Why I Am Your Favorite

I shall explain in pictures:

You might not always be excited to see me....

















But I'm excited to see you!

And I always try to make you laugh....

Even though you shut me down half the time

But despite all of that....

You're gonna miss me when I graduate!!!

P.S. You still have to write that poem...or else

Quarter 3 Reflection

I am going to take this opportunity, as I take every one, to complain about Waiting for Godot. The stupidity pf this play makes me so angry. If you were to do something different next year, do not teach Waiting for Godot. That's all I'll say about that for now.

Instead of telling you what I didn't like, I'll tell you what I did:
Anthem (sort of)
A Raisin in the Sun
... yep that's it.
I gave you an assignment for the last quarter reflection which you never turned in. I'll give you one more chance, I would like a reflection from you emailed to me by no later than April 4. 

Racism and Class-ism

I see racism and class-ism every day. As a white student at Bishop Kearney people assume that I live in Brighton or Webster, but I live in the city. I have friends that live in Webster and Greece, and it is very obvious that they are nervous to go to my house. It's funny to see my friends' reactions to kids playing in the street (I live on a dead end) because in the suburbs they play in their giant backyards.They live in all white neighborhoods where every house is basically the same. My neighborhood is diverse. They are not all black and Puerto Rican, a lot of the people on my street are white Italians. I'm sure my perception of the suburbs is different than someone who actually lives in the suburbs, though, just like their perception of the city is different than mine. I see the suburbs as the town in Edward Scissorhands.

Two Quotes

"Here's the Chief. The soo-pah Chief, fellas. Ol' Chief Broom."
This is an important quote because it is the first interaction the protagonist has with anyone else in the ward, and it shows how the protagonist is viewed. t also tells the reader that he is Indian, and his Indian heritage is talked about a lot. It's the first thing people say about him.

"I been silent so long now it's gonna roar out of me like flood waters... But it's the truth even if it didn't happen."
I had to read this a few times, and I still don't quit understand it. I didn't fully get that the protagonist was telling the story of his past, not the present. "But it's the truth even if it didn't happen." makes no sense to me. I think he is either trying to say that it is his truth, or that there are no records or proof that any of this happened.

Clybourne Park Review

I loved Clybourne Park! I am so glad the class went to see it, and I am really glad that there were so many public schools there as well. Part of why I enjoyed the show so much was seeing the different reactions between Kearney and the rest of the audience. We mostly reacted to the characters while the rest of the audience reacted to the jokes. It's interesting that we see the show from a different perspective because of what school we go to.

My favorite characters were Bev/Kathy. Their parts were so funny. I was surprised that there was so little laughter in the first act, I thought it was hilarious. I laughed to my self the entire time, and it was mostly because of Bev. Her character is hilarious! Kathy's little comments were great in the second act. I laughed more at her than I did at the jokes.

Waiting for Go-don't (Because I don't like this play)

Nihilism and Absurdity are definitely two ways I would describe this play. "Nihil" is literally Latin for "nothing", which is what this play is, and every word of this play is most definitely absurd. From what my understanding of Existentialism is, I don't think it fits in this play very well (so my understanding is probably wrong). I see it in a positive way, I as an individual am the only person who can figure out who I am and why I am here. In finding ourselves and our places in the world we can achieve true happiness. I know this must be wrong because it is far to uplifting and positive for this class. In this sense, Existentialism does not fit in Waiting for Godot. In a way Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot so he can tell them who they are, but they are not doing it on their own.

Nihilism is the belief that nothing we do really matters. We are insignificant organisms that are in existence in this universe for a short period of time. When we go the universe won't miss us, so what we do doesn't matter. Seeing as Estragon and Vladimir literally do nothing for the entire play, it can be said that they believe in Nihilism, but I think they are too simple to think this deep. They do nothing simply because they don't have the motivation to do anything. At the end of Act I and Act II they way "let's go", but they just stand there because it really doesn't matter. They talk about hanging themselves but they don't do anything because it really doesn't matter. Nothing matters.

