Blogging Around: Emily and Brandon

My first comment was to Emily, on her blog about pressure on girls from the media:

Emily-I think your blog is a great point about the media's impact on teenage girls. I also get a few typical teen girl magazines per month, and I love reading all of the articles. I almost feel like the editors put articles on the cover that have to do with making oneself look more attractive and "hot", just to attract readers, but inside, a large amount of the articles stress more important things, and there are numerous articles about being a good person. There are also tips for exercise and eating right, as well as advice about problems and life in general. Since these magazines still contain stick-figure models though, their "feel-good" articles sometimes seem rather useless and hypocritical.

Next, I looked at a few people's blogs and decided to check out Brandon's. I always enjoy his dry humor and interesting insights in class, so I concluded that I probably would find something I'd like to comment on on his blog. (I was right.) I particularly liked his post about a joke Mr. Allen made in class a little while ago. I responded:

I completely agree with the statement that jokes can really turn a lecture, discussion or class around; I think they can also even help you remember information. They don't even have to be witty; sometimes an extremely corny joke can be hilarious and very tension-relieving. They can also be completely random, in the case of my Chemistry teacher: the other day, while we were learning about quantum mechanics, there was something called an "Aufbau diagram". He said, "I've realized it's extremely fun to yell German words loudly. AUFBAU!", making us all jump out of our seats. It was really funny,now it's easier for me to remember what that is, and it gave me a happier outlook on attending his class.

Metacognition: Poetry Revision

I enjoy poetry. I really do. And I must say, I like writing it a lot more than analyzing it. When you get to write it yourself, you can choose exactly what you want it to mean, no ambiguity, a definite (or at least mostly definite) solution. As Mr. Allen probed my writing and asked questions, it helped me find things to make better, even though it was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience. Sometimes it almost felt like I was pushing it too hard, adding too much of a good thing, whether in the form of imagery or explanation.

In this week's revision, I was informed that I needed to change some whole phrases and continue adding imagery. I was surprised at the latter comment, because I thought I had put in plenty, but doing my job as a dutiful student, I filled it to the brim with cinematic/theatrical vocabulary. I actually looked some up online to include, and added a new piece to a section of repetition. While changing the phrases that Mr. Allen deemed unnecessary or just plain wrong, I found some new ways to include alliteration and internal rhyme.

When I looked over my poem before turning it in, I wasn't sure what his response would be. There were a few things I had not changed because I was confused by what Mr. Allen wanted me to do with them, and to me, it felt I had overused the theatre terms a little bit. However, I received some very positive feedback from him and I'm looking forward to what else I can do to make the poem the best it can be.

I think, at first, I thought of my original poem as my precious creation, my baby, and I didn't really want anyone else telling me what was wrong with it. Even after the first revision, I thought, "Alright, it is fine now. We don't need to change it anymore." Looking back, I'm a bit surprised about how apprehensive I was to change it; I was thinking that I wanted the poem to be 100% mine and complete. Although I'm not totally used to the changes I'm making, I now understand that these revisions will ultimately make my poem, as well as future poetry I write, higher quality (and that Mr. Allen knows best).

Connection: Edgar and Joseph

One discinct connection I see in King Lear is between Edgar and Joseph from the Old Testament (and the musical, which I love). They both have special, enviable qualities, were repressed by their brothers but adored by their fathers, and ultimately came out on top; they also both seems to be the characters the audience roots for, the underdogs of their stories. Edgar, one of Gloucester's sons, is first presented as someone not incredibly bright or special, but the one characteristic he holds over his half-brother, Edmund, is his legitimacy, his ability to inherit his father's title. Edmund craves this title, believes he is more deserving than his brother, and tricks him into hiding. Joseph was born with the power to interpret dreams, causing him to be the favorite of his 12 brothers to his old father, Jacob. He was often complimented, not forced to work and given lavish gifts, such as his legendary multicolored coat. Bitter jealously as a result of this led his brothers to sell him into slavery.

