quickly and immediately the sentence will strike the reader, yet with more punctuational regulation the sentence builds up the atmosphere slowly. Also whether the sentence comes in a form of an accusation or a cause and effect portrayal also affects how it is perceived by the readers. All forms are effective in their own manner, but usually diction and syntax are the most important, since in them the many meanings of words and the manner they are portrayed in, respectively, determine the tone and the portrayal of the major concepts in the story, thus using monstrous over gigantic reveals aspects of emotion as well as physical description; and using lots of punctuation to create a variety of pauses allow the story to develop slowly, thus giving the reader time to ponder about that which is presented to him/her.

Since translating texts requires more aspects than grammatical knowledge and vocabulary in a certain language, this exercise explains that the translator needs to understand what the original author wanted to say when they published the work, as well as a true understanding of the book in the original language, for when that is achieved, the translator must try use diction, syntax, and imagery to create the meaning that the original text portrayed rather than the verbatim translation of the text, thus changes in translation reveals, a focus on different aspects of the main story rather than poor translation.Different translations affect the tone since they utilize different diction syntax and imagery, thus using a word like monstrous over gigantic would bring up a tone of doubt or danger, even though both words are variations of the same word in german, the syntax in terms of pauses also changes the tone in which a punctuation free sentence would feel sorry and rushed and show. A tone of normalcy, while many pauses would indicate a tone of suspicion.

IB Spitting IOC Lyrics

Video:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ax1p59t5vmgys0d/New%20Recording%2011.mp3?dl=0



Passage:
The bathroom is beside the bedroom. It's papered in small blue flowers, forget-me-nots, with curtains to match. There's a blue bath mat, a blue fake-fur cover on the toilet seat; all this bathroom lacks from the time before is a doll whose skirt conceals the extra roll of toilet paper. Except that the mirror over the sink has been taken out and replaced by an oblong of tin, and the door has no lock, and there are no razors, of course. There were incidents in bathrooms at first: there were cuttings, drownings. Before they got all the bugs ironed out. Cora sits on a chair outside in the hall, to see that no one else goes in. In a bathroom, in a bathtub, you are vulnerable, said Aunt Lydia. She didn't say to what.
The bath is a requirement, but it is also a luxury. Merely to lift off the heavy white wings and the veil, merely to feel my own hair again, with my hands, is a luxury. My hair is long now, un-trimmed. Hair must be long but covered. Aunt Lydia said: Saint Paul said it's either that or a close shave. She laughed, that held-back neighing of hers, as if she'd told a joke.
Cora has run the bath. It steams like a bowl of soup. I take off the rest of the clothes, the overdress, the white shift and petticoat, the red stockings, the loose cotton pantaloons. Pantyhose gives you crotch rot, Moira used to say. Aunt Lydia would never have used an expression like crotch rot. Unhygienic was hers. She wanted everything to be very hygienic.
My nakedness is strange to me already. My body seems outdated. Did I really wear bathing suits, at the beach? I did, without thought, among men, without caring that my legs, my arms, my thighs and back were on display, could be seen. Shameful, immodest. I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it's shameful or immodest but because I don't want to see it. I don't want to look at something that determines me so completely.
I step into the water, lie down, let it hold me. The water is soft as hands. I close my eyes, and she's there with me, suddenly, without warning, it must be the smell of the soap. I put my face against the soft hair at the back of her neck and breathe her in, baby powder and child's washed flesh and shampoo, with an undertone, the faint scent of urine. This is the age she is when I'm in the bath. She comes back to me at different ages. This is how I know she's not really a ghost. If she were a ghost she would be the same age always.

Criterion A: 7

 I mention overall context of the text and all ways explain each claim by giving an example from the passage, and I also mention certain aspects and themes that are apparent from a semi-deep understanding from the text. 

Criterion B: 6

I do mention the usage of the syntax and imagery throughout the text as well as their effect on the audience constantly

Criterion C: 2

So..... I did mention having overarching themes but I did cycle back and forth in a non organised manner.

Criterion D: 3

Well I'm a horrible speaker and I don't intend to improve anytime soon, but my IOC was intelligible to english ear so its ok.  

