Tuesday, December 14, 2010
POL: The Vacuum
"The Vacuum" by Howard Nemerov seems to portray the message that you should live in the moment and have fun, but also plan wisely for the future so you can continue being happy. When he says "my slovenly life, my dog-dead youth" it is depressing because he regrets not letting himself have fun in his past, and how when he thought he was living a full life, but once the only thing he was living for was gone he realized he was not as happy as he thought.
I didn't so much relate to this poem as I learned a lesson. "The Vacuum" sort of opened my eyes and helped me realize to balance my life. I could be completely wrapped up in school work I would not allowed myself to relax, or I could be too busy having fun and goofing off that I wouldn't focus. I need to find the right balance between work and play. Work so I have options for my future, college and career wise. But I also need to incorporate fun into my work, because if you truly think about it, life is about the journey, not the destination.
I think the best way to convey the meaning to my listeners is to have a solemn tone about my voice, yet not tedious or monotonous, and still accentuating key parts within the poem. I will probably be really nervous, but my goal is to have intense, yet not distracting facial features. I think that hand and body motions will take away from the meaning of this poem, so I plan very little gestures in my presentation.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Curiosity in Lobsters
The poem "Lobsters" takes a rather simple situation and twists a whole different point of view on the subject. Creating new ideas in the readers mind and it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. However, these complex thoughts do not just materialize at first glance of this deep poem. It takes proper reading, thought, analysis, questioning, and discussion to create these intense interpretations of the work. One thing I found interesting was the way humans were being compared to lobsters. In the beginning it seemed a rather meaning less poem, only to talk about an experience at a grocery store. But it became more clear that lobsters and humans were being compared and portrayed and equals.
After taking part in and listening to class discussions I have a whole new outlook on not only the poem itself but my life too. The poem preaches to be kind to other living things, and understand how it would be if the situation was switched. I found this to be rewarding and helped me see that I am very luck to have this good life and make the most of every minute I have.
Hope you have a nice weekend.
After taking part in and listening to class discussions I have a whole new outlook on not only the poem itself but my life too. The poem preaches to be kind to other living things, and understand how it would be if the situation was switched. I found this to be rewarding and helped me see that I am very luck to have this good life and make the most of every minute I have.
Hope you have a nice weekend.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
5 Part Paragraph Critique
There are many aspects to writing a five part paragraph, and it can be easy to make a mistake in doing so. The most common mistakes I've noticed so far are plot summary, commentary, and transitions.
Intertwined in the concrete detail, many students added a tad bit too much plot summary. This is understandable, because for it can be difficult to just begin talking about the novel and quote, without first explaining the plot to not only the reader, but the writer as well. Another thing students found difficult was the commentary throughout the paragraphs. It seemed as though it was tough for students to not only put commentary in the correct positioning, but also add unique and original thoughts to the portion of the writing. And last but certainly not least, transitioning seemed to be a strenuous activity for students. Some students had elementary transitions, (such as the ones in this blog post) and others had no transitions at all. A challenge for almost every paper was sneaking in a transition in before the concluding sentence.
I myself of course had a couple areas I most definitely need improvement on which included my concrete details and my transitions. Summarizing plot seems to be my weak point, which in turn affected my two aspects of my paper at once. With my concrete detail, I explained just a pinch too much about the plot at that point in time, which lead to my embedding of my quotes not to be very clear. The overuse of plot summary within my paragraph also jeopardized my transitions, for the time between quotes was far too long.
Overall I'm glad I've learn how to write a 5 part paragraph, and now I know what I need to watch for next time! :)
Intertwined in the concrete detail, many students added a tad bit too much plot summary. This is understandable, because for it can be difficult to just begin talking about the novel and quote, without first explaining the plot to not only the reader, but the writer as well. Another thing students found difficult was the commentary throughout the paragraphs. It seemed as though it was tough for students to not only put commentary in the correct positioning, but also add unique and original thoughts to the portion of the writing. And last but certainly not least, transitioning seemed to be a strenuous activity for students. Some students had elementary transitions, (such as the ones in this blog post) and others had no transitions at all. A challenge for almost every paper was sneaking in a transition in before the concluding sentence.
I myself of course had a couple areas I most definitely need improvement on which included my concrete details and my transitions. Summarizing plot seems to be my weak point, which in turn affected my two aspects of my paper at once. With my concrete detail, I explained just a pinch too much about the plot at that point in time, which lead to my embedding of my quotes not to be very clear. The overuse of plot summary within my paragraph also jeopardized my transitions, for the time between quotes was far too long.
