Extra Credit Project - Money Corrupts Video (Partnered with Evan Ricks)

Accomplished Essayist?

Before I came to high school, I had probably written about five essays. I didn't have a lot of experience and one thing I really struggled with was proper essay format. This year (thanks to the Gilman Method) I've improved greatly in this area. I had also never written an essay about a book and we've done a lot of that this year!
But I can still improve. I think that writing an original thesis is quite difficult and I continue to struggle with that. It's also hard to write intriguing body paragraphs that still relate but are not repeating the thesis.

Summer Reading?

Two books I'm looking forward to reading are:
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It's about the son of an Indian zookeeper who is in a shipwreck on his way to North America and he ends up on a lifeboat with a tiger.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. A thirteen year-old girl, Anna sues her parents for the rights for her own body after refusing to give a kidney to her sister Kate, who suffers from acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Dreams

A lot of times, I'll have a really vivid dream and the next day I'll think that dream actually happened. This is the only time i really think about my dreams. I think I relate most to Mercutio because he thinks dreams don't have any significant meaning. Of course, I've had dreams that turned out in some way or another to be true but I would say that's just coincidental. I feel like throughout the book Romeo is just looking for places where his dreams happen to match reality.

Culture Shock

The play "Romeo and Juliet" is referenced all the time in modern culture. One example I found is in music. I came up of three songs that clearly give allusions to this play. Although I could only think of three off the top of my head but I'm sure there are countless other songs.
In "Cherish" by Madonna, one of the lines repeated many times is "Romeo and Juliet/They never felt this way I bet" Madonna is referring to the true love Romeo and Juliet found and expressing her jealousy of it. Their devotion is one of the main aspects of the play that people tend to remember.
My next example is a song by the band We The Kings called "Check Yes Juliet." The title immediately provides a reference to the play but there's many others in the lyrics. "I'll keep tossing rocks at your window/There's no turning back for us tonight." This describes the scene we read in class today where Romeo comes to visit Juliet and she talks to him from her balcony. This scene has become a classic romantic scene that happens all the time in movies.
And, of course, there's "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. The whole song is basically about the ball scene where Romeo first sees Juliet and the infamous balcony scene. If you watch the music video like I just did, you'll notice the antique-looking clothing much like what might be worn in Shakespeare's time.
A uniting theme for these three songs, is their jealously for Romeo and Juliet's love. I think that's what most people remember in this play. They are willing to die because they're so in love which isn't something most people would be willing to do.

Extra Credit!

I really didn't want to take this class. I mean, I've always done fine in English but I've never enjoyed it that much. But last year, my fabulous block teacher (Samantha Chandler) encouraged me to take it. I was pretty nervous going into Honors English this year and didn't know what to expect. And truthfully, I probably would have wimped out of it if I knew what was coming. There's been a lot of things that have challenged me this year. One example is memorizing poems. I never thought I could memorize a poem as long as Dover Beach but somehow I did it and still have it memorized! It definitely was a confidence builder to be able to recite it in front of the entire class. My favorite thing we've done this year was writing those short stories in January. It was really fun and not too hard. My least favorite part about English is DGP. Probably because I'm just bad at it and Jacob is a very harsh grader.

Skit Ideas

1. When Pip first meets his convict in the marshes. I think this would make a good skit because it gives background on Pip and foreshadows some of what will happen later on in the skit. It wouldn't be hard to do because there are only two characters.
2. The first time Miss Havisham and Estella meet Pip. This would be an interesting scene to act out because both Miss Havisham and Estella have entertaining personalities. It's also a key scene in the book because it changed where Pip's life/ the story was headed.
3. When Abel comes to Pip's apartment. I think this scene is extremely important because it's when Pip finally finds out who his benefactor is and Abel's life story. It begins to sum up the story and connect the characters. This might be a bit long to act out but it would be worth it.

Love her?

"Hear me Pip! I adopted her to be loved. I bred her and educated her to be loved. I developed her into what she is, that she might be loved. Love her!" (240) - Miss Havisham

This is the part of the book where Pip is once again visiting Estella and Miss Havisham. I'm not quite sure what Miss Havisham is meaning. Does she actually want Estella and Pip to be happy together or is she simply doing it because in her own selfishness she wants to see Pip suffer?

My question:
In this quote, is Miss Havisham using Pip's obsession for Estella to benefit Pip or herself?

Scarred Wrists?