The Theatre of the Absurd is also in a way the belief that nothing matters. There is no rhyme or reason, things just happen. The play works that same way, nothing seems to happen for a reason because nothing really happens. The entire play is Estragon and Vladimir waiting for Godot. Yes they meet Pozzo (pronounced like Bozzo the clown), Lucky and the Boy, but at the end of the day they are still waiting and talking nonsense. Nothing happens for a reason.

Waiting for Godot

Instead of talking about how Waiting for Godot is associated to society today, I'd rather talk about how I hate this play. It is so incredibly boring I literally fell asleep reading it. Perhaps it is a little more interesting when it is bring acted out on stage. I would much rather see it on stage, that way it would be over in a couple of hours and I'd never have to think of it again. I don't even know the difference between Vladimir and Estragon, the dialogue just runs together in my mind. Reading it is like watching a TV show that started out okay but has been on air for too long and consequentially is getting worse and worse, only Waiting for Godot started out bad and continues to get worse and worse. The only almost part I almost found intersting was when Vladimir/Estragon was singing what my mind thought was NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye"

This is Water

I very much enjoyed listening to This is Water. At the beginning, when the man was frustrated and stressed, all I could think was simply "don't be". I fully believe that we choose to be happy. Of course I can be put in bad situations, I can be stressed out, tired, or angry, but only I can decide how to deal with it. Why would I choose to be upset when I can simply be happy.
I fully agreed with the second half, when he talked about how we do not know what is happening in the lives of people we encounter every day. I am so sick of hearing friends and family members complain about people on a daily basis. I can't even be in the car with my mom or my one specific friend driving without hearing them complain about a person's driving. I know everyone does it, but there is a difference between getting annoyed with someone cutting you off and directly insulting the driver's race or sex. I am so sick of other people's negativity.
Sometimes it's hard to choose to be happy. other people intentionally or unintentionally bring down my good mood every day, so I eliminate the negativity from my life.

Waiting for Godot

From what I've heard, Waiting for Godot is takes place under a bridge, and the characters are four homeless men. The entire play is just them sitting and talking. I assumed they are complaining about the conditions they are living in. They are either happy with how they are and feel bad for those who value material items, or they are bitter about their circumstance and envy those with money.
With this in mind, "The Human Condition" they talk about is probably either the corruption of society because of their obsession with money, or the corruption of society to allow people to have less than nothing when some people have more than they could ever need.

Under Pressure (do do do dodo do do)

I very much hope you know that song^

Ruth is under a lot of pressure form her family and her environment. The only reason she even considers having an abortion is because of how poor the family is. It would not be fair to Mama or Beneatha for Ruth to have a baby. They don't have the room or money. Travis is already sleeping in the living room, where would the baby go? Mama and Beneatha do not deserve to be up all night listening to the baby cry. Mama would deal with it, but Beneatha is selfish. She would complain about it constantly. Ruth is simply not in the right environment to have a baby. There is also the factor of money, or lack there of. With the insurance money and the new house it could be a possibility, but now that Walter has thrown away every bit of money they had, there is just no way. They can barely afford Travis as it is. If Ruth lived in a different environment and had more money, she would never abort her baby. 

Death Penalty (Social Justice-NOT FOR HOFFMAN'S EYES)

I do not support the death penalty in any way. It is inhumane and barbaric. How can we tell society that it is wrong to kill someone by killing people. With that said, I do understand some of the reasons why people do support it.

I have had this debate with many of my friends, all different ages, genders, religions, and political affiliations. The most effective argument I have heard any of them say is that it is cheaper for us as Americans. Why should we pay for these murderers and rapist to live? I have a friend who works in a jail, so he sees first hand what our tax dollars are going to. Prisoners get treated better than they should. They get considerably good food and health care when there are people in our country starving to death and dying because they can't afford the surgery they need. There are accounts of people purposefully getting arrested so they have a meal to eat and a bed to sleep in.

