Couldn't Think Of A Facetious Title

Sentimental Sentiments

2011-06-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

After reading over all of my blogs from this year, my first thought is "Why didn't I figure out how to monetize this thing sooner." (I encourage you to click on the ads placed on the right side bar for your convenience. The more you click, the more I make) From what I can tell, in the majority of my posts I make an attempt to answer the prompt in a manner that is unusual or somehow out of the ordinary. However, most of my attempts at finding deeper levels of meaning in the material discussed in the posts just come across as pretentious.
As I went over all of my old posts, a couple clear themes emerged. First of all, I noticed that my blog is saturated with deep thought provoking answers, as well as clever insights, and unique perspectives. That's when I realized I was reading Sherwin's blog. I knew something wasn't right. In all seriousness, my blog follows two major trends. There are the posts that are somewhat intelligent, and look at the topic being discussed in a new light. Then there are the posts that I did just for the sake of doing them. It's like aestheticism, except for the sake of a couple points, not art. To insert a quote that may or may not be present just for the sake of a grade, I would like to quote H.R. from the Bad Brains and say "Just another damn song."

Although this song is about commercialism in music, and is saying that at some point, themes become cliches, and your just writing another damn song, and that often music is written for the sake of money, not the themes that are discussed in the lyrics. I feel that that it can also apply to the blogs, and school in general. It is very possible that I am just cynical, but I look at my classmates and sometimes it seems that they are so focused on points that they overlook the meaning in what they are doing. However this is somewhat hypocritical, as I am guilty of doing the same thing. I have done posts this year that have been insightful (my favorite was the Lobsters post), but there are also posts that I just did for the points without touching on any deeper level of meaning. This whole thing seems to be a paradox: for teachers you can't evaluate your students performance without points, but there is such a big hype over grades that many people do their assignments just for the grade, without ever really understanding. Or maybe, I'm just ranting to fill space. (Think about it: go on a rant about how people do their work just for the sake of their grades without understanding any of it, and no ones going to notice that you're doing the same thing)
To conclude, my blog is pretty much what anyone would expect. Some of the posts are intelligent and insightful, others are pointless and unenlightened., and some are just boring. Some parts are much better than others, but as a whole I believe it isn't bad. Not amazing, but also not bad. I would like to close with a reminder to click on the conveniently placed advertisement before you grade me down for deliberately wasting space.

Poetry Experiences

2011-06-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Since I can't think of an example of how poetry has affected or made a difference in my life, for the purpose of the assignment I am going to assume that a song is a poem set to music. After all, many songs have some sort of rhyming scheme and even those that don't still have have rhythm in how they are sung, similar to a poem.
One song that is important to me is Dramamine, by Modest Mouse. I can listen to this song on repeat for hours, and unlike many songs, it doesn't cater to any specific mood the reader is in; it is just as good as when your happy, sad, or anywhere in between. There have been many times when it has either cheered me up, or added to a good mood.
Additionally, I love to play the song. I have spent many hours playing along to the recording, as well as playing dubstyle versions with different friends on drums. As a result, the opening has some level of sentimental value, and whenever I hear it I think of all the times I have played it.
One of the great things about songs is that the music, as well as the words can have connotation. In some ways music can influence people in ways that poetry can't for this very reason. In addition to the composition of the riffs, different keys and scale patterns can be used in a song to create feeling without ever using words. An artist can evoke darker emotions by using minor, and blues scales among others.
Poetry has never been something I have gone out of my way for, but I have always had some level of appreciation. However, I do spend probably too much time listening to music, which I say should count for something. I tend to enjoy songs more than poems for the reasons I mentioned earlier. The lyrics hold value and create emotions, and often the accompanying music adds meaning and emotional value to the song.