Overall I'm glad I've learn how to write a 5 part paragraph, and now I know what I need to watch for next time! :)
Diction
A subject this week that has frequently been raised in conversation between that of my comrades a well as educational instructors are “Halloween”. Much of the dialogue shared with my equals has been of the controversy of whether or not our age has surpassed the requirements of trick or treaters. While many of my advisors have been teaching me the historical importance. During my Spanish lessons my teacher has been enlightening us on the Spanish origin of the widely celebrated holiday. This Friday we were instructed to create skeleton models of ourselves illustrating what we enjoy partaking in for amusement. Many of the pupils including myself found this activity disturbing and unpleasant. To her knowledge the term “Halloween” was derived from the Spanish celebration labeled “All Hallows Eve”. It’s true purpose is to celebrate the evening before “All Saints Day” on the first of November. The end of the three-day celebration is “All Souls Day” residing on November second. In America we primarily regard Halloween as a holiday to play tricks, distribute candy, and to petrify friends neighbors and even people unfamiliar with the trickster. However, the holiday includes the official Celtic calendar extent of summer. My own further investigation informs me that Halloween dates back to over 2000 years prior to this date of the British, Druids, and Celtic people of Ireland. It seems as a holiday with a reputation to be invented by the company of Hallmark truly has a lengthy merely untraceable history.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Bean Trees
So far, I'm really growing to love The Bean Trees. The intensity and dedication of Kingsolver's writing certainly enhance my interpretation of the story. The setting, theme, plot, and characters help illustrate the overall product of the novel. I believe that characterization in The Bean Trees is abundant, and helps develop the story, but is most apparent in Turtle.
Turtle is what drives the novel forward. She is the horse to the carriage. When Taylor is handed Turtle that day, I don't think she truly understands how much of an impact the child will have on her life. Turtle gave Taylor purpose. At the time Taylor honestly didn't have much going on in her life, but I think receiving Turtle motivated her to keep themselves safe and provide for her new family. Turtle's personality is still unfolding in the novel. She sounds like just about the cutest little girl on the planet though. She is very hands on, constantly touch things and needing attention, which is understandable considering the unfortunate incident that was done upon her. Turtle also learns to speak for the first time by saying the names of vegetables. Turtle must have been at a crucial part of her mental development when she first saw Mattie's garden, because the idea certainly stuck with her. Turtle also had a sort of gap in her growing process, which caused her mental growth to be a tad bit slower. Turtles "disabilities" seem to come to Taylor more as gifts than anything else. Turtle helps Taylor see the world in a different way for the better.
One book I finally got around to reading this past summer was the Secret Life of Bees. A similarity between the two books revolve around the characters Lily and Turtle. Lily had a mother once, but she was killed, and she never really got to know her. Likewise, Turtle had a mother, and must have known her at some point, but was too young to remember. Each child deals with issues because they no longer have biological mothers. However, I think that the girls gain more confidence by seeing the will power of women joining together to raise them and act as mother figures. In some ways, when Lily and Turtle both loose their mothers it ends up having a positive affect.
I'm really excited for the project we are going to do on our outside reading books. Since Turtle really likes vegetables, I was thinking of drawing Mattie's garden with different plants and vegetables representing different parts of the story. For instance I could use the old body of the car as a symbol for Taylor getting out of her home town and moving forward in life to take her own path. Also I could draw a bean tree to represent the strong bond between Turtle and Taylor. Equally I had an idea to draw the "Jesus Is Lord Used Tires" sign to symbolize Taylor's strong will to never give up and her hope for tomorrow.
Over all, I'm immensly enjoying The Bean Trees and anticipating the project to come! :)
Turtle is what drives the novel forward. She is the horse to the carriage. When Taylor is handed Turtle that day, I don't think she truly understands how much of an impact the child will have on her life. Turtle gave Taylor purpose. At the time Taylor honestly didn't have much going on in her life, but I think receiving Turtle motivated her to keep themselves safe and provide for her new family. Turtle's personality is still unfolding in the novel. She sounds like just about the cutest little girl on the planet though. She is very hands on, constantly touch things and needing attention, which is understandable considering the unfortunate incident that was done upon her. Turtle also learns to speak for the first time by saying the names of vegetables. Turtle must have been at a crucial part of her mental development when she first saw Mattie's garden, because the idea certainly stuck with her. Turtle also had a sort of gap in her growing process, which caused her mental growth to be a tad bit slower. Turtles "disabilities" seem to come to Taylor more as gifts than anything else. Turtle helps Taylor see the world in a different way for the better.