In chapter 26, Pip is having dinner at Mr. Jaggers house when he calls his servant over "'I'll show you a wrist. Molly, let them see your wrist.' . . . The last wrist was much disfigured - deeply scarred and scarred across and across." (228) I was very confused on why Mr. Jaggers did that and if that relates to the story in any way. I mean, I get that he's showing that she has gained strength from battling through whatever gave her those scars but does it have to do with the story?
My question:
How do the scars on Mr. Jaggers' servant's wrist signify and how does it relate to the rest of the book?

Photo Representation

In Great Expectations, the main character, Pip is suddenly given a large some of money. He is encouraged to move to London (in order to learn to be a gentleman) and increase his social standings. For Pip, this is like a dream come true. The only catch is that he will have to leave the only family he has ever known. As the book progresses Pip begins to get dissatisfied with his life and begins to miss his old common life. I think Sour Patch Kids represents this part of the book quite well. Let's pretend you're really hungry and the only thing to eat in the world is Sour Patch Kids. The candy is sweet, but a little sour on the outside. Pip is given money-sweet. But he has to leave his family-sour. Now, eat the candy. It seems great at first. But if you're really hungry, it's not going to fill you up.

Great Expectations.

"Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

In this passage Pip was referring to the first day he went to Miss Havisham's house and found out about her life. It was a very memorable day in his life because he experienced many new things after meeting Miss Havisham. Looking back, Pip can see that this day stands clear in his memory as one that changed his life.
The day my brother left for college, I didn't really think it would change my life that much. I mean, I was about to start seventh grade and his life wasn't my top priority. Looking back, I realize how much I relied him. And he's no longer down the hall every time I need him. Looking back, I can see that day as the day that our roads diverged as he left for college.


My blog was being crazy and wouldn't let me post!!

Group Earnest Essay!!

So,
I'm doing the paragraph on dairies for our essay (topic #6). My first concrete detail is when Cecily says that dairies are a sensational read on the train. Second is when Cecily is talking about how she write everything down in her diary or else she would forget it. My final detail is when the two girls are comparing diaries while they are trying to figure out who the real Ernest is. Basically, I want to relate all these points back to the three-volume novel and show how they are pretty much the same. For my transition sentence, I'll say that diaries relate to three-volume novels as do the sermons...

Sound good?

Victorian Era?

Before I researched the Victorian Era I basically knew that it was a time period in England and there was a playwright named Oscar Wilde who wrote a play called The Importance of being Earnest which I hadn't read. Even in the beginning of the project, I was still quite confused about what exactly went on during that time period and how it related to the play we were about to read. After a few periods of researching, I wrote my first question. And thats when it finally clicked-the play was set in the Victorian Era!

Over the next few days, I struggled to find questions that would help me learn about components of the Era that would be actually relevent. I learned a lot about the Victorian Era while doing this and it greatly contributed to my understanding of this play. Looking back, although writing those questions was tedious, I don't think I would have enjoyed or understood the play as much if I had not done the project.

2010!!

Think for a while about what you would like to improve about yourself or your life and make a new year's resolution. Write at least two paragraphs - one focusing on your inspiration for this goal (your shortcomings or areas for improvement) and the other focused on the goal itself and your on-going plan for achievement.

This needs to be realistic and must be something you can work on every month of the year - not just during one sport season, etc. The goal does not have to be academic. Plan carefully! I'm going to check in with you on this throughout the second half of the school year.

I'm a pretty busy person, on-the-go from school to sports to friends and such. I don't always take the time to eat a healthy snack or meal in-between. I end up coming home usually late at night, practically starving and begging my caring father or mother to make me something to eat.

My resolution this year, is to learn how to cook a few types of food. This may seem rather easy, but I struggle with the motivation to learn new things when my parents can easily do it for me. That being said, they rarely agree to do these things and I should probably learn if I ever plan to leave the comfort of my parent's home.

Animal Farm-Movie

Mockingbird Motif

At the beginning of the year we discussed the meaning of "motif" as it relates to a work of literature. How has reading To Kill a Mockingbird enhanced your understanding of the term "motif?" What is the "mockingbird motif" and how does it add a symbolic level of meaning to the other themes in the novel? Write at least two well-developed paragraphs in which you address the questions above. Showcase your understanding of the characters, events, and themes in the novel as well as your ability to analyze literature thoroughly and with insight.

To Kill a Mockingbird has helped define what a motif was. I used to think motif was basically the theme. After reading the book, I've started to think of it a little bit differently. The recurring "mockingbird motif" showed me that a motif is a symbol that appears repeatedly throughout the book.
The "mockingbird" motif first came up in this book when Atticus told Scout and Jem that they could shoot at many blue jays as they wanted but it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. As the book progresses, the motif is used less literally. One example is in the last portion of the book: Atticus is advocating fro Boo to go to court, but Mr. Tate wanted to lie in order to protect Boo. Scout recognizes that like a mockingbird, Boo Radley never meant to do any harm. So, he should not be bothered. This motif contributes to one of the major themes of this book: standing in another person's shoes. Throughout the story, the author used the motif to help define the theme and give the reader a symbol to connect with throughout the book.



