Paradox Blog

"Paradox and Dream"

      "We are able to believe that our government is weak, stupid, overbearing, dishonest, and inefficient, and at the same time we are deeply convinced that is the best government in the world, and we would like to impose it upon everyone else."

     This means that we think our government is awful and overbearing, but when brought up with another system we are able to rub it in their faces, convinced that it is the best system in the world. For example, two Americans talking about their government would complain about it. However, if the one of them was from a different country the American would just go on and on about how great it is. This, however, isn't entirely true for all Americans, just some. However, it does show that we are not necessarily happy, and we are willing to fake it to make ourselves look better. This paradox really opened my eyes.

     I chose this paradox because I have seen this happen. I've seen it happen on TV, with my own family, and from others as well. I never really thought about it until I read it on paper. The moment I read it, I felt like I understood everything. Everything just made sense. It made me realize that most of us are not happy with our government, but still think it is better than everyone else's. Which is somewhat true for Americans, but not all. However, I don't it should be that way.

     "Americans are remarkably kind and hospitable and open with both guests and strangers; and yet they will make a wide circle around the man dying on the pavement. Fortunes are spent getting cats out of trees and dogs out of sewer pipes; but a girl screaming for help in the street draws only for slammed doors, closed windows, and silence."

      This paradox means that we say we are open to everyone and willing to save animals over people who really need help. It is about how we say that being a bystander is not good, but we still do it anyway. It shows that we will call a fire truck to get a cat down from a tree, but if a girl is screaming for help, we'll lock our doors and pretend nothing has happened. Another example could be that we'll help out at a soup kitchen, but if a person gets jumped in the alley, we might call the cops, but most would probably just ignore it. Like the other paradox this isn't covering all Americans, but I say it does cover most of them. 

      I also chose this paradox because I've seen on TV, on the internet, and in real life. Like the other paradox I didn't realise I already knew this. However, this is more deeper than the first one. It is a very ugly truth. Like the other it really opened up my eyes. I've seen videos and news of things like this. For example, there was this video of a girl in China who got ran over by a car. It was so crowded that the other people behind that car just slowed down and continued to run over her. This also shows that bystanding is an international thing. The only thing I question about this is, why don't we help and still say we do?

     

       

End of the Year Reflection

End of the Year Reflection

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?

     The first most important thing I learned this year was how to manage my time. Time management in this class is everything. Its how I manage to get EVERYTHING done, even with my busy schedule. I also learned the specifics of writing paragraphs, and now writing takes less time and feels easier. I also learned how to stay on top of things because of absences. This ties in with time management as well.

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

     I think I will remember doing the AOWS the most. I think this because they took up a lot of my time. However, over the year I have become really efficient in writing things like AOWs. They taught me it is important to keep up with current news. They also helped with my time management. In the end, they mostly helped with my writing skills and responsibility. As much as I disliked them, they actually helped me.

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

    
I think the nicest thing that someone did for me was when I was absent for a while and came back somewhat unpreprepared, then Diana airdropped the work. When she did that she explained what was going on. She also caught me up with the AOW and the blog. There were probably other nice things done for me, I just can't remember. The only thing I remember teaching Mrs. Larson is about the Montgomery, Alabama March. I went to the anniversary march this year and I told her some details about it.

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

     I feel my biggest improvement I made this year was, again, my time management. With all of this work, I developed a cycle that works. That cycle has really helped me get through the year. I have really improved in my responsibility. Something I'm proud of is my argumentative essay. I worked really hard on it. I spent a lot of time researching and revising. I also spent a lot of time or most of it looking for synonyms. It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

     I think the most challenging part of this year were the AOWs. There were a lot of them of this year. They took up most of my time. I really had to think about the questions for the articles. Annotation took a while as well as answering the questions. Sometimes I even had to redo them because I didn't fully understand the article or the question. However, they got me used to writing a lot. Now I can do an AOW pretty fast.

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

I again think the best piece of writing I did this year was the argumentative essay. I think it was my absolute best because I worked extremley hard on it. It took me forever to finish it and revize it. I also spent a lot of time looking for websites and sources. I read and reread and edited and did the best I could. However, now that I look back at it, I could have done it in a completely different and somewhat better way.


8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

    My favorite book this year was Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. I think this because that book gave me a different perspective on things and other people. It showed me two things. It showed me that figuring out who you are takes a very long time, and you will change. If you thought you were something, that could mean you might be something else. The book also taught me that you always have that one person you need to protect, and someone will always protect you. Even if they have changed or aren't actually there, they will always be with you.