After much difficulty for both of them, they eventually had their somewhat happy endings (since most people would argue that King Lear definitely did not have a happy ending). In the final scene, Edgar emerges from hiding to confront his brother and defeat him in a duel; once Edmund is dead, Edgar is reinstated as the Earl of Gloucester. He also informs us that he revealed himself to his father, and overwrought with joy and grief, he died. At the end of Joseph's tale, his talent is discovered by the pharoah of Egypt and he becomes his chief advisor. He also reveals his new, powerful position to his brothers and reunites with his beloved father. Joseph and Edgar both faced adversity but overcame it. Their relationship, once realized, helped me understand King Lear better, and empathize with the characters much more, specifically Edgar himself. Their misery at their forced containments was very clear, and their similarities are almost uncanny.

Best of Week: Revolutions

One of the best ideas we discussed in class this week was Shakespeare's use of revolutions in King Lear. It's a very prominent theme and adds levels of meaning to the play. One important element of this was the idea of Fortune's wheel. Fortune (or fate) is personified to have a wheel that, when turned, changes the destiny and luck of humans. In Act 2, scene 3, Kent almost prays to it and says, "Fortune, good night. Smile once more; turn thy wheel." He was currently in a pretty rotten positon: locked in the stocks.

Three important revolutions we've noticed are the switch between Lear and his daughters, Edgar and Edmund, and Gloucester and his houseguests. The revolution between Lear and his daughters began with his official bestowment of his lands to them, and it continued as they stripped all of his power, his men, and eventally his sanity. Edmund was the bastard son of Gloucester, and Edgar was his legitamate son, who would eventually inherit his lands. However, Edmund tricked both this father and his brother so his brother was forced to flee and go into hiding as a madman and his father is thought to be guilty of treason. The 180 degree revolution was complete when in Act three, scene 5, the Earl of Cornwall gives Edmund the official title of the Earl of Gloucester.

One more revolution we have noticed so far in the play is between Gloucester and his houseguests. Contrarily to the social norm, his guests Cornwall and Regan, thinking he was helping the king and conspiring against England, tied him up, tortured him and poked out his eyes. This showed a part of the revolutions from respect/order to madness and chaos. Gloucester showed his surprise in Act 3, scene 7, when Regan and Cornwall start yelling at him, "What means your Graces? Good my friends, consider you are my guests; do me no foul play, friends." Revolutions are a key part of King Lear, as many things in the play, including the politics, the relationship and even the sanity of characters switch around drastically.

TED Presentations

The first thing I thought of when you mentioned the TED presentations was, "Thank God that's over." The project caused an extreme amount of unneeded stress, not because of it's content, but because of it's organization and collaboration problems. I thought that the speakers were on the whole, pretty interesting and most of the presentations (at least the ones I saw) went well. Many groups went over the time limit or did not use the 5 minutes allotted for questions. My group's presentation went considerably well, although we did not end up using a PowerPoint, like many other groups did.

During the period before the actual presentations, all of the sophomores seemed extremely frustrated with a lack of progress and input from other Academites. I know personally that in my group, there was a lot of confusion over the guidelines, the tasks and even the members themselves. I think one way to deal with this issues would be to have a few more all-level meetings, but unlike the one we had, make them shorter. To be honest, I don't think we actually got anything done at that meeting except somewhat explain what a task was. If we had a few shorter, more frequent meetings, I think we would eliminate a lot of the confusion, keep everyone on the same page and more efficiently remind people to work on the project continuously, rather than for hours the day before the presentations.

One common theme I noticed (which was also mentioned in the post-discussion) is that many of the speakers focused on helping others help themselves. I honestly don't remember how much this was covered last year, but it seemed extremely prominent this year. For example, in my group, our speaker was helping find more efficient ways for people to make charcoal, which could lead to profit and small-scale enterprises to boost local economies. Another presentation I saw was about a "Hole in the Wall" experiment, where children taught themselves how to use a touchscreen computer, and they could use it to look up new information and things important to their lives, such as weather and temperature.