Conflict In Romeo And Juliet

2011-05-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

One of the main conflicts in the play that stood out to me was the internal conflict both that both Romeo and Juliet face. Both of the protagonists have internal conflict as they are faced with choosing between each other and their families, and the proceedings in act III serve to complicate matters. In acts I and II there was conflict in the story, but it comes to a climax after the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio. Before this point, despite the longstanding feud between the two families, neither Romeo or Juliet had been been directly harmed as a result of the rivalry. After Tybalt and Mercutio died, the feud became more personal for both parties as they were forced to choose between each other and their families. Although the internal conflict in both characters is very similar, it shows up more in Juliet, for her husband killed her cousin, whereas the connection between Tybalt, who killed Mercutio, and Romeo is much less personal, creating less internal conflict (or at least the conflict within Romeo doesn't get as well developed within the story). The scene that best illustrates the conflict within Juliet is when Nurse first breaks the news of Tybalt's death to her. Her first reaction is to verbally lash out at Romeo, but after all, the play is a romance, and so she soon changes her mind and decides that she is just as devoted to him as ever.
It is very easy for me to relate this type of internal conflict to my own life, because as it happens, I am a 13 year old girl, and just last week, my husband killed my cousin, and I was forced to choose between him, and my family, all while being as melodramatic as possible of course. But really, this type of conflict shows up in everyones life, granted not to the extremes of the play. I don't have a specific example, but it is relatively common common for someone we love to do something that makes us angry or sad, and we have to make a choice between forgiving them, or letting ourselves stay mad. The choice we make depends on what they do, and our relation to the person

Modern Parallels To Romeo And Juliet

2011-05-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

After deciding to not write about the most obvious parallels (Avatar, Twilight, West Side Story) I was going through my bookshelf looking for something that I might be able to relate to Romeo And Juliet, not matter how stretched that comparison is. What I came up with is one of my favorite books, People Of The Deer, by one of my favorite authors, Farley Mowat. The book, which takes place in the 1940's is about the remaining few people from a group of people indigenous to one of the harshest and most remote parts of the Canadian interior. Known as the Ihalmiut, first came into contact with settlers in the last years of the 19th century. In many ways, it was love at first sight for these two profoundly different cultures. The trappers realized that they could convince the Ihalmiut to hunt small game for their pelts, instead of their traditional food source, caribou. The Ihalmiut traded furs for guns, ammunition and western food staples, like flour and sugar. For several decades, both sides benefited from this arrangement, but inevitably, a problem arose: the fur market crashed. By this time, the art of making traditional weapons had been lost, and the Ihalmiut were left without ammunition, no way to hunt the animals they needed to survive, and were plagued with smallpox. By the 1950's the tragic story was practically over. A combination of disease and starvation reduced what had once been several thousand people to less than a dozen survivors. People Of The Deer is a fascinating insight into the dark side western-indigenous relations, and holds several (very, very faint) parallels to Romeo And Juliet.

Relating To Romeo And Juliet

2011-04-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

It is somewhat difficult for me to connect to any of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. I would assume that most people would choose one of the two protagonists, simply because they have been developed more than any of the other characters and are therefore the easiest to write about. However, I feel that I have nothing in common with either Romeo or Juliet. I am very decisive and do my best not to keep wavering back and forth when I make decisions in my life, be they significant or otherwise. I don't see anything wrong with changing my mind for a good reason, but I am unlike Romeo in that when I make a decision I am careful to make sure that it is what I really want and I never change my mind without good reason. Additionally, I feel that I can not relate to Juliet, for if I would start an all out war if I felt that my future was out of my control, and instead in the hands of my family. As a result, I feel like I can relate the most to Mercutio, even though he has only been present in one small section of the play so far. Like Mercutio, I have the capacity for critical thought, and I use it often. I have very little patience for the romantics in life, and dealing with people who tend to be more whimsical just exasperates me. I also feel like I can relate to how Mercutio handles people like this. When he makes fun of Romeo for setting so much store by is dreams he does a good job of using satire. Instead of telling someonw "you're wrong, and here's why" I like to use satire and sarcasm to get my point across.
I feel that reading in class, as well as at home is beneficial. Personally, I don't have a lot of trouble understanding what is going on because most of the unusual words and phrasings make sense in context. Even though the meanings of some of the words have changed, they still make sense in the sentences. I think the biggest thing reading in class does for me is make the jokes more obvious. At home, I notice most of the jokes, but there is something about reading aloud that really makes them stand out. Often, when we are reading in class simply hearing the words spoken aloud helps me to notice passages that are intended to be funny. Additionally, reading everything for a second time helps to convey meaning, and I always pick up on things that I didn't the night before.

