1. Which essay did you feel was the most difficult to write? Why?
For me, I usually have the most trouble with the argumentative essay. I struggle with the concept of a qualifier and the concession paragraph. Making my opinion known as well as touching on the other side of the argument can often leave my essay with a disconnect. However, it mainly rides on the prompt.If I get a prompt that a don't relate with at all, it can be difficult to argue for or against the issue.
2. Which essay did you find the easiest? What made it easy?
I think synthesis essays can be the easiest. Most of the information you need is given to you, and you can manipulate that information to your benefit.A basic structure can get you a high score, and it is very similar to the structure of APUSH essays, which we have also been practicing all year.
3. What novel/book did you enjoy the most? Why?
The Things They carried! I love war stories because I come from a military background. Also, it was a really easy read. The story flowed at a nice pace and I found it hard to put down. It's a book that I want to reread and reanalyze, I feel like I could find something new no matter how many times I read it.
4. What novel/book did you enjoy the least?
Does the Crucible count? I'm not sure, I enjoyed most of the things they read, and I didn't dislike The Crucible, but I wish we could have gone over it more in depth, or read more of it as a class. Many groups got distracted and didn't finish, I felt like we didn't finish strong.
5. Anything you would like for me to know?
I really enjoyed this course, keep doing what you're doing! I hope your juniors next year take advantage of the benefits of this course.I feel like my writing has improved a ton, thank you for that!
-Megan
Friday, May 16, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
The Things I Carry
Carry. I'm beginning to really dislike the word. It means so many things, why not make different words for each one? The English language could always use a few more words, right? Anyway, on with the show
Physical things. I cannot leave my house without-- wait for it-- chapstick! Lame right? I'm an addict, I've tried all the kinds, EOS, Burt's Bees, Chapstick, ChapIce, literally everything. I have AT LEAST 4 types on me at all times. Applying it has become a habit too, like clockwork I put some on at the same times every day, even when I don't need it. Mmm chapstick.
Goals. I don't know too much about what I want to do with my life, I absolutely hate thinking about the future. Thinking about colleges has got me freaked out! However, I do know that my ultimate goal is to be happy-- something that I don't normally consider myself. I want to get there though, through successes, through friendships, through education, whatever it takes. I'll be happy one day.
Relationships. My friends, my girlfriend, they all are huge inspirations. Normally, this section would be totally devoted to them and how much I love them and how awesome they are. However, this week I want to dedicate it to my grandpa who passed away on Wednesday. It's weird not seeing someone that you've seen everyday, someone who's lived with you (even if it was only for 5 months, although I saw him every Sunday from the time I was born until now) He was always so proud of me, and encouraged me in everything I did. He even quit smoking for me (because I had to get stitches when I broke a glass ashtray on my foot!), I'm really going to miss having him around, even though his dementia had gotten the better of him for the last 3 years. Our relationship is one that I'll always carry with me.
Personality. I like to believe that I'm funny. People tell me I am, I have my dad's sense of humor, and I think he's funny so... I also have a tendency to put my friends before myself, like, always. I've been that person that's there for my friends at 4 a.m. when they need someone to talk to. I like being the one to make someone feel better, to make them happy. Finally, I'm pretty darn weird. I'm not sure of anyone else who watches jewelry channels for fun or who communicates through purely noises because I don't feel like forming words.I feel like my personality makes me unique, and it's something that I'm proud to carry.
Memories. I carry the experiences I've had, the people I've met. I carry the good memories, how we got my dog, the first time I held hands with my girlfriend, when my brother sings and dances around the house. I carry the bad memories, that one time I got attacked, the church counselors, that one summer. Memories that have shaped me, for better or for worse. These are the things I carry.
note: I'm sorry if this sucked or if it's hard to follow, my mind hasn't been in it for the past few days because of the funeral and stuff and yeah
Physical things. I cannot leave my house without-- wait for it-- chapstick! Lame right? I'm an addict, I've tried all the kinds, EOS, Burt's Bees, Chapstick, ChapIce, literally everything. I have AT LEAST 4 types on me at all times. Applying it has become a habit too, like clockwork I put some on at the same times every day, even when I don't need it. Mmm chapstick.