I'm not sure what the actual outcome of the TED Project is; is it to just educate us about things people are doing to help the world? I assume it doesn't have anything to do with learning to collaborate, since that is something that seems to be needed in order to have the project function at all. Also, we really don't do anything with the results of our findings about each video. There would be no way to discuss each one with all four Academy levels in the time allotted, and I can't see any real way other than donating money to help with any of the issues or projects in the videos. According to the website, "The purpose of this collaborative project is to present to each other the stories of imaginative and intelligent people who are currently making a positive and profound difference all over the globe," but it almost seems as that could be accomplished by just watching the videos.

Captured Thought: Dancing

When I first thought of a new realization, my mind quickly flew to one I had earlier this week. I finally realized that I will never be a dancer. To give you some background, let me summarize my dancing experience (don't worry, it will be short). I took classes when I was very young, quickly grew bored and moved on, and began dancing again in 7th grade. I was already behind most of the girls I knew, and my classes usually had students at least a year younger than me. I also made the mistake of only taking one class to begin with, rather that a bunch of beginner classes.

I continued for a few years, progressing but never really getting to the skill level of my age-group. So far in high school, I was bitterly disappointed after unsuccessfully trying out for GBN's dance teams. Earlier this week, I was trying to decided whether to take a hip-hop class and a modern class, or a more challenging hip-hop one, and I realized: no matter what I do, I can't be a real dancer. I don't have the years of experience, and I don't have the time to catch up with them. I won't ever dance with the Joffrey ballet, or perform on varsity poms during halftime of a football game. It's just not in my future.

This is a realization I am still slightly in denial with; I'm still taking a few classes, and religiously watching YouTube videos of performances. I will never be a wallflower, just watching others dance if I have the option to hit the dance floor, and there's a good chance I might try out for a few more dance-related things, and probably end up getting hurt again. Sorry to be very cliché, but when you really love something, you can't truly give up on it, but a dream is really just that: a dream. Something you aspire towards, but can't actually reach, because as soon as the sun comes up, it's over.

360 Degrees: Driving

Being around legal age, driving a car is something I have been thinking about a lot recently. Or, more specifically, learning to drive, considering I have not started Driver's Ed. I think there are many different aspects about driving one can think about, such as environmental effects, responsibility, the proper age, gas prices, and more.

Living in a very privileged area, it's common to hear new teen drivers discussing the new car they'll be receiving for their sweet sixteenth birthday. And TV shows like "My Super Sweet Sixteen" make it seem like getting a new car is mandatory in order to have a successful party. Cars can cost any amount of money, depending on whether they are used or brand-spanking-new. Currently, the most expensive street legal car in the world is the Bugatti Veyron, which costs $1,192,057 new. It is the fastest accelerating car and can go from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds.

Cars contribute a huge amount of pollution in multiple ways. Cars and light trucks consume 16% of the total energy used in the United States, cause air and water pollution from run-off from motor oil, break dust, exhaust and more. Cars also cause noise pollution and take up land space from parking lots, urban and rural roadways. Additionally, the scrapping of cars cause large amounts of waste and landfill space and fun fact: it is estimated that over one million animals are killed everyday by vehicle collisions.

Learning to drive is a milestone in every teen's life, and one step closer to independence. Driving gives one a sense of freedom, and for parents, can relieve them of the need to give their kids rides everywhere. For some parents, however, it can be dreaded and nerve-wracking. Motor vehicles crashes are responsible for one out of every three teen deaths; they are the leading cause of death for this age group. Some people believe that raising the driving age would help prevent accidents and death, while others think it would just delay the problems.

Driving is pretty much a crucial part of today's society. Very few people live close enough to necessary places (doctor/hospital, grocery, workplace, school, etc.) that they could walk or bike there on a daily basis. In fact, some people live miles and miles away from jobs and it would be literally impossible to for them to go there without a car. Especially in colder climates, it would be extremely difficult to get anywhere without a car. In cities, where public transportation is more common, it's easier to live without a motor vehicle, but in many other places, it's quite a hassle. Cars are pretty big troublemakers, but are a seemingly necessary part of our society.