Great Expectations Theme

2011-04-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

There are many themes and messages in Great Expectations, but the one message that was emphasized over and over throughout the whole book was that happiness can not be attained by means of material possessions. Instead, satisfaction in life stems from the simpler aspects of our existence. At the time, it seems that Dickens used the novel as a way to tell his readers that as a society they were becoming increasingly out of touch and materialistic. His message is that contrary to popular belief, money does not equal happiness, and if you spend your life pursuing portable property then you will become increasingly unhappy as you lose touch with the simpler parts of life. Through the contrasts between his characters Dickens says that if you want to be happy you should surround yourself with friends and family, as well as live an honest and noble life, instead of surrounding yourself with nobility, and alienating those individuals who love you. Although the book is over a hundred and fifty years old, sadly the message has lost none of its potency, as people have changed very little over time. Our culture is different but people still act in much the same way as when the book was written.

Connections To Great Expectations

2011-03-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

This post is especially difficult for me because most of what I read is non-fiction, and hold no similarity to Great Expectations. The best example I can think of is the book Mixed Emotions, by Greg Child.

Mixed Emotions is a compilation of short stories from Child's life, starting out when he first started climbing as a teenager in Australia, to his time on El Capitan, and in the Karakorum. Aside from the hard to follow timelines of both stories, the biggest similarity between the two books is the theme that fame (Mixed Emotions), and money/power (Great Expectations) aren't everything they're made out to be.

Through his perseverance, Child managed to become a world renowned climber, but instead of spending the whole book telling himself how great he is, he spends a lot of time asking himself "Is it worth it?" After losing most of his toes to frostbite, shattering numerous bones in a fall, and watching powerlessly as his best friend died of HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) he begins to realize that although he is world famous, it isn't worth watching his friends die for.

Even if he didn't have to work for it, Pip becomes a Gentleman, which in the eyes of those in his hometown is akin to being world famous. Although he tells himself he has everything he ever wanted, in the back of his mind he knows that he isn't truly happy, even though he has everything he thought he wanted. After being in London for some time, he starts to realize how his expectations have changed him, and that his dream life isn't as perfect as he thought it would be. Although not as dramatic as Child's story, Pip is also paying a price for his dream when he alienates all those who had ever loved him.

Both of these books tell the stories of two characters who managed to achieve their lifelong dreams, but eventually realize that fame, money, and power aren't everything they're made out to be.

Additionally, both books deal with mysteries, although of two different kinds. The mysteries in Great Expectations center around characters, and the details about their lives that are intentionally omitted. Mixed Emotions is also filled with mysteries, but they all have to do with the human psyche instead of the characters. For example, Child spends time describing the unexplained phenomenon of ghostly companions experienced by high altitude climbers. When climbing above about 7,000 people sometimes report feeling another presence following them. Some people become so convinced that this presence is real that they report trying to give it food, only to discover that there is no one there. People who have become lost in blizzards have reported being guided back to their companions by an unknown presence. Depending on who you ask, this mysterious presence is god guiding those who have lost their way, a ghost of a dead climber, or most probably, a combination of oxygen deprivation, exhaustion, and dehydration playing tricks on peoples minds.

Second Stage Of Great Expectations

2011-03-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

Although the second stage of Great Expectations is rather dull and tedious, several very important things happen.One of the most significant events is when Herbert explains to Pip Miss Havishams back story. (179-180). Dickens explains that Miss Havisham wears a faded wedding dress, and stopped all her clocks at twenty till nine because her fiancée left her on the alter at that precise time. Since that day Miss Havisham has left everything in the house the way it was at 8:40 on the morning of her wedding, essentially frozen in time. Dickens also reveals that Estella was adopted by Miss Havisham, and is used as a tool to exact vengeance on the men of the world.
This passage relates mainly to the continuous mystery motif, and is significant because it is the first of the books many mysteries to be solved. Dickens gives his readers more background information on Miss Havisham and Estella, but intentionally withholds key part of the story, like who Estella's birth parents are, and the identity of Miss Havisham's mysterious fiancée. Miss Havisham also ties into the prison/prisoners motif of the first section, for although there are no physical bars restraining her, she remains a prisoner to her own grief, and her house has the air of a disused prison.