Goals. I don't know too much about what I want to do with my life, I absolutely hate thinking about the future. Thinking about colleges has got me freaked out! However, I do know that my ultimate goal is to be happy-- something that I don't normally consider myself. I want to get there though, through successes, through friendships, through education, whatever it takes. I'll be happy one day.
Relationships. My friends, my girlfriend, they all are huge inspirations. Normally, this section would be totally devoted to them and how much I love them and how awesome they are. However, this week I want to dedicate it to my grandpa who passed away on Wednesday. It's weird not seeing someone that you've seen everyday, someone who's lived with you (even if it was only for 5 months, although I saw him every Sunday from the time I was born until now) He was always so proud of me, and encouraged me in everything I did. He even quit smoking for me (because I had to get stitches when I broke a glass ashtray on my foot!), I'm really going to miss having him around, even though his dementia had gotten the better of him for the last 3 years. Our relationship is one that I'll always carry with me.
Personality. I like to believe that I'm funny. People tell me I am, I have my dad's sense of humor, and I think he's funny so... I also have a tendency to put my friends before myself, like, always. I've been that person that's there for my friends at 4 a.m. when they need someone to talk to. I like being the one to make someone feel better, to make them happy. Finally, I'm pretty darn weird. I'm not sure of anyone else who watches jewelry channels for fun or who communicates through purely noises because I don't feel like forming words.I feel like my personality makes me unique, and it's something that I'm proud to carry.
Memories. I carry the experiences I've had, the people I've met. I carry the good memories, how we got my dog, the first time I held hands with my girlfriend, when my brother sings and dances around the house. I carry the bad memories, that one time I got attacked, the church counselors, that one summer. Memories that have shaped me, for better or for worse. These are the things I carry.
note: I'm sorry if this sucked or if it's hard to follow, my mind hasn't been in it for the past few days because of the funeral and stuff and yeah
Friday, February 14, 2014
Reflections
Ah, I'm excited for this one! Alright, so in Everyday Use Alice Walker writes about the choices a child has in shaping their identities. Who will they be? Society says there's two choices: either you turn out just like your parents, or you rebel and try to become as different from the as possible. However, if you ask anyone which category that they fall into you'll get a response that sounds something like "Well, I'm not EXACTLY like my parents, but I'm not THAT different..." So, there's a third option? A blend of the old and new? What does it look like?
Before we get into that though, I'd like to analyze the first two choices a little further. Why do some people turn out as cookie cutter images of the people who raised them? The answer lies in the question, that's how they were raised. In Alice Walker's story, the character that fits this description is Maggie. She is portrayed as being more ignorant an uneducated, but that isn't the case for all of the people who fall under this category. Some people are just scared to break the pattern. What will people say, how will they react to you being different than your parents? Even more terrifying is, how will your parents react? Will they be hurt because you're different? Here's a look at option 1 And the second choice, the child who chooses to disregard most everything they've been raised on. They see faults in how they were brought up, so they completely turn against it. They think they are better than their parents, that they've chosen a higher path.
And then we're left with the elusive third option, a blend of the two. What I see this as is a child who realizes that, yes, there may be faults with their parents, however, a child who doesn't disregard their roots. Although it may seem an impossible task to mix the two, it can happen. You have to accept yourself and accept your differences from your family before you can mesh into that third option. Instead of pushing your parents and their ideals away, think about the good you see in them. What can you take away from them in order to be a better person? What things could you change?
Many teens have this problem, they don't see eye to eye on everything with their parents, yet they don't want to dishonor them. Here's my favorite example! I've been seeing this happen in my own life as well. Let me set the scene: my dad and I, we can be like the same person. We have the same humor, talk the same, eat the same, we basically can read each other's minds. However, my very conservative father has different views on some things than I do, one in particular is the morality of being gay. Well, that could be a problem if I ever decide to introduce my girlfriend as my girlfriend, huh? But just because he wouldn't approve that I prefer my wonderful girlfriend over immature high school guys, doesn't mean that we can't still laugh and be weird together. I've realized recently that I don't have to be exactly like him, but I don't have to lose the things we have in common either.
If we want to get in the honor side of things, can we PLEASE talk about Mulan? I mean if you've clicked on the links you'd know that I already have touched on her a bit. She's a freaking badass, but became so by embracing the third option. She realized that she wasn't meant to be "the perfect bride", she was destined for a different future. However, by taking her father's place in war, she knew she was breaking tradition and felt as if she was dishonoring her family. When she returned to her family, she had immediate respect and her family embraced her for all she'd done. She accepted herself, so others were able to do the same. Mulan is the ultimate example of what the third option looks like.