Sources:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/automobiles-and-environment.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm

http://www.thesupercars.org/top-cars/most-expensive-cars-in-the-world-top-10-list-2007-2008/

Blogging Around: Nick and Margot

I first commented on Nick's blog about generalizations and stereotypes about Hip-Hop:

Nick, I thought this blog was amazing. I began on your side; I personally love hip-hop music. You produced some extremely interesting and accurate points about stereotypes of hip-hop and your arguments were really well thought out and supported. I also had previously not thought about why some people disliked it so much, and you also did not simply blow off their views, but concisely explained (with examples) why they were wrong.

I also really liked your post because it showed that you really cared about what you are writing about, and it explained why as well. Your writing demonstrated your passion for this music and although I already liked it, it gave me a new respect on top of that.

Then, I read a few more but didn't really see one I was that passionate about, until I read Margot's. Then something just clicked, and I immediately loved everything she said. Her blog was about her lack of knowledge about politics and how sometimes people just agree and bash politicians to appear like they know what is going on. I commented:

Margot, I feel we are kindred spirits when it comes to politics. I have exactly the same issues as you; I honestly don’t know who I’d want to vote for, what’s going on in most of the world, or even really what the differences between being a Democrat or a Republican are (which I feel pretty pathetic about). And I would also be interested to know how many people actually know what they are talking about when bashing Sarah Palin or ranting about their love for Obama. I agree with you that many people just jump on a common bandwagon when they are not sure, just so they can be a part of something and argue against someone else.

360 Degrees: A Song

What is a song? By my definition, a song is a short piece of music usually consisting of vocals, and a menagerie of instruments, depending on the genre. The genres are endless: ska, punk, reggae, classical, opera, rock, techno, pop, hip hop, R&B, screamo, metal; the list goes on and on. Every larger genre also breaks up into many little sub-genres, until it gets so confusing and everything is over-categorized. Sometimes I almost just want to hear the music, without labels, titles or even track numbers, listen to it with out expectations, the way it was meant to be listened to.

Music can inspire many emotions, that may or may not have anything to do with what the song is supposed to be about. Even one specific song can have drastically different significance for different people. For example, a song from a musical may bring up wonderful memories for a former cast member, or disappointment and anger for someone who auditioned, but didn't even get a callback. Or the song, "Lips of an Angel", by Hinder, could be a sweet reminder of the first song a couple slowdanced to, or a painful reminder of an unwanted heartbreak.

One song can either cost 99 cents, or hundreds of dollars. Illegal downloading is done by hundreds of thousands of people, through programs like Bearshare, Limewire and BitTorrent, that are wreaking havoc on the music industry. If caught, one could be forced to pay fines from $200 to $20,000, or even more, depending on the amount of songs. Pirating songs is morally wrong; the artists, producers and record companies recieve no recognition or profit for their work.

An artist writes a song. A producer likes the song. A radio stations likes the song. A nation buys the song. That artist may have gone from a nobody to a rising star, because of some lyrics scribbled on a yellow notepad, a few repeating chord progressions, or a melody stuck in their head. One song could be a beginning, or a farewell. Some artists may not write their own songs, merely playing whatever is put in front of them, but I always have more respect for those that do; they always seem more honest and meaningful.

One song can mean so many different things: a career, fame, a wonderful or horrible memory. It's even possible for one song to be all of those things at the same time. The concept of a song was created from the human's love of music, and although not all people may have the same idea of what good music is, there's something out there for absolutely everyone.

Metacognition: Kite Runner Thesis

When I first saw the questions that Mr. Allen wanted us to think about in order to create a thesis for our upcoming Kite Runner paper, I was pretty confused. Most of them did not seem like questions one could write more than a paragraph or two off of, let alone a full essay. I'm not trying to critize the questions themselves, but I was worried about how much meaning I could actually extract from them. Then I realized that they were meant to be the foundation for a thesis of our own construction, which had to include a precise focus and claim, and rather than being relieved, I still felt rather nervous. I don't pride myself on my extensive essay writing skills; personally, I would much rather write a poem.

