Final Semester Blog Post

These past 16 weeks have been really beneficial to me. I have learned a lot more than I have in my past English classes. I have become better aquatinted with AP caliber literature and I have learned that it is much different than commercial fiction. At first I didn't enjoy the short story unit, but as I reflect on the past semester I have realized that it was probably my favorite section. I have been frustrated with the blog posts some weeks because I don't know what to blog about and I feel that some of my posts have been meaningless in terms of content. I hope that for next semester the blog posts are not as frequent so that we have more to write about and more to reflect on. I have not been a big fan of the independent reading because the list of books weren't very interesting to me. I think that the next semester's outside reading assignment will be much better and more interesting. I have enjoyed the vocabulary quizzes because they are pretty simple and they help my grade. I'm eager to see what second semester has in store!

The Rover and Outside Reading

So this blog is from last Thursday. We had the play that day and I thought that the play was pretty interesting but the language was hard to understand. I thought that I must have been hard to learn the lines for that play because it would be really easy to jumble the words. The sword fighting was pretty cool too and their training was helpful because they didn't get hurt. I am extremely happy that we don't have the drama test because it is good to not have a lot of pressure before finals week. I am really excited for the book project for next semester and my topic. I chose spies and privacy as my topic because I think that it is really interesting and relevant to the Middle East and war. I am very excited for the second semester independent reading because I like that we have more freedom in book choices. I think that it will be more enjoyable and less of "school" reading and more of reading as a hobby.

Senior year and satires

Recently I have actually payed attention to the numbers in the date I have been writing at the top of my paper. There are only a couple of days left in November which is crazy. It is almost December of my senior year and I am shocked. It has flown by and I just want it to slow down. On Wednesday I was in a meeting for senior exec board and we were talking about themes for senior dinner dance. I thought just yesterday my older sisters were going to it and now it's my turn. I just finished all of my college applications and submitted them last night so I am very eager to hear back from the schools I applied to. I could go on for days about making these last months count, but I think the best way to show it would be to share a picture my friend posted on twitter. I want to share my opinion on a lesson that was interesting to me last block. I think that the whole lesson on satires was interesting and I enjoyed it.

Review of A Clockwork Orange

For the second outside reading book, I chose A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. The style that it was written in was very confusing with the language used. Not all of it was written in English because many of the words had Slovik roots and some of the words were made up by Burgess. The story was very interesting once you got used to the language. It was about a teen named Alex that was up to no good with his gang. He got himself into a lot of trouble and ended up in prison. He was conditioned to be physically sick when exposed to violence. This was completely against his free will and he was forced to hate violence. The setting is not clearly stated but it feels like it is in a made up futuristic world. I thought that this book was very interesting once the language became easier to understand. I would recommend it to someone for their next outside reading book. It is not too long and the story itself is interesting. I am curious to see what the movie is like because I think it would be cool to compare it to what I imagined it to be in my head. I think it's all kind of strange and the trailer is very odd.

Hammy Hamlet

After the completion of reading Acts 1 and 2 of Hamlet it is confusing but I partially understand it.  I went on sparknotes for some translations and the side by side comparison to read along with the original text. It was neat to see how different the old text is compared to the modern translation. The modern translation helped incredibly with understanding the plot and what was happening, but the old English was useful to help learn and understand the Shakespearean language and speech. I previously read Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet and I enjoyed Romeo and Juliet a little more because the story itself was more interesting to me. The old English speech wasn't completely dreadful but it was still difficult to understand. I think that the topics presented are also interesting and will keep the play from being a complete bore in Hamlet so far. The topics that we rated in class provided some clues to what might occur in  this play. It will be interesting to discover what is to come in the future acts as we read on. Here is a link to the sparknotes "No fear Shakespeare" website for future reference. http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/ 

This Week

This week it was difficult to come up with a blog topic. We have had very little class time and multiple subs so there wasn't a whole lot taught this week. The major works data sheet was a really good way to review Oedipus Rex in a condensed form. Of course I turned it in at 11:58 p.m. the night it was due because I am a huge procrastinator and that's a way to live on the edge. On Wednesday I had a dentist appointment so I was a little late to the play. I was confused to say the least because I only caught the middle to the end. What I saw of the play was really enjoyable and entertaining. I didn't understand the puppets until the questionnaire when someone asked what the purpose of the puppets was. It seemed quite difficult to hold a puppet up for that long, so I give the cast a lot of credit. What I caught of the play was interesting about the Salem With Trials and the events that went along with it. I will have to get someone to fill me in about what happened so that I can see the whole picture. I also really enjoyed the coordinating outfits that the puppets had with their handlers because it added a cool element that wasn't confusing to the audience.