Pip's Quote

2011-03-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

I would interpret this quote to mean that aspects of your life in the future by what happens to you in the present. I assume that he is comparing events in the present to the first links of a long chain. On the day he first meets Estella, his views on the world are altered. Before this, he had a childlike view on the world; he had never known hunger, and all the suffering in his life was caused by his sister, so naturally he thought that he had all a person could ever want. After meeting Estella, he suddenly became mush more aware of the gap between the classes, and started viewing himself as common, and dirty. The Pip before and after this quotation are two similar, but different people, the first Pip has never known anything but the small world of the blacksmiths house, and so he wants nothing more, but the second Pip has had his eyes opened to the world of the economic elite, and comes to view himself as inferior, simply because of the harsh nature of one cruel child. In addition to feeling inferior, the second Pip seems more mature and aware of the world. It seems unrealistic, but as the result of one day of torment at the hands of Estella, Pip seems to have matured greatly, into an almost different person.

Because I can't think of anything else, I would say that one of the first links in my "chain" was the day I decided to sign up for honors English. A decision that has left me doomed to sit at a computer writing blog posts at 11:30 on Friday nights for the rest of the year.

Great Expectations Passage

2011-02-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't understand the use of the word "shaver" to describe Pip on page 29.
"...'but as I have mentioned at the door to this smart young shaver'..." (29) The definitions of words change over time, and so I couldn't tell what the word meant within the sentence.

Group Essay

2011-02-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Since I read the rough draft for my paragraph, I haven't changed any concrete details, or commentary, so there shouldn't be any issues with overlapping quotes.
Would anyone in my group be interested in writing the conclusion paragraph? I've done pretty much everything else, and I've got better things to do tonight.

Themes In The Importance Of Being Earnest

2011-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

   In The Importance Of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde develops on several themes, one of the most prominent being dishonesty. All of the central characters lie whenever it is convenient to them, whether it is to save them the trouble of having to explain themselves, or to allow themselves to escape social responsibilities. Most notably, Jack and Algernon are regular "Bunburyists" who have gone to the exquisite trouble of creating fictional characters that allow them to escape their responsibilities in order to pursue pleasure. Interestingly, Wilde doesn't necessarily seem to be speaking out against lying in order to pursue personal pleasure. Instead, he centers the play around what happens when his characters dishonesty is discovered. He seems to be pointing out the consequences of dishonesty, if in a rather comedic manner, all the while maintaining a neutral tone towards the subject.

   Several motifs that show up throughout the play are epigrams, satire of society, references to the title of the play, the name Ernest vs. the word earnest, and the pursuit of pleasure. Much of the humor in the play is centered around epigrams, short, and in this case, often satirical statements about life. Towards the end of the book, Lady Bracknell mentions that long engagements are bad thing, because in her opinion it is a bad thing for couples to get to know each other before marriage. She is saying that people should deceive their fiancé about their true natures so that neither person ends up calling off the engagement. This is ironic because marriage is supposed to be about two people who love each other. The whole concept is defeated if both people purposely don't get to know each other until after they say their vows. This whole passage is a satire on society, particularly the attitudes towards marriage during the time the play was written. The aristocracy viewed marriage as a business deal, and an opportunity to acquire more money or land, rather than a union between two willing individuals. Part of the plays humor is also based around the name Ernest, and the word earnest. Jack and Algernon both pretend to be Ernest, Jacks fictional brother. When they are playing Ernest, they are both very earnest. The irony is that while pretending to be Ernest, a very earnest person, they are deceiving everyone around them, the exact opposite of what someone who was truly earnest would do.