Writing a thesis for English is very different (and personally, more nerve-wracking) than other subjects, such as history or science. Unlike English, most evidence can be supported by solid fact, not quotations that can be analyzed fifty different ways; theses are straightforward and by the book. I began writing a few possible theses, and then, once Mr. Allen picked them apart, I found out that they were either too simple, or too complex; I hadn't really hit anywhere in the middle.

Next, I went home and went back to the original questions, and attempted to reword one of my previous failures. I realized that my problem lay deeper: I hadn't found a topic I really wanted to talk about. And then I saw #3 on that page, stating "What does the story tell us about secrets?" A simple question really, one that could be taken in many different directions, yet I suddenly knew what I wanted to write my paper on. I scrapped my old theses and began anew with one about the issues secrets caused in the Kite Runner. Lo and behold, in our conference, Mr. Allen asked me which thesis I felt most strongly about, so he and I discussed that one and elaborated on it. I know it's not a perfect work of art, and I'm fully prepared to edit it and tweak it, but I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Looking back on my process, I probably should have spent more inital time thinking about possible topics, then I might have not had to return and rethink in order to find one I am really passionate about. I like the fact that I didn't just stop and try to be satisfied with a halfhearted topic that I didn't really like, because I know that I would not have enjoyed writing the paper as much. Now that I like my subject, writing this paper will (hopefully) be a much more enjoyable experience.

Best of Week: Margot's Tea Metaphor

During this week, Margot made an extremely interesting observation about symbolism in The Kite Runner. She pointed out how, on page 197, while talking to Rahim Khan after not seeing him for many years, Amir points out how Rahim likes his coffee black and bitter, while Amir himself puts sugar in his. She elaborated and explained how this is a metaphor for their views on life: Rahim sees the truth clearly and does not try to hide anything from himself, while Amir sugarcoats his problems and lies to himself.

Rahim Khan knows what happened back in that winter of 1975, and has never tried to deny it or make up reasons for it, and now that something can be done to rid Amir of some of the guilt he has been carrying his entire life, he wants Amir to take this chance. Amir, on the other hand, has always tried to rationalize the problems in his life and try to forget his past.

Margot mentioned this to me before she discussed it in class, so while I was reading chapter 18, I made a note of the tea metaphor being used again (She also noted this during our discussion) On page 225, Amir says, "I took a gulp of the blackest tea I'd had in years." This occurred right after he finds out that Hassan was his half-brother, and it shows how he is finally coming to terms with his life. He is now understanding why his father was so fond of Hassan and Ali, and he's seeing a completely different side of his father as well.

I thought this was an amazing use of craft by Hosseini. It's something small, something many people casually reading the book may not pick up on, but it enhances the feel of the story so much once the reader sees it. It shows how talented the author is and how he adds meaning on multiple levels. I would love to try to do this in my writing, and once we start working on short stories, I think this would be a good skill to master.

Carry It Forward: The Kite Runner

In the beginning of chapter 13 in The Kite Runner, Amir and Soraya get married. They have a traditional Muslim wedding with a nika (swearing ceremony), and they follow many other cultural traditions as well. For instance, the wedding was paid for by the groom's family, they read from the Koran, said oaths, played a traditional wedding song, hennaed Soraya's hands and ate traditional food. They both seem nervous, but extremely happy as well.

This passage made me begin to think about my future. It's stereotypically every little girl's dream to grow up, meet Prince Charming and have a huge, fluffy white wedding. And, although I try my hardest to not fall into stereotypes in general, somewhere deep down I know I would love that. Maybe this is just my Disney-movie-filled upbringing, but it seems like an amazing wedding leads to a happily ever after.

Also, hearing about their cultural traditions that they are sticking to brings about the realization of how important it is to not forget the past. They could have just had a cookie-cutter generic wedding, but they decided to stick to their roots and old customs. Hopefully someday, when I am the one at the altar, I won't forget this lesson. I will embrace my Jewish heritage and have the ceremony in a synagogue with a rabbi and break a glass. And of course, we'll end up doing the Hora at the party.