One book I finally got around to reading this past summer was the Secret Life of Bees. A similarity between the two books revolve around the characters Lily and Turtle. Lily had a mother once, but she was killed, and she never really got to know her. Likewise, Turtle had a mother, and must have known her at some point, but was too young to remember. Each child deals with issues because they no longer have biological mothers. However, I think that the girls gain more confidence by seeing the will power of women joining together to raise them and act as mother figures. In some ways, when Lily and Turtle both loose their mothers it ends up having a positive affect.
I'm really excited for the project we are going to do on our outside reading books. Since Turtle really likes vegetables, I was thinking of drawing Mattie's garden with different plants and vegetables representing different parts of the story. For instance I could use the old body of the car as a symbol for Taylor getting out of her home town and moving forward in life to take her own path. Also I could draw a bean tree to represent the strong bond between Turtle and Taylor. Equally I had an idea to draw the "Jesus Is Lord Used Tires" sign to symbolize Taylor's strong will to never give up and her hope for tomorrow.
Over all, I'm immensly enjoying The Bean Trees and anticipating the project to come! :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
My theme :)
Through out the book To Kill A Mockingbird I made many observations about the morals and subtle lessons being taught among the pages. Some being standing by your family and having a better understanding of the world around you.
Although it is obvious Scout stands by Atticus for the duration of the book, Harper Lee included many scenarios where Scout stood by Jem as well. For the most part, Scout listens to Atticus when he tells her not to mind the kids at school or even the adults in the town when they talk to her about the case. Scout listens to her father because she respects him just as well as he shows respect to her. Whereas Scout doesn't fully understand her constant devotion to Jem and his acceptance or approval. Scout and Jem aren't just brother and sister, they are best friends. I found their relationship to be unusual, since it seems that most siblings don't share a similar relationship to that of Jem and Scout's. Scout follows Jem around because she is young, but also because they enjoy spending time together. Occasionally Jem does not want to be with Scout, much as anyone wouldn't want to be around the same person for days on end. When Jem and Scout get into spats, the matter is resolved quickly, and the argument is not a big ordeal. Jem and Scout have an understanding for one another that is unlike other sibling relationships. I think their relationship is used to teach the lesson of standing by the people you love and getting along with one another is important. Siblings take each other for granted, when they don't realize what an extraordinary gift it is to have a brother or sister. Everybody needs somebody, and I feel this idea is captured wonderfully from page 1 to the end.
Now, this book made me feel somewhat self conscious while reading it because Scout is just a six year old girl, comprehending things I am still learning. Scout recognizes who bad people are, and the people to trust, she is an excellent judge of character. Scout was reading practically since she was born, while for me it took me quite some time to begin my first book (Green Eggs and Ham). Scout easily follows the flow of things in court, which would be near impossible for most 6 year olds. I think that Scout would be tough to compete with as far as people in general go. SWith the exception that Scout and I are two very different people, I thought I should use her as a sort of role model to try and learn more about my surroundings and life in general.
Although it is obvious Scout stands by Atticus for the duration of the book, Harper Lee included many scenarios where Scout stood by Jem as well. For the most part, Scout listens to Atticus when he tells her not to mind the kids at school or even the adults in the town when they talk to her about the case. Scout listens to her father because she respects him just as well as he shows respect to her. Whereas Scout doesn't fully understand her constant devotion to Jem and his acceptance or approval. Scout and Jem aren't just brother and sister, they are best friends. I found their relationship to be unusual, since it seems that most siblings don't share a similar relationship to that of Jem and Scout's. Scout follows Jem around because she is young, but also because they enjoy spending time together. Occasionally Jem does not want to be with Scout, much as anyone wouldn't want to be around the same person for days on end. When Jem and Scout get into spats, the matter is resolved quickly, and the argument is not a big ordeal. Jem and Scout have an understanding for one another that is unlike other sibling relationships. I think their relationship is used to teach the lesson of standing by the people you love and getting along with one another is important. Siblings take each other for granted, when they don't realize what an extraordinary gift it is to have a brother or sister. Everybody needs somebody, and I feel this idea is captured wonderfully from page 1 to the end.
Now, this book made me feel somewhat self conscious while reading it because Scout is just a six year old girl, comprehending things I am still learning. Scout recognizes who bad people are, and the people to trust, she is an excellent judge of character. Scout was reading practically since she was born, while for me it took me quite some time to begin my first book (Green Eggs and Ham). Scout easily follows the flow of things in court, which would be near impossible for most 6 year olds. I think that Scout would be tough to compete with as far as people in general go. SWith the exception that Scout and I are two very different people, I thought I should use her as a sort of role model to try and learn more about my surroundings and life in general.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
My Boo
When I was really little, my family owned a red truck. We went camping all the time, but never went back to one camping spot after this happened. I have always wanted to drive. I tried to get my parents to let me when I was pretty young, but my plans never worked out. However, I did get pretty close once.