You just have to find the perfect balance, the perfect give and take! I'm sure it's a struggle that continues for your whole life, but we all gotta try!
Before we get into that though, I'd like to analyze the first two choices a little further. Why do some people turn out as cookie cutter images of the people who raised them? The answer lies in the question, that's how they were raised. In Alice Walker's story, the character that fits this description is Maggie. She is portrayed as being more ignorant an uneducated, but that isn't the case for all of the people who fall under this category. Some people are just scared to break the pattern. What will people say, how will they react to you being different than your parents? Even more terrifying is, how will your parents react? Will they be hurt because you're different? Here's a look at option 1 And the second choice, the child who chooses to disregard most everything they've been raised on. They see faults in how they were brought up, so they completely turn against it. They think they are better than their parents, that they've chosen a higher path.
And then we're left with the elusive third option, a blend of the two. What I see this as is a child who realizes that, yes, there may be faults with their parents, however, a child who doesn't disregard their roots. Although it may seem an impossible task to mix the two, it can happen. You have to accept yourself and accept your differences from your family before you can mesh into that third option. Instead of pushing your parents and their ideals away, think about the good you see in them. What can you take away from them in order to be a better person? What things could you change?
Many teens have this problem, they don't see eye to eye on everything with their parents, yet they don't want to dishonor them. Here's my favorite example! I've been seeing this happen in my own life as well. Let me set the scene: my dad and I, we can be like the same person. We have the same humor, talk the same, eat the same, we basically can read each other's minds. However, my very conservative father has different views on some things than I do, one in particular is the morality of being gay. Well, that could be a problem if I ever decide to introduce my girlfriend as my girlfriend, huh? But just because he wouldn't approve that I prefer my wonderful girlfriend over immature high school guys, doesn't mean that we can't still laugh and be weird together. I've realized recently that I don't have to be exactly like him, but I don't have to lose the things we have in common either.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Maybe I'm Just a Little Screwed up, but...
Oh boy, aren't scary stories the best? They're like, the only place where you can put the most sick, twisted, messed up scenarios that your mind can come up with and it be socially acceptable. Maybe I might just take Mr. Thomas up on this challenge and actually write a scary story of my own hmmm...
If I had to pick some of the things that Edgar Allen Poe used in The Fall of the House of Usher and implement them into my story, for one I would totally hint at subtle incest. Maybe even not so subtle, oops.You can't have a good story without a little family lovin', I mean, even Disney movies have it! (If you don't believe me, watch/re-watch Frozen and then try to tell me that there's no sexual tension between Elsa and Ana wow)
I also would totally use some kind of mental illness on at least one of my characters. Something like Schizophrenia or Diogenes syndrome which causes one to neglect self health (most hoarders suffer from this), or Hybristophilia, where the person is attracted to criminals, yeah that one could work. Mental illnesses can be creepy, especially ones that cause physical defects. I mean watch a couple episodes of American Horror Story: Asylum and try and tell me otherwise.
Another thing I liked was the setting, I would definitely make the main setting somewhere creepy and haunted. Like somewhere with a history of murders or next to a cemetery or a crematorium (like the one in The Return of the Living Dead, oh yeah) Maybe I'd make people start disappearing or MAYBE A BUNCH OF CREEPY GHOST CHILDREN SINGING IN MONOTONE WILL RANDOMLY APPEAR WHAT I MIGHT CRY THAT'S SCARY RIGHT THERE.
Which brings me to another thing I'd borrow from Poe, the undead! Whether it's vampires, zombies, ghosts, spirits, there has to be some sort of connection with the other side. I think maybe a creepy seance scene will summon the creepy dead kids, led by an insane old woman who makes potions and does voodoo or something. (Sorry, I'm on season 3 of American Horror story and I'm really obsessed with it if you can't tell from the obscene amount of references that I make to it and ideas I take from it)
One more thing I like that Edgar Allen Poe did was that the main character had to stick around. I've got to have some super important circumstance that forces our buddy to not leave the creepy haunted place with undead things and mentally unstable people and siblings gettin' it on.