Oedipus Rex

As we began Oedipus Rex, I thought that the story behind the actual play was interesting. It makes sense to me why the drama has been popular for quite some time. A huge topic of this drama is whether or not fate plays a role or if it is free will. I think that it was fate that drove Oedipus’s parents to give him away and tie his ankles together. It was meant to be that he would encounter his parents again later on in life. Oedipus uses his free will when he wants to discover who he is and his choice to go to the oracle. What the oracle had to say was fate. I don’t think that there was any way around the fact that he killed his father, and that it was for a reason. I also think that it was fate that he knew the riddle. The sphinx had a completely unsolvable riddle that Oedipus just happened to know the answer to. The free will theme comes back into play because it was his choice that he got into a fight on the side of the road. It was fate that the man he killed also happened to be his father. I am also confused on how to pronounce his name, so here is a link on the correct pronunciation. I hope it's helpful!
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=Oedipus+Rex

MLA Format

When we went over the MLA format during class I was happy because I actually enjoy using the format. I learned a few more things beyond the basics, such as the date format and spacing after paragraphs that I wasn't sure about before. I’m surprised that it was so specific in the European style but it’s reassuring to know the correct way. I like how orderly it is and how all papers should look the same after the format. I don't think I will enjoy using it so much when we start to learn the citations and the complicated rules of it. I wonder how helpful the rule book would be especially because I am interested in the math and science field for college and I'm not sure if the same style is used. I think the pros of MLA is that it is a universal set of rules that are standard so there is not much messing up that can be done. The cons are the tediousness that come with a set of rules and the possible mistakes that can be made. I like this format because I am somewhat familiar with it and it isn't completely new to me. Here is a website that might be useful down the road.. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ 

Outside Reading Book #2

It was difficult to come up with a topic to blog about because we haven't had much time to dicuss this week because of big assignments. The in-class essay was better than my first essay because I enjoyed the prompts and my novel more. I read The White Tiger which was very interesting because it explored a culture I was not familiar with, which was India. It explored the social classes and issues going on through a driver for the wealthy. I also enjoyed the format it was in because it was told through a series of letters over the time period of seven days. I would recommend it to anyone searching for their next outside reading book because it was not lengthy and it kept my attention. I am wondering how my other classmates books were so that I can decide on my second choice. If anyone read a book that they really liked and would recommend it to me then I would appreciate if you would leave a comment, or if anyone strongly disliked a book. Hopefully someone is searching for a second book and comes along this blog so that they can consider The White Tiger.

Senior Stress not Seniotitis

So far senior year hasn't been completely what I expected it to be. I thought that it would be not very challenging since I leave half a day but as it turns out it has been nothing but a stress overload. I have way too much to do to even consider getting hit with senioritis. I feel that I have a million things going on around me and I can't catch up with anything that is going on. My school work combined with studying for the ACT and making a huge decision on where I want to spend the next 4 or more years of my life is hurting my head. I recently went on a visit to the University of Michigan and The University of Dayton and it was good to actually see what is out there. I really enjoyed Dayton because the size was good, it's not too far away, the campus was really inviting and I could actually picture myself there. I plan on visiting more soon over fall break but seeing Dayton actually made me forget about the stress and look at the college hunting process as exciting not stressful. I hope that this quick pace settles down so that senior year doesn't fly by as quickly as it has been, I mean it's already October.

Irony and the Sarc Mark

I think that irony is a tough concept to grasp and can often be confused with just bad luck. I read the article that went along with the podcast about irony, and I think that the reference to the twin towers was alright, but I agree with Jonathan Lear in that irony is not over. I think that true irony, that is not just sarcasm or bad luck, can be very effective when used correctly. Irony that is used correctly can make us question our ideas and viewpoint. I have in no way mastered the art of irony but I think the article helped me understand it a little better. Irony sparks a deeper thinking within ourselves and can be very effective in literature. By far I think that verbal irony, including sarcasm, can be hilarious as well as provoking in the thought process. My Dad a little over a year ago came across an article about technology and sarcasm and evidently there is a little symbol called a "sarc mark" that helps people detect sarcasm. Here it is ----------> ®. I think if this was integrated into conversations over the internet that a few less feelings would be hurt and there would be a lot more understanding over what some people say.