I was probably four years old when my family went camping. My parents were setting up our campsite and were focusing on setting up the tent. I was playing in the truck, and my brother was taking a nap in a sleeping bag on the ground. I worked my way to the front of the truck and continued playing. In the process I unknowingly pulled the parking break, which sent the truck rolling backwards. Right in the path of my unexpected drift backwards was my brother in his sleeping bag. As the vehicle grew closer and closer to my snoozing sibling my parents looked up and realized what was going on. Then miraculously a bunch of people congregated in the way of the truck and pushed against the it. Someone jumped in the door and pulled me (unaware of what was going on) from the truck. Those people saved not only my brother's life that day, but my own as well for I was headed straight for a cliff. My parents cried, and each witness was filled with relief.
This incredible event in my family's life can compare to Boo Radley in a few ways. One symbol for Boo is my fascination with driving. I was always curious and eager to be behind the wheel, much like Scout was consistently interested in Boo Radley. Nevertheless, I believe a more suitable fit for "My Boo" are the people who pushed the car out of the way. This is more fitting because when I was little I was shy around adults, for no reason at all. But the ironic part of it was that the adults I was shy to say hello to that day saved my life. This relates to Boo because Scout never meets Boo, but he takes a risk and saves hers and Jem's lives, just as strangers saved mine and my brothers life. I find this event in my life abnormally similar to Scout's experience with Boo.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely day! :)
I was probably four years old when my family went camping. My parents were setting up our campsite and were focusing on setting up the tent. I was playing in the truck, and my brother was taking a nap in a sleeping bag on the ground. I worked my way to the front of the truck and continued playing. In the process I unknowingly pulled the parking break, which sent the truck rolling backwards. Right in the path of my unexpected drift backwards was my brother in his sleeping bag. As the vehicle grew closer and closer to my snoozing sibling my parents looked up and realized what was going on. Then miraculously a bunch of people congregated in the way of the truck and pushed against the it. Someone jumped in the door and pulled me (unaware of what was going on) from the truck. Those people saved not only my brother's life that day, but my own as well for I was headed straight for a cliff. My parents cried, and each witness was filled with relief.
This incredible event in my family's life can compare to Boo Radley in a few ways. One symbol for Boo is my fascination with driving. I was always curious and eager to be behind the wheel, much like Scout was consistently interested in Boo Radley. Nevertheless, I believe a more suitable fit for "My Boo" are the people who pushed the car out of the way. This is more fitting because when I was little I was shy around adults, for no reason at all. But the ironic part of it was that the adults I was shy to say hello to that day saved my life. This relates to Boo because Scout never meets Boo, but he takes a risk and saves hers and Jem's lives, just as strangers saved mine and my brothers life. I find this event in my life abnormally similar to Scout's experience with Boo.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely day! :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Get to Know My Blog!
Hi! I'm Olivia and I'm in first period honors English. I really enjoy reading, sometimes it is hard for me to get past the first chapter, but after that I fall in love with the book. I've always liked to write. The best part about writing is being able to put whats on my mind into a story or poem. I'm a very opinionated student, but I like to hear the ideas of others and see how our differing options can introduce new concepts. If I have an idea I like to share it with the class and see how others think of it so I can learn more.
I think English class is vital to learning about not only reading and writing, but life too. Many of the subjects students learn in this class will last them throughout their lives. I want to capture how absolutely crucial this class is because many of the skills we learn here will come in handy later, and we can learn how to express ourselves creatively through writing.
Some things you can expect on my blog are quality thought over assignments. I will do my best to address all questions and explore unanticipated aspects of issues. Finding unique ways to answer questions and pursue a quality learning experience is my goal in this class. English will help me not only get to know my own writing style better but it will enhance my communicative ability and literary comprehension.
Thanks for reading :)
I think English class is vital to learning about not only reading and writing, but life too. Many of the subjects students learn in this class will last them throughout their lives. I want to capture how absolutely crucial this class is because many of the skills we learn here will come in handy later, and we can learn how to express ourselves creatively through writing.
Some things you can expect on my blog are quality thought over assignments. I will do my best to address all questions and explore unanticipated aspects of issues. Finding unique ways to answer questions and pursue a quality learning experience is my goal in this class. English will help me not only get to know my own writing style better but it will enhance my communicative ability and literary comprehension.
Thanks for reading :)
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