If I could change anything that Poe did, I'd modernize it a bit. Throw something in there about no cell service, that's pretty scary, right? Also blood. So much more blood. Buckets and buckets and bathtubs of blood, gallons of the stuff! (hehe, cue song reference)
In all, Poe has some pretty solid ideas in his stories, good job, Poe! *claps* I feel like I could make a pretty legitimate scary story using his ideas and now I'm seriously contemplating this dang wow. Ok yes cue amazing ending statement.
If I had to pick some of the things that Edgar Allen Poe used in The Fall of the House of Usher and implement them into my story, for one I would totally hint at subtle incest. Maybe even not so subtle, oops.You can't have a good story without a little family lovin', I mean, even Disney movies have it! (If you don't believe me, watch/re-watch Frozen and then try to tell me that there's no sexual tension between Elsa and Ana wow)
Which brings me to another thing I'd borrow from Poe, the undead! Whether it's vampires, zombies, ghosts, spirits, there has to be some sort of connection with the other side. I think maybe a creepy seance scene will summon the creepy dead kids, led by an insane old woman who makes potions and does voodoo or something. (Sorry, I'm on season 3 of American Horror story and I'm really obsessed with it if you can't tell from the obscene amount of references that I make to it and ideas I take from it)
If I could change anything that Poe did, I'd modernize it a bit. Throw something in there about no cell service, that's pretty scary, right? Also blood. So much more blood. Buckets and buckets and bathtubs of blood, gallons of the stuff! (hehe, cue song reference)
In all, Poe has some pretty solid ideas in his stories, good job, Poe! *claps* I feel like I could make a pretty legitimate scary story using his ideas and now I'm seriously contemplating this dang wow. Ok yes cue amazing ending statement.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
America, the teen-aged country
In the short story "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the American Fascination with the occult. Set in Salem Massachusetts, the story is about a man who witnesses an occult meeting and has in encounter with The Devil. Some other ways this is demonstrated in our culture is through t.v series and movies.
I recently began watching American Horror Story, and without too many spoilers, there is plenty of evil and many alive-but-dead characters. It captivates viewers by, well, scaring the crap out of them. (I highly recommend it, by the way, especially for those who like the creepy and supernatural!) One character is convinced that the devil is responsible for the things that she's seen. The American culture has an obsession for anything scary, there are whole t.v. channels dedicated to it! (Chiller is a great one, plenty of B-rated scary movies, I've spent hours of my life watching and making fun of them. Most of the movies have hot girls, though.)
An example of an American movie that deals with the occult is The Witches of Eastwick. Based on John Updike's (an american writer/poet) novel, this movie put a humorous twist to the evils of the occult. Leave it to us to turn the devil and witches and supernatural powers into a joke. Although I've never seen this movie, it sounds pretty cool, I mean, an 80's movie about witches that didn't know that they were witches, what could go wrong? Back to the point-- whether it's a t.v series or movies, us Americans just can't seem to get enough devil in our lives.
Now, the big question: What does this obsession with evil and the occult say about our culture? I think this says that Americans are curious about the supernatural, about what happens after you die. America was founded on religious values, so naturally we'd be curious about the afterlife; heaven, hell. Specifically this obsession with hell though, it's like teenage rebellion. For a country founded on religious views, belief in God, it should somewhat taboo to find enjoyment in The Devil. America is just that teen-aged country that sneaks into the R-rated movie without it's parents knowing (and probably having nightmares for a week after). Not that I think it's a bad thing, I personally love the thrill of scary movies in the early hours of the morning. However, I have that teenager mindset so I'm probably a little biased. My question is, is our obsession with evil and horror healthy? Does it have any kind of affect on us and the way we live our lives?
I recently began watching American Horror Story, and without too many spoilers, there is plenty of evil and many alive-but-dead characters. It captivates viewers by, well, scaring the crap out of them. (I highly recommend it, by the way, especially for those who like the creepy and supernatural!) One character is convinced that the devil is responsible for the things that she's seen. The American culture has an obsession for anything scary, there are whole t.v. channels dedicated to it! (Chiller is a great one, plenty of B-rated scary movies, I've spent hours of my life watching and making fun of them. Most of the movies have hot girls, though.)