Update on Outside Reading Book

My first outside reading book is The White Tiger written by Aravind Adiga. So far I am about half way into it and I am enjoying it a lot. The setting takes place in India and the culture seems very interesting but also very different and contrasting to American culture. The book is written as a series of letters that are written The Premier of China explaining why his face is on wanted posters. The protagonist recalls all throughout the book about flashbacks to his childhood and his jobs. The point that I am at right now is that he is a driver to a wealthy family and acts as their chauffeur. He takes the couple to New Delhi and drives them around. Each chapter of the book is a new letter written to the Premier of China and he starts each one as if he is carrying out a normal conversation. I like the style that this book is written in because it is not extremely formal and it is like you are having a conversation, or listening in on one. I am excited to read on and solve the mystery as to why his face is on these posters and the continuation of his job.

The Lesson

One of the recent stories that we read in the Lit text book was The Lesson. This story was particularly interesting to me because it explored the value of money to two different classes, the wealthy and the poor. It was amazing to see how special five dollars was to a kid in poverty, and the mountains of possibilities that came with it. The kids went to window shop at a very expensive toy store in the heart of NYC, and they were stunned by the high ticketed prices. The kids began to discuss with their teacher about the value of a dollar and how each class' viewpoint drastically contrasted. To the kids, seeing a toy sailboat priced at over a thousand dollars was outrageous. They began to think about how many families a thousand dollars could feed, and they came to the conclusion that they were perfectly happy with the five dollars that they had. This brings up the stereotypical statement of "Money doesn't buy happiness" with applies to this story. Just because the kids’ couldn’t buy the expensive toys, that didn’t mean that they were unhappy. I think that this statement should be applied to everyday life because many morals can come from it. Materials can only satisfy happiness for a brief amount of time until something bigger and better comes out. Also, materials are only temporary while relationships and bonds with people can bring everlasting happiness. I think that the world should look at five dollars like those kids did; they didn’t think about the things that they couldn’t buy with it, they thought about all of the possibilities that it held.

The Destructors

I thought that this story was a good length and pretty interesting so it wasn't hard to follow. A few questions that came up while I was reading was how old are the boys in the gang. They have to be at least teenagers because the crime that they committed was pretty large. I also questioned the motives behind the gang members. They destroyed Old Misery's house for no specific reason. Trevor was trying to prove himself to the gang but I feel that he could've done it in a different way. I felt so sorry for the old man because that house meant something special to him, and the gang members destroyed it for no real reason. I also feel that they took the destruction a little too far, considering the fact that they demolished the house to pieces, literally. When Old Misery saw his house fall to pieces, he was in complete shock. Anyone passing by on the street would find humor in it, just like the driver that let Old Misery out of the loo. Overall I thought that this story was fairly commercial because it was pretty enjoyable to read and wasn't a complete literary masterpiece.

Outside Reading and College Decisions

As I picked up the outside reading list I saw a lot of titles that I have either just heard about or I had no clue what they were. I thought that it would be interesting to try and find a book that I would enjoy and also expand my horizons in the literary world. I ended up going to the library to start my search and I looked up a few titles that sounded interesting. I left with two choices for the first assignment and I am actually pretty excited to read White Tiger. I also picked out The Blind Assassin because I recognized the title and although it looked lengthy, the summary seemed pretty interesting. On another note, the senior meeting where Ms. Long came into our classroom was a big wake up call. I realized that I need to narrow down my long list of possible colleges and focus on a few. I also need to look into the early decision applications and start applying to my top choices, once I figure those out. I am a little scattered on where I want to go and I am not definite on what I want to study so I need to do more planning and research because deadlines are quickly approaching. I can't wait for the stress and pressure to be over with once I apply to different colleges and find out the results so I can just enjoy senior year.

Summer Reading

This years summer reading was actually pretty interesting to me. I thought in the past that it was more of a chore than anything else but I actually enjoyed the books this year. I read Never Let Me Go and Salvage the Bones. I thought that both of them were both pretty good but I enjoyed Salvage the Bones more. I thought it was kinda gross because it was very vivid in the details about the dog giving birth. Th projects were pretty long and distracting from the actual reading so I thought the projects were a little legenthy. I spent quite a while doing the major works data sheets but they helped me gather my thoughts together and formulate what I thought about each book. The journals were put off until a few sections were read. All around they were enjoyable books that I would have not picked up unless it was for summer reading. The projects were do able but lengthy. The journals were kinda vague but they were good to keep up with what was going on during the book. I thought that the books were perfect in length because they we each about 300 pages. These books were enjoyable but not on my list of top reads.