Animal Farm Projects

2011-01-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

1. Aaron- Artwork
He did a good job conveying part of Orwell's message of the revolutionary cycle, where eventually the revolutionaries turn into what they once fought against.
2. Molly- Movie/Trailer
More work went into this project than any other I've seen. Her group did a very good job of conveying all of the required criteria, through visual images. The fact that they actually went to a pig farm to film just helps make their project even better.
3. Alena- Movie
She did a good job of recreating the animals revolutionary spirit. I liked how they portrayed the pigs hypocrisy by showing squealer changing the commandments.
4. Sara- Artwork
She did a good job of showing the elements of the book through the setup of her drawing.
5. Sean- Comic Strip
He did a very good job of illustrating irony and hypocrisy within the story, made stronger with the numerous visual aids.
6. Leah- Comic Strip
I liked her original idea of showing what the pigs say vs. what they mean. It is an effective method of showing the pigs hypocrisy in the book.
7. Melanie- Video
I liked her idea of creating a powerpoint that outlines the plot of the book and works to show the literary elements of the piece.
8. Katie- Artwork
I thought it was interesting that she chose to depict the irony in Napoleon being tricked by Frederick, when at the same time he was cheating the other animals out of food, something I didn't notice when I read the book.
9. D'Andra- Poem
As far as I can tell, she was the only person in first period to choose to do a poem. I thought the repeating ends of each line was interesting.
10. Conor- Artwork
I liked his portraits of the characters, and their historical counterparts, but I think the way he edited the commandments was inaccurate. I thought that at the end the commandments were changed to simple "All animals are equal, but some are more equal."
In conclusion, after viewing most of my classmates projects, I feel that my groups was somewhere in the top 60 or 70% of the spectrum. I don 't think that anyone could argue that our project was the best, but it also wasn't the worst. I feel that we successfully conveyed irony, and the pigs controlling nature through our song, and dialogue. It wasn't necessary, but if we had had more time we could have added more visuals, in addition to the Animal Farm Flag.

Animal Farm

2011-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

This video is a radio drama featuring the banning of the song "The Beasts Of England." In the beginning, the animals sing the song with a mournful tone, a reflection on their visions for the revolution compared to how it played out in the real world. Then, the song is banned by Napoleon, while the explanation given by Squealer hides the pigs true motives for banning the song. In the background, is the flag of Animal Farm.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

2010-12-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

For my Poetry Out Loud selection, I chose, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," by Dylan Thomas. This poem compares the concept of death to "... that good night," and "...the dying of the light." Thomas, through the voice of "wise men" says that "...at their end, dark is right." This poem is similar to "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening," by Robert Frost, in that it portrays death as a welcome rest after what has been a long and tiring day. Where the themes of the two poems split is in the last stanza, where Thomas describes a father figure on his death bed, and says "...I pray, do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light." I understand this to mean that it can be easy to think of death as welcome rest when it isn't relevant to our own lives, but when death threatens someone we are close to, we pray they don't go gentle into that good night.
When reading this poem aloud, I plan on using as much contrast as I can in my voice to convey meaning. I have been practicing using anger in my voice to convey the rage of the men on their death beds; additionally, I have been trying to incorporate a sorrowful tone of voice and facial expressions to convey the poems somber tone. I think it is important to portray the sadness and anger of those facing their inescapable demise, as well as the somber tone of the speaker as he addresses his dying father.

Extra Credit: Paragraphs

2010-12-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Previously, I said that my biggest issues were embedding quotes, and using focused commentary. What did I do to fix this? Umm... I paid specific attention to the quotes in my paragraph in order to make sure that they were properly embedded within the text. As a result, the quotes in my second paragraph are much more skillfully embedded. It was rather hard not to focus the commentary within the paragraph, seeing as I was writing about something that was the same length as the paragraph. This second time, I paid more attention, and spent more time on the things that I struggled with last time, and the result is what I think is a better, more focused piece of writing.