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

     For this class you have to be able to manage your time. You need to do this because it is really the only way to go your work done on time. This class is pretty hard, but after awhile you get used to all of the work. AOWs are not that hard, they just take time. Same goes for blogs, they seem hard in the beginning, then after awhile they're okay. You have to pay attention, because there is a 99% chance if you are not Mrs. Larson will call on you. So just behave like it is a regular class. And finally, COPY DOWN THE VOCAB WORDS! It is the easiest assignment ever, and not doing it could add up. Trust me I know. Otherwise, this is just a pretty normal class. You will get through it, don't worry. :)

Of Mice and Men blog

Of Mice and Men: Symbolism

    

    I brought in my pointe shoes to symbolise me. My pointe shoes don't only symbolise the fact that I love dance. They symbolise my dreams and passions. They symbolise all of my hard work, and determination. They symbolise how I can change character and have the capability to be anyone I want. The fact that they are worn out show that there were struggles along the way, but I got through them. They're somewhat like the dream farm in Of Mice and Men. All in all they symbolise passion, determination, and dreams.

I commented on Jared's blog, Mia's blog, Bianey's blog, Devin's blog, and Rebecca's blog.

5/13/15

Of Mice and Men: The Movie

Prompt: 

1.  In the film, the director shows us “the incident in Weed” differently from how we find out in the book. What’s different? Why do you think he chose to do it that way? How does it change the story?
2. The book begins with the “stage” set by the pond. In the film, we see George on a train first. Why would the director do this? What is the director telling us about George’s life?
3. What do you think of the director’s choice of Sharilynn Fenn to play Curley’s wife? Does she look the way you imagined her in the book? Whom would you have chosen?
4. What are your general thoughts, feelings, reactions of Of Mice and Men? What had the most profound impact on you or your understanding of the novella? Who would you recommend this  book to and why?

      The beginning in the book starts off with George and Lennie in the brush. In the movie it starts off with the "incident in in Weed". I think the director chose to do it that way because it was easier to start off with the actual scene than to make it a flashback. I also think he did it because it was easier for viewers who haven't read the book to understand what happened. It changes the story by making the incident in Weed look like a bigger part of the plot than it actually was.

      I think the director made the beginning with George on a train because it just worked better in film. I think he thought it flowed better. He might have also done it because it gives viewers a better understanding of the situation George and Lennie are in. It tells that George has a rough life. I know this because sneaking onto a train to travel gives a hint that they have a hard life. 

      I think the director's choice of Sharilynn Fenn was a pretty good choice. She played the character very well. However, she looked nothing like I pictured her in the book. I pictured her with red hair that was very curly, and I pictured her with a lot more makeup, and wearing different types of clothing than in the movie. I think deborah ann woll could have also played Curley's wife. I think this because of her red hair, which is what I pictured.

     My overall feeling about the book is that it is somewhat eye opening. My main understanding of this novella is that everyone experiences loneliness and isolation in different ways. It showed me that everyone is going through something, everyone has their own different struggles. I would recommend this book to anyone twelve and up. I think this because you need to be a little older to actually understand the themes and messages in the book.

     

AOW Impression Blog

AOW Impressions

    I learned a lot from last weeks articles. Even though most (including mine) were about the Nepal Earthquake or the riots in Baltimore. The Nepal articles showed how news is constantly changing. It showed me because the number of deaths by the earthquake were constantly changing. Some people had 3,000 people or 5,000 dead. I just recently checked the number and they have risen to 7,500 and are still rising.

   I also learned what caused the Baltimore riots. The cause of them was a man named Freddy Gray, who died while he was riding in the back of a police van, his head slammed into the van and caused a severe head/spine injury killing him. This also relates to the Furgason riots. People are looting, burning police cars, throwing things at officers, etc.

   Some other news someone had was about child abuse. They said 1,593 children in 2011 died due to child abuse and most of them were under the age of 2 years old. Someone else had something on terrorism. Which is something I haven't really seen in a while. The article was about how terrorists are targeting Christians because they aren't their religion. Someone had something on endangered animals, google, and space. All in all, this gallery walk showed me how rapid news can change, and how different people can interpret
the news.

   

Dream Poem

"Dreams Give us a Reason"

By Lilly M.

Dreams give us a reason,

a reason to wake up in the morning,

to go to school,

and to get us through hard times

Dreams give us a reason to be determined,

they give a reason to keep going,

to be happier

knowing or hoping the future will be better

It doesn’t matter what it is

or why you want it

Its how much you want it

that counts

Dreams give us a reason to live

to keep going

to be happy

and to aspire.