book post 3: freedom

After having our third and final discussion of our third part of the book 1984 by George Orwell, we discussed the last themes we saw in the part and the overall themes of the whole book. In our discussion, we all asked questions about that revolved around how the party changes peoples mind. We also discussed further options into how Winston is naturally rebellious and how he became to fight against the party and big brother.

Amon the themes in the book, we talked about how the party has total power of the people. They have total surviellance of everybody at all times though the use of tele-screens that can watch people as well as display their propaganda to further subdue the people. The party also has total control over society, dictating their culture their activities, even public transportation. Holding an iron-fist over the people, they have little threat over being overthrown. However, they go the extra length and persecute people of their thoughts. Thoughts that have themes of freedom:integrity, democracy and equality, that could potentially grow a resistance to the government. As all threats that could overthrow them have to come from the inside, and the inside is the people, then they only way they would be overthrown would be by their people.

Winston sees the only way as it could be overthrown from the beginning is the Proletarian people of Oceania. Which are the lower-class, unformed masses. Having been not formed by the party to follow the principles of INGSOC, they still have the ideas from freedom. They already have integrity and equality, and are able to have individuality. The idea of individuality is very important to Winston If you compare his descriptions of the proletarian people to the people of the party and the inner party, they description of the proletarian people are much more vivid. He is able to look into the past and contemplate how people go the way their were. These ideas all come from the book of goldtein which despite the efforts of the party has never been eradicated. These ideas are what can throw the party over.

Book Post #2: Winston's Love

 After reading and discussing the second part of the book 1984, by George Orwell, our group has talked more about Winston rebellious nature against the party. In the second part, he explores more options of resisting the government. He has become more carefree, exploring areas of the proletarian sections of London and even inquiring in their bars and shops. He does this to find enjoyment in the experience and to learn more from the past and history. These two things is what the governments aims to prevent. They try to eliminate history and stop the people from enjoying anything, as enjoyment lsets off a chain of events that leads to free thinking. Orwell explains that enjoying anything leads to you feeling good, which leads you to be able to do more things the same way as a efficient machine gets more done than a broken one. Free thinking will inevitably bring down the government, as then the natural order of things will play out, and the party will fall.

However, a large development in Winston's life occurs at the beginning of the second part The dark haired girl he used to despise greatly became an ally to him instead. Being even more of an ally, the dark haired girl, whose name is revealed as Julia, actually loves him. After arranging meeting through elaborate means of communication, they are allowed to flourish together.

Being brought together by their resistance of the party, they enjoy each other in sexual acts to please themselves and as well as showing an act of rebellion to the government. But their love for each other is uncalled for, as they go from strangers to soul mates in a matter of days of being together. This raised a question in our group discussion of why Winston loves Julia and how their relationship grew so quickly. We came to a decision that Winston's want to destroy the party their the inevitable act that they had been trying to prevent from happening, sexual interaction and pleasure, and Julia was one of the only ways for him to do that.

1984: Winston's individuality.

 In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the protagonist Winston, a man in his late thirties lives in a dystopian country of Oceania. He lives as a citizen of “The Party”, a group of government obssesed zealots that sole purpose in life is the preservation of the Party's principles. However, these principles are what makes the novel dystopian fiction: they revolve around oppressing the common people, making them nothing short animals. They watch the people and display propaganda through, “telescreens”, violating the privacy and having constant video and audio contact with everybody in the counrty. Through watching them, the Party aims to oppress the minds and destroy individuality among the people. Also, the culture is molded around militaristic ideals, so therefore, everybody is in complete unison and stepping out of line is impossible. To step out is to commit thoughtcrime, punishable by death. Thought crime can be anything that is different than what the party wants. Whether it be speaking your mind or showing any sort of intelligence beyond average, you are taken away during the night, “vaporized”, or having all records or you existing being deleted.

On the contrary however, Winston is unaffected by the Party mind altering tactics. Being a unique character in the book and the narrator, we are able to see through the party's eyes through the eyes of Winston. As a middle aged man, he lived near the establishing of the party, which was around the 1950s, as it is 1984 in the book.

Modern themes of democracy and natural rights that are common today are seen in Winston. As he is someone who commits thoughtcrime, you can see how the book is a inverse of today's world where equality is common.

The plot of the story and where I see it is going is how Winston becomes involved with the destruction of the party and the bringing about of a new better world. I see him gravitating and him become closer and closer to the Brotherhood, which is a rumored organization that conspires agianst the party that may or may not exist.

Book Review

In the novel by Julia Alvarez, “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”, the book