An example of an American movie that deals with the occult is The Witches of Eastwick. Based on John Updike's (an american writer/poet) novel, this movie put a humorous twist to the evils of the occult. Leave it to us to turn the devil and witches and supernatural powers into a joke. Although I've never seen this movie, it sounds pretty cool, I mean, an 80's movie about witches that didn't know that they were witches, what could go wrong? Back to the point-- whether it's a t.v series or movies, us Americans just can't seem to get enough devil in our lives.
Now, the big question: What does this obsession with evil and the occult say about our culture? I think this says that Americans are curious about the supernatural, about what happens after you die. America was founded on religious values, so naturally we'd be curious about the afterlife; heaven, hell. Specifically this obsession with hell though, it's like teenage rebellion. For a country founded on religious views, belief in God, it should somewhat taboo to find enjoyment in The Devil. America is just that teen-aged country that sneaks into the R-rated movie without it's parents knowing (and probably having nightmares for a week after). Not that I think it's a bad thing, I personally love the thrill of scary movies in the early hours of the morning. However, I have that teenager mindset so I'm probably a little biased. My question is, is our obsession with evil and horror healthy? Does it have any kind of affect on us and the way we live our lives?
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Antiheroes: Why They Suck
In a lot of modern as well as in older works, one frequent theme is that of the antihero. An antihero is a character who really is a pretty crappy person, yet you can't help feeling sorry for because of their situation. They usually try to save the day but really don't accomplish much and the story has some kind of tragic ending to make you feel even sorrier for the antihero with the crap personality. I personally think the idea of an antihero is absolutely preposterous and quite frankly, most stories, books, movies, whatever with an antihero as the main character really bother me. (There are definitely some exceptions though, i.e House!)
In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, the main character, Ichabod Crane is portrayed as the antihero. He's kind of a creepy dude, a school teacher that takes turns living in his students' houses, hitting on their moms a bit. Then he decides he wants to marry this woman named Katrina because she's got lot's of money. I mean, this doesn't sound like a terribly great guy to me. Then of course he goes out at night on a crappy old horse like the idiot he is (Don't people ever learn not to go out at night after exchanging scary stories?) and disappears. Woohoo, another tragic ending for our poor poor antihero.
While I was reading this, I couldn't help but compare Ichabod to the historically famous antihero, Winston Smith. Now we should all remember him from our sophomore English class, in George Orwell's 1984. If you haven't noticed, Ichabod isn't one of my favorite literary characters of all time, so it shouldn't come as a surprise when I express my equal disdain for Winston. He was kind of a good for nothing bump on a log. Both of these guys wanted a woman that they obviously didn't deserve, both went on stupid little adventures that got them into trouble, and both had a tragic ending. I know you're supposed to find some kind of emotional connection to these characters and whatnot, but I just would rather not. Honestly, I don't care if the guy with a crappy life that he created for himself dies or disappears at the end of the story. Does that make me insensitive? Maybe, but oh well. Antiheroes are just some losers that are famous for being the main character of a work. They don't deserve any praise for that.
In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, the main character, Ichabod Crane is portrayed as the antihero. He's kind of a creepy dude, a school teacher that takes turns living in his students' houses, hitting on their moms a bit. Then he decides he wants to marry this woman named Katrina because she's got lot's of money. I mean, this doesn't sound like a terribly great guy to me. Then of course he goes out at night on a crappy old horse like the idiot he is (Don't people ever learn not to go out at night after exchanging scary stories?) and disappears. Woohoo, another tragic ending for our poor poor antihero.
While I was reading this, I couldn't help but compare Ichabod to the historically famous antihero, Winston Smith. Now we should all remember him from our sophomore English class, in George Orwell's 1984. If you haven't noticed, Ichabod isn't one of my favorite literary characters of all time, so it shouldn't come as a surprise when I express my equal disdain for Winston. He was kind of a good for nothing bump on a log. Both of these guys wanted a woman that they obviously didn't deserve, both went on stupid little adventures that got them into trouble, and both had a tragic ending. I know you're supposed to find some kind of emotional connection to these characters and whatnot, but I just would rather not. Honestly, I don't care if the guy with a crappy life that he created for himself dies or disappears at the end of the story. Does that make me insensitive? Maybe, but oh well. Antiheroes are just some losers that are famous for being the main character of a work. They don't deserve any praise for that.
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