Digital Bingeing

Summary:

Abha Dawesar, starts the talk concerning the effects of the "Digital now" ,as she calls it, on how we experience time and the moments of our daily lives. The main argument delivered is that the Digital Now distracts us from realizing that time is not just data bombarding us, but rather that it is an experience in which one must be aware and appreciate the moment, through love and attention. The speaker starts the talk by recalling the time when she was cut off from power when hurricane sandy struck, and she specifically mentions how people considered charging their phone as essential, just like food and shelter. Later on Dawesar speaks of the philosophy of what the Digital Now actually does, in which she remarked that it causes the warping of both space and time, the far is now close and what would take an eternity to naturally occur takes a matter of seconds; due to internet archives the past lies before us as well as the present, and suggestions of the past based on other peoples past choices, become our potential future. We become distracted as a result of the "creativity" of technology nowadays. To prove her point she remarked how her grandfather spoke of Vienna and the Spanish riding school as well as the world's capitals, and then she stated that it is possible to learn this today from  Apps, but the experience she shares with her grandfather is something the Digital Now can never take away, since she experienced this, she realized what was happening at that moment was not just a bunch of data stored in the form of memory. Dawesar shares more personal examples such as learning how to cook from her grandmother, and learning that time is needed to nurture such skill, and thus showing the difference between Time and the Digital Now, which she mentioned previously are now confused as being the same. She concludes with stating that it is we who have the ability to slow down the flow of time and thus we can choose to have time back and experience the moments we want to cherish.

Analysis:

Purpose:

Abha Dawesar's purpose is to inform the world about the effects and dangers of the Digital Now that is reducing the realization of moments that we have and is distracting us. her goal was also to persuade the viewers to try to enjoy the world through experience with others, and to cherish the moments that we are in; she also wants us to realize that every moment in time can never be quantified and only exists in that exact same moment and thus we can only experience things truly once, we need to view the world as a once in a life time opportunity that must be made the best of without the distractions of technology.

Ethos:

The author is a novelist who graduated from Harvard University and has written countless books concerning the philosophy of understanding nature, time, self, and uncertainty. Although her background doesn't suggest any expertise in the field of philosophy and the analysis of how technology affects us today, the fact that she is an experienced writer of her personalized understanding of the purpose and effects of nature and self, makes her credible for the sake of experience. The fact that she went to Harvard from a developing country demonstrates her academic and intellectual achievements, however when she speaks concerning her topic her ethos isn't the most imposing aspect that persuades or influences the listener, but it is rather her logos and sometimes her ethos that play such a role.

Logos:

Whilst analyzing Dawesar's speech it is evident that the supporting evidence she uses mainly comes from purely logically concerned assumptions, and claims. The way she supports those claims is by either assuming the audience experienced a situation that can be related to her argument, and thus argued without any need of intervention, or by using her own personal examples, which are used to show what the reliance on the Digital Now truly deprives a person of. The author rarely  addresses any counter claims of the other side of the spectrum to validate her argument and thus she doesn't give fair mention of any critique concerning her opinion. This sense of bias doesn't take away from the message, but adds a sense of incompleteness, since one would like to hear the other side of the argument. The structuring of the presentation is coherent and efficient as it firstly states a claim, then she shows the logic behind such a claim, and then give personal, real life examples that further her argument’s points. Overall the argument was strong concerning the addressing of her claims, and relatable examples, but it is weak by a potential bias, and the lack of any counterclaims.

Pathos:

The author Utilized emotions of fear and Paranoia in a very discreet fashion in the beginning of the speech as she stated that the Digital Now has become a distraction that has eclipsed all aspects of life and is in direct competition with time, and is constantly ahead of time. This feeling created anticipation in the audience, but later on this was ameliorated,  since such feelings of helplessness gave way to Dawesar’s experiences with her Grandfather and Grandmother which were filled with fondness; She stated that such experiences can slow the flow of time and allow the appreciation of the moment , and that love is nourished in the presence of such an environment. Dawesar, also discreetly, tried to show the audience the supposed previous stupidity that most people possessed when they thought that having the Digital Now would bring everything to them whilst assuming that all had a phone and access to Internet. All of these feelings are effectively utilized by Dawesar to make her solutions more appealing and to make her problem seem more drastic, as a result the end result would be one out of desperation and the seeking of pleasure, which are one of the most strongest of human desires.

Why I chose this:

To be blatant, I took a gamble and clicked on a random link since it had the word digital in it. However i'm glad I chose to watch and analyze this, since I personally love the digital world and all the wonders of Internet. Internet is how I live, it is also how I sleep ( I pass out while Netflix binging every day, and then repeat the episode I fell asleep on the next day since I wake up having no recollection of it); another reason why this was interesting was because it reinitiated my philosophical mind once again and gave me inspiration to challenge Dawesar's claims in the recesses of my mind where no mortal shall ever hear of it, thus making mankind dumb concerning my sophisticated opinion ( opinion=fact) of this topic. To be honest I had already thought about most of what Dawesar said, but I was interested in her reasoning of time being more than a collection of data, and how she viewed an experienced moment as a treasure which nurtures the love of those around us. I personally don't like that mushy feeling stuff but, many people who are softies will give in to this stuff and believe it and since most of the world is made of softies then it will make sense to think of this speech as world changing. The reasoning behind this is that more people would spend time experiencing moments and not staying on their phones, and thus the world market would collapse without the Digital Now; so the ultimate choice is between that of bliss and sorrow, or depression and wealth, most obvious choice.