I believe that there is one simple solution to this. End the death penalty, and in it's place put life in solitude without parole. A human being needs companionship. The human cannot function completely on it's own. Even those who enjoy being alone cannot stand to be fully isolated from all life forms. It is the worst possible way to live. They should not be fed very well, just what they need to survive. There is no reason for them to have any extra luxuries. They can live their lives with only their thoughts to keep them company. I fully believe that this is the perfect replacement of the death penalty.

When debating the death penalty I purposefully do not include my faith. I don't think it is smart to argue about an issue with religion in this day and age. Non Catholics are not going to listen to Catholics, non Jews are not going to listen to Jews, and so on. I can say as a Catholic that I believe the death penalty is wrong and immoral, but a non Catholic does not care about my Catholic values. Not only that, but people often come off in a snobbish, high and mighty way when they justify their beliefs through a religion. This article sounded very absolute. It was as if the Catholics are saying "I'm right and your wrong", which is not true. Everyone has their own opinions, and opinions cannot be right or wrong.

I do agree with this article on the basis of banning capital punishment, but I do not agree on the ways they are trying to communicate their opinions. One quote that jumped out at me and really made me angry is on the fourth page, "In fact, such use of the bible (finding a "proof text"to affirm one's point of view) us inappropriate". I literally laughed out loud when I read this. The Church uses quotes from the Bible every time it can, for issues from gay marriage to abortion, but the one time they can't find a quote that fits their use, they say it is irrelevant. Funny.

I did agree with the article when it said "we cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing...This cycle of violence diminished all of use-especially our children". Children are always listening. How can we teach the future of America that it is okay to kill people if they've killed people? The cycle will never end this way. While I often disagree with how this article goes about expressing their opinion, I do agree with the big picture, end capitol punishment.

Loneliness

Walter feels lonely in his family. Everybody else thinks that the insurance money is Mama's and she can do or not do whatever she wants with it. Walter is the only person with a scheme. He wants to invest it in a liquor store. Not a single person agrees with him. While there is a possibility that this pan could work, the fact still remains that the money is Mama's, and he wants to take all of it. Maybe if he only needed a thousand or two, but he wants to risk all ten thousand dollars.  He is so frustrated in the rest of his family that he walks out, even after he finds out that, not only is Ruth pregnant, but she is intent on having an abortion. Walter's love of money is clouding the love he has for his family. He spends the entire first act arguing with everybody. His stubbornness is causing a riff between himself and his family.

Oppression

Hansberry is right when she says that man's oppression of man is the most universal theme in literature, pop culture, and history. I do in a way understand why the Super Bowl commercial, "America is Beautiful", is relevant to this. The commercial is inspiring, but actual Americans are upset because they interpreted it to say it's okay for immigrants to come into the country not knowing English. That's not what the commercial was trying to say, though. It was showing America the melting pot, how diverse this country is and how beautiful this diversity is.
It disgust me that the "Change the Mascot" commercial was not aired. I have friends that are Native American, not "Indian", that are offended by the Red Skins. It is supposed to be honoring the Native Americans, but if they chose to honor African Americans instead would they be called "The Niggers"? The commercial should have aired, and the name of the football team should be changed.

Ayn Rand Ecology Quote

Ayn Rand is very critical on the subject of ecology, or any subject really. She wants men to return to caveman days, "grunting subanimals digging the soil with their bare hands". I do agree with this, technology has distracted us too much. Technology is great, but it is getting a little ridiculous. I think it would do us all good to step away from technology and return to nature. Not to completely get rid of all technology, but to put down our phones and laptops for a minute. It's gotten a bit crazy when we can wear computer glasses.

The Council of Scholars said that they know everything that exists, so anything they do not know does not exist. This mostly pertains to Ayn Rand's dystopian world, but in some ways it is a mentality people have today. Not in the sense of science, but in religion. Atheists believe that there is not God because there is no proof that He exists. Extremest do not believe there are other gods besides the one in their religion.  Some people  believe that it is all one God, He is just celebrated in different ways, but others hate people of other religions because they believe in a God that is different from their own.

