Posts

The End Of An Era

It was Freshman year: It was a big change going from middle school to high school. I was ready for the challenge and excited to meet new people. It was really difficult to leave my very best friends who were all going to a different school together. I was relieved to see people I knew in my classes on the first day. I was delighted to make new friends that I will remember forever. It was exciting to be able to stand as a Maniac under the Friday night lights. It was confusing having a different schedule every single day. It was Sophomore year: I was told I had to make a personal project. It was not fun. I was stressed out and introduced to the life of an IB student. It was nice to make more new friends and grow closer to the friends I had. It was my first car accident. I was feeling different. It was weird to feel like I couldn't handle everything going on in my life. I was afraid of the sadness and the anxiety. It was overwhelming. It was Junior year: It was my...
1 comment
Read more

"Breathing Dreams Like Air..."

How would you describe the American Dream? I would describe the American Dream in multiple ways. It includes many things such as; freedom, opportunity for prosperity, protection by the government, and upward social mobility for those who work hard. The American Dream is a privilege that is not provided for everyone like it may appear. Some people do not have enough money to pay for education so they cannot obtain a job that will make them successful like others. In other instances, some mothers and fathers cannot afford to feed their children and resort to stealing which lands them in prison. Many people are disadvantaged in the United States and it is much harder to thrive than it appears. What is your definition of wealth? When I hear the world "wealth" I think of how much money someone has or how stable they are economically. However, there is much more to wealth. If someone does not have friends or family that love and care about them they are not very wealthy be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Witty Whitman

Step 1) In the beginning of the journal, Whitman seems to be planning out the imaginary conversation between himself and Abraham Lincoln. He knows that he wants to have a conversation between two characters. He repeatedly mentions the Ship of Libertad which seems to be something to be feared of by enemies. Whitman mentions other ships as well like the ship of humanity, the world, promise, and other things. There are sketches of different men which might be people that Whitman sees in the streets since he is very observant. There is a drawing of a harp as well; perhaps this reveals Whitman's taste in music. "THE BOHEAMIAN" is written on one of the pages very largely and boldly. I think this was a newspaper or media outlet because under it says, "Saturday Press". The words that Whitman doesn't like are crossed out, not erased, which provides us with context of the time period. There is a poem titled, "The Hills of Brooklyn"; Whitman has a published p...
Post a Comment
Read more

IOC Practice

Image
https://vocaroo.com/i/s04QXStxhKKI Self-scoring: A- Knowledge and understanding of the text or extract: 8 I think my commentary shows a good knowledge and understanding of the text because I refer to multiple parts of the play and explain the message in these parts. I think my comments were supported by well-chosen references to the text. B- Understanding of the use and effects of literary features: 5 I think there was adequate awareness and illustration of the use of literary features but I could have mentioned more and elaborated much more. I also did not elaborate on their effects on the reader. C- Organization: 3 There was one part where I forgot to mention something and referred to it later on. Towards the end I think I jumbled up a bit and did not have a great conclusion that tied everything together. D- Language: 5 I think that everything I said was grammatically correct and applied to the passage.
Post a Comment
Read more

Nothing Really Mattress(?): Kafka, Camus, and the Importance of Translation

Translation #1: Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug. Diction:  "Uneasy" has a less intense connotation so his sleep was just somewhat interrupted. "Giant bug" is not scary or frightening, it is just a big bug. "Changed" is a boring word that does not imply that anything magical or mysterious happened. Syntax:  The sentence flows easily and is simple Not difficult to read/understand Imagery/Details: I can imagine him waking up confused and anxious, possibly sweating, from his dreams.  "Giant bug" makes me think of a kid's movie or animation because it does not have any negative or dark words. Structure: Possibly a run-on sentence. No commas Translation #2: When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug. Diction: "Troubled" has the connotation that the dreams were upsetting and G...
1 comment
Read more

I've got you covered...

Something that is obvious about these 4 covers is that only one of them does not mention that the book is a "Man Booker Finalist". These same three covers also have a positive quote from a critic. Two of these covers have bright colors and a positive mood while the other two are dark and gloomy. I think this is because people either view Never Let Me Go in a positive or negative light. Like Ishiguro, some think that the book has a happy message because it shows how humans grow to be compassionate and loving when they mature. However, since it is a dystopian novel, some look at it as a story where these people find out that their life has no meaning. Two of these covers also represent leaving and moving on in a unique way. One has a boat on it and the other has a girl that is blurred like she is quickly moving away. This is ironic because the characters never attempt to rebel or escape. When looking at the bottom left cover, the words that come to mind are: dark, creepy, mys...
Post a Comment
Read more

Once Upon a Time...I used a freebie:)

Post a Comment
Read more