Poetry Out Loud

2010-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Part One:
"Keeping Things Whole"
"Deliberate"
"Ozymandius"
"Cold Blooded Creatures"
"Prisoners"
"The Negro Speaks Of Rivers"
Part Two:
     Of the six poems listed above, I liked "Ozymandius," and "Cold Blooded Creatures." Typically, I enjoy poems, and literature in general that serves a purpose, and conveys a message, rather than simply exists to entertain. I like "Cold Blooded Creatures" because it has an underlying message, that maybe, we should be more aware of the world around us, and that we're not the only creatures on this earth. "Ozymandius" is an exception to my usual tastes; I enjoy it simply for the imagery it contains, rather than the message it contains. The rest of the poems, although not bad, simply didn't connect with me. For the competition, I am interested in reading "Cold Blooded Creatures."
Part Three:
     The easiest criteria for me to meet will be Voice And Articulation, as well as Physical Presence. I feel that especially if I have spent time practicing, I can project when speaking in front of a group, additionally, I don't get nervous when I'm standing in front of a group, which helps with things such as articulation, and presence. The hardest two categories for me to meet will be Dramatic Appropriateness, and Level Of Difficulty. I always feel awkward when I start to use things like hand motions in front of a group, and it can be difficult to be "dramatic," as I can project, but I'm not a very dramatic person
Part Four:
"Writ On The Steps Of Puerto Rican Harlem"
My first thought was "damn, that guys good." This isn't a poem I would have chosen, for if I was reading it independently I would have had no connection to it, and yet, when it was read aloud, it suddenly gained a whole new level of meaning.
"Forgetfulness"
I watched this video because it is one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets. The first thing I noticed was how awkward the speaker looked with his hands clasped together in front of him. The initial awkwardness disappeared when he began to speak. His voice, gestures, and expressions gave an already satirical poem a somber, and slightly cynical edge.
Part Five:
     One of the things that has annoyed me about Poetry Out Loud is the selection of poems. Presumably because they don't want to offend anyone, whoever picks out the poems has neglected to include anything slightly political. As I mentioned earlier, my favorite writing is that which serves a purpose, and delivers a message. I like books like Animal Farm for their political nature, and my favorite poems all include satire of something. It is sad that they would omit poems Just because they might offend someone. There is no point to literature if it doesn't offend someone.

Needful Food

2010-11-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

I thought the idea that the poem is a critique of American consumerism was very interesting. Nemerov describes lobsters as a "needful food," when they are clearly a luxury item. When he describes the lobsters as "philosophers" and "imperial" he paints a picture of a slow moving, but wise creature that seems out of place on the dinner table. Although he never directly says it, I take this poem to be a well concealed jab at the American consumer, as we very clearly don't need to consume lobster, and yet we do so anyways, because eating something that is difficult to obtain, and therefore expensive makes us feel good about ourselves. Or something like that.
When I first read the poem, I took in only the most literal meaning. Lobsters live in a tank. Humans pick out a lobster. Humans eat a lobster. Lobsters are darkly colored, etc. Each time I read over the poem, the deeper I got into the deeper levels of meaning. I could be totally and completely wrong about the meaning of the poem, but part of the beauty of poetry is that there are multiple interpretations of the text, and the meaning may be different for each individual reader.

Paragraphs

2010-11-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm Not doing this at 10:30 the night it's due. I wouldn't do that.
The biggest issues throughout the presentations were smaller, easy to fix problems such as embedding quotes, and over the top plot summary. Overall, people had good commentary and understanding of the text, instead, the most common issues were with small details, such as phrasing and word choice.
Personally, my biggest issues were embedding my quotes, and using focused commentary. Apparently. I feel that it wouldn't have hurt to spend more time working to embed my quotes. Additionally I should have picked quotes that were about different people, and instead used details focused on one character, such as Scout. Apparently.

Diction. It's great.

2010-10-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

After school today, I met up with a couple of friends, and walked to a local park. We hung out there for a while, and then walked around SE for an hour or so. When I got bored of walking around I went with my friend to his house. He has a practice room in his basement, with a drumset, a washburn guitar and bass, a squire and a strat. Seeing as I can't play drums, and I can only play a couple of songs on guitar, I played bass while my friend was on guitar, and his brother banged on the drums. After working on a couple of songs, I went home.

Slaughterhouse Five, By Kurt Vonnegut

2010-10-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

My outside reading book is Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. One of my favorite things about this book is the dry, dark sense of humor. For example, whenever Vonnegut mentions death, he ends the section with the phrase "...so it goes." The effect is something like "'You stake a guy out an anthill in the desert-see? He's facing upward, and you put honey all over his balls and pecker, and you cut off his eyelidsso he has to stare at the sun till he dies.' So it goes." (37). The author always finishes descriptions of death and destruction by saying hey, that's just how it works. This ties in to the beginning of the book when Vonnegut is describing how he wrote the book, and he is talking to a friend about the book "'Is it an anti-war book?' 'Yes,' I said...'You know what I say to people when I hear they're writing anti-war books?' 'No. What do you say?...' 'I say why don't you write and anti-glacier book instead?'" Again, Vonnegut is saying that war is a horrible, yet unavoidable part of life. The sad thing is that while glaciers are disappearing, war has been here for as long as humans have, and isn't going anywhere.