Link to Video:

https://www.ted.com/talks/abha_dawesar_life_in_the_digital_now

To Love is to Sacrifice and to......... know what comes next you better read this blog

#3 Double Indemnity has been called “a film without a single trace of pity or love.” Do you agree with this statement? Think about the motivations that lie behind the actions of Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson when you consider your response.

In order to answer this question in the most effective manner possible, the definition of "Love" and "Pity" must be made clear. Love ,as defined by Omar-the-wise, is " a decision making factor that, if not known to be existent by the person it inhabits, can sometimes transgress the boundaries of reason and thus produce an action, as well as a result, that was not carefully decided by the subject". Now if the subject, who has a form of love, knows the existence of his/her love and for what that love is directed to, then one can regulate when love can affect decision making, if one thinks carefully about the decision; yet, if one were to be faced with an uncontrollable situation where time is of the essence, then love, as well as other emotions, might prevail over one's reasoning. This can yield both good and bad results, as the action performed is unknown by the subject until the specific decision making time passes. Love can be both selfless and selfish and unconditional as well as conditional. Due to these various forms, love can involve people , physical inanimate objects, or pretty much any concept. This love and it's fast decision making can involve sacrifices since it puts one's reasoning and the benefits of such reasoning aside, thus love can cause sacrifices for loved ones, which puts one in a state of possible vulnerability, this being selflessness. One can also love himself/herself and thus reinforcing one's various reasonings and defense mechanisms, this being Selfishness.

Pity possesses a much simpler definition. " Pity is when an individual shows a form of empathy to another where, this can be due to an unfavorable tragedy striking the pitied person or that person is lacking in some ability that the observer either possesses, or that specific ability is required for the success in the situation the pitied person is in."

Now since the definitions are clear, How can one apply them to Double Indemnity and the claim that there is no Pity or Love in the film?

Using the definitions of love outlined above one can say that Phyllis Dietrichson possessed a form of unconditional selfish love for herself throughout most of the movie; first when she allegedly killed Lola's mother so that she can marry Mr.Dietrichson, who according to his last name is Rich, and is also dead. This selfish love for herself and monetary gain affected her reasoning since if she wanted Mr.Dietrichson dead then she would have left Lola an orphan and killed a man for shiny metal (money). Phyllis' love for herself also extends to the point where she would use her sexual appeal and her body to acquire what she desired. Thus if the love used in the question can be extended to selfishness, then, By all means both Phyllis and Walter Neff are driven greatly by love. Walter's love unlike Phyllis' wavers much more often, firstly from being against killing Mr.Dietrichson, and thus showing no love to such an idea, to falling madly in love with Phyllis' and killing a man just to satisfy her. His love for Phyllis can be described as conditional and selfless, which is supported by the fact that he committed murder and prospectively theft, just to be with her; however, after realizing her Phyllis’ nature from Lola and from Phyllis' interaction with Nino , Lola's former boyfriend, his love shifted from Phyllis to the point where he confronted her and suggested killing her, which he eventually does.Phyllis although never possessing love towards Walter does , rather surprisingly, not kill Walter after wounding him with a shot to the shoulder, and says that this was the only minute that she really loved him, so she didn't shoot him, if the definition of love here is speaking of selfless love then at that moment this would have been the only example of love, although unrequited, since Walter shoots her in cold blood, and portrays no love whatsoever.

In terms of pity, one can say in some instances that when  Jackson offered his aid to Walter, who pretended to have a broken leg, and asked him if he wanted to smoke, Jackson showed some pity on Walter since he thought that a man who has a leg injury might find it both difficult and inconvenient to go and find an item in another cart, thus fulfilling the requirement for the definition of pity. When walter picked Lola up from the side of the street in order for her to go with her boyfriend, Walter showed her some pity since she was naive of the ways world and was in need of travelling assistance. Although such an action can also seem to fit in the love category, it doesn't fulfill the decision making portion of love, since Walter was not overly drawn to help her, but it was rather a gesture of common courtesy. A final example of pity can be seen when Walter convinces Nino to go for Lola, and not enter the house, where walter had killed Phyllis, since according to walter, Lola was the one that truly loved Nino. This fits the category of pity since Walter could have perceived Nino to be, too young and too naive to be involved in such a murder case.

Overall depending on the certain type of love meant by the question, it could be argued there is love in the movie Double Indemnity of many kinds, yet with no love being found at the end of the movie, as shown by Walter’s killing of Phyllis. There is however without a doubt some extent of pity, which is true regardless of the different definitions of pity, in which most cases are shown to those who are naive, such as Lola and Nino.    

Works Cited :

Double Indemnity. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. Edward G. Robinson. MCA Home Video, 1991. DVD