My computer was being crazy and wouldn't let me publish my blog post. Seriously.

Extra Credit!

I think that a one-way street sign represents Bob Ewell. People help him in many ways and he never gives anything back. Maycomb county gives him relief money and he doesn't even pay taxes. People even come to his house to give Christmas baskets even though his is a disgrace throughout the community. If you compare Bob Ewell to someone such as the Cunninghams, the only major difference is the Cunninghams give back what they take.

Life Lessons

Think of something insightful that one of your parents or another influential adult may have told you. This should be something meant to help you understand the world around you or the actions of others that resonated - something that you have thought about or considered since. Write two paragraphs: the first paragraph should explain the context and what was said, the second paragraph should discuss when and how you have thought of this since and the life lesson you learned as a result.

"Your choices show who you are, far more than your abilites," my dad used to always say. When I was younger, I would just ignore him but now that I'm older, I've started to think about it a little more.
Everyday, people have the chance do change the world in amazing ways, but they don't. At the same time, other people choose to use their abilities to help eachother. I try to think about this and how it applies to my own life. My abilities don't actually matter that much, I can be good at things but unless I choose to use them in a way that helps someone or something, my talents don't matter.

Best Friend.

Think about your best friend and the things that make him/her unique. Write a paragraph of indirect characterization - details about his/her physical appearance, things he/she does, opinions or thoughts, things he/she says, or how other people perceive him/her. Write about things that show his/her personality.

Then write a paragraph of direct chacterization - tell specifically what type of person he/she is. This paragraph should be a reflection of the previous - for example I might write that my best friend built her own bed and doesn't own a t.v. in the first paragraph and then write that she is creative and a non-conformist in the second.

Each paragraph should be well-written, well-developed, descriptive, thoughtful, and interesting. If your best friend is not very interesting you can write about someone else!

Post and comment on a classmate's blog by Friday, October 30.
Extra credit! Use words from Word Power, Session 1. You must embolden or underline the words to receive extra credit and use them correctly in context.

My best friend has short brown hair and I don't think she has ever looked in a mirror. She's interested in almost everything, and that sometimes gets her into trouble. She quite enthusiastic and loves everyone she meets. Sports are her life and she can run faster than anyone I've ever met. Everyday, she trains, practicing, getting better and better. She always lives in the moment and doesn't dwell on things that have passed. Another thing she likes to do is be outside. Her favorite season is summer because there is more time to lay in the sun and truly appreciate nature.

My best friend is a total extrovert. But she is also can altruist because she cares deeply about other people. She's adventurous and unpredictable. She doesn't care what people think of her and has her own unique style. One quick glance, and you know she is loving life. My best friend is my dog.

Earliest Memory

In this week's blog, tell the story of one of your earliest memories - try to think back ten or more years. Vary your narrative voice between that of tiny-you and that of the more sophisticated freshman in high school that you are now. Your story should be at least two paragraphs in length. Extra Credit Opportunity! 5 points. Include a photo in your blog that enhances the story you are telling.

I remember the day we got our cats. My two older brothers and I were really excited! We went to the animal shelter to find two kittens to bring home. There were so many cats, how could we choose just two? Eventually, we found a gray cat that looked perfect. He looked so tiny in my two-year old hands; I wanted to hold him forever. But we had another cat to find. After what felt like hours of looking, we found a gorgeous tabby kitten. I knew she would be the next addition to our family. One the way home, we took turns peaking into the cardboard box. Looking at those two kittens, curled up next to each other, I couldn't wait to show them the new life they would have.
I think this day is so clear to me because I was so excited. I'd never had a real pet before! I mean, a few fish but they died pretty quickly. My parents had finally agreed to let us try cats.
After a few weeks, the kittens grew and we decided to name them. One of our favorite characters was Peter Pan, so we decided that name would be fitting for the boy. My brothers and I were in preschool, and everyday at snack time, everyone (I dont know why) would say "tastes like chicken" as we nibbled our graham crackers. So...we decided to name the other cat that. After a few days, my mom abbreviated it to TLC.
Over the years, I've had a lot of good times with those cats. From when I used to dress them up to the day we introduced them to the new dog. They haven't changed much, over those 13 years, TLC is still as grumpy as usual and Peter kills birds on a regular basis. But they're my cats, and I'll love them forever.