Element

The setting of And the Mountains Echoed plays a big part in moving the plot along. It is set in Kabul, Afghanistan during. During this time and in this country, families struggle to get by. It can be difficult for a man to provide for his family, especially when winter comes. This is why Pari is sold to Nabi's bosses, Saboor simply needs the money. Nabi says that it was the worst thing he has ever witnessed, watching Pari and Abdullah be torn away from each other. If the  novel was set in a different country or perhaps in a different time period, Saboor would not have had to sell Pari, and Abdullah would not have lost his beloved little sister.

2nd Quarter Reflection

I cannot even believe that this year is half over. I've been here for six years, I can't believe I won't be coming back next year. Hopefully the next semester will be a lot easier. This class is not what I expected it to be when I signed up last year, obviously. It's been difficult to get my homework done, for these reasons:

This picture was taken the other day while I was trying to finish my dialectic journal 

This was last year when I was trying to finish my AP Lang research paper. Obviously, Bowie doesn't like English

It's the same as the last three years. But lucky you, you got me for three straight years! Congratulations! Not many teachers are lucky enough to say they've taught me for three years. Instead of writing an evaluation of you and this class, I would like to hear your evaluation of me. I expect it e-mailed to me by no later than February 1st at 11:59 pm. Your grade depends on it.


If I had one minute left to live I would want to spend it in this class, because every time I'm in here it feels like forever. (OMG LOL JKJK)

The Effects the Past has on a Character (I'm Using Harry Potter)

In J.K. Rowling's seven book series, Harry Potter, Harry's present and future are defined by his past. When he was one year old, his parents were murdered by Voldemort, but because of their sacrifice, Harry was not only able to survive Voldemort's attack, but he also destroyed him, leaving him less than human. Voldemort was not killed, however, and this effects Harry for the rest of his life. He is destined to either kill Voldemort completely, or be killed by him. Because of the sacrifice his parents made, and how he grew up in the Muggle world with a hateful family, Harry learned the importance of love and friendship. He is a loyal friend and a truly good person. Every hateful comment from his aunt and uncle, and every punch thrown by his cousin, only teaches him patience and control.

Let it Go!

Let it Go written by Kristen Anderson Lopzen and Robert Lopez

             performed by Idina Menzel 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk 

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I’m the Queen

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door

I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all

It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry

Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back,
The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway

This song has been on replay on my iPod for the last few weeks. The second you assigned this I thought of Let it God. It's from the Disney movie, Frozen. In the context of the movie, Elsa, and queen, has accidentally frozen her kingdom. She runs away because she can't control her powers, and isolates herself in the mountains. She leaves society, just as Thoreau did, to isolate herself from the rest of the world and be completely on her own. 

Throughout the song she sings "the perfect girl is gone", "let the storm rage on", and "I don't care what they're going to say". She is leaving her old self behind. She used to have to conceal her powers and stay quiet, but now she is letting herself be free. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks, she's ignoring the "rules" of society.  She can definitely relate to Emerson's quote, "To be great is to be misunderstood". She has great powers and an infinite amount of potential, but after one mistake the village turns against her. She isn't evil, she is just misunderstood. She can also relate to Emerson's quote, "The world begins to the energetic". For her entire life she was stuck in her room, having to hide her powers from everyone. Once she is free she becomes alive. She can do whatever she wants, she owns the world. 

Emerson & Thoreau

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson

To achieve any big goals, you must work hard and enjoy working for it. Nothing in life is free. If you do not enjoy what you are doing, you won't do it well, and if you don't work hard it will not be well done.

"Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify" Henry David Thoreau

This is basically my excuse for my terrible case of senioritis. I've been saying all year not to stress over the little things. If you get a bad grade on a quiz, don't cry about it. If you forget to do homework one day it isn't a big deal. Don't freak out over little things in life that don't actually matter in the long run. That doesn't mean always do bad on quizzes and never do you homework. Don't focus on the details, look at the big picture.