Personal Themes In To Kill A Mockingbird

2010-09-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

    The book To Kill A Mockingbird, by the author Harper Lee brings many complex themes together into one book. Although the themes range from all kinds of discrimination: race, gender, religion, etc. to the coexistence of good and evil, the theme that resonated the most for me was the loss of natural childhood innocence.
     As children, we hold a certain naive sense of the world. We all assume that good always triumphs over evil, that every person is a good person, and that people will naturally do what we consider right. At some point everyone realizes that is is seldom the case. There are many people who genuinely do good in the world just for the sake of doing it, but there are far more people who set out to cause harm to others for precisely the same reasons. If we never lost this naive sense of the world, we wouldn't be able to function in life, we would be used and abused by those around us. Instead, it is important to be able to see both the good and the bad side in everyone.
   The character Scout has several incidents in her life that mark the loss of her innocence, specifically Tom Robinson's conviction, and subsequent death, as well as Bob Ewell's vengeful actions in the time after the trial. Instead of having specific events mark the Loss of my innocence, it happened gradually for me. I spent most of time in middle school with an extremely naive sense of the world; I was shocked, and didn't know how to react whenever anyone did something I considered "wrong."
     The term "loss of innocence" hints at something bad, but it isn't. Losing your childlike view of the world is a simple part of getting older, and we are eventually in a better spot because of it. I am glad my horizons have broadened, and I am happier because of it. Personally, if I met myself from three years ago, I wouldn't be able to stand him.

Kind Of An Amazing Song

2010-09-23T17:44:00.003-07:00

Boo Radley In Our Own Lives

2010-09-23T16:50:00.001-07:00

     In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee the character of Boo Radley is first introduced to the reader through the eyes of a six year old. Through this lens, he seems like a monster, Scout even says "Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom." Through the eyes of a young child, Boo Radley seems dark and malevolent because his ways are different than Scouts. At the end of the book when she finally meets him, Scout realizes that everything she had thought about him was wrong, and that he is a kind, and gentle, if very shy person.
     We all have had someone like Boo Radley in our own lives; everyone has had a person, or even object or idea in our lives that at first glance seemed strange, and out of place, but once we become more familiar with this strange person, or concept, we realize that our first impression was wrong.
     Now that I said that, I actually have to come up with the person/object/idea that represents Boo Radley in my own life. This may be stretching it a little, but for years I had a very negative impression of my grandfather. When I was younger, it seemed as if whenever I was around him, he was quick tempered, and extremely negative. Typically, I would spend a couple weeks at his house in the Summer, but it got to the point where I loathed going back, despite having 25 acres of woods, and all day to be out in them. As I got older, I realized that he was having health problems that weren't immediately apparent, and was in a lot of pain. He was so unpleasant to be around because of all the pain he was in, not his character. This realization, coupled with an improvement in his health has allowed me to become much closer to him, and I see him less as a grandfather, and more as a friend.

Introduction To Your Blog...

2010-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

As a reader, I prefer non-fiction. I enjoy authors like David Sedaris, and Dan Savage for their witty and relevant writing styles, additionally, I like Greg Child for his memoirs recounting the time he spent in the Karakorum, and on El Cap. Anyone reading this blog can expect, well, um, responses to English prompts, not all that exciting.
English is an important class for obvious reasons, you build your writing skills, but additionally, English teaches you communication, persuasion, and analytical skills. Not only through writing, but also through mediums such as Socratic Seminar, English teaches teaches clear communication skills. Secondly, through essays, class discussions, and oratories, you learn how how to make a point; the ability to construct a strong argument is a skill that can be used throughout your whole life. Finally, in English class, you learn analytical skills through assignments like the To Kill A Mockingbird summer assignment. English is an important class, and is a four year requirement for college because it builds communication, persuasion, and analytical, all of which are useful throughout life, no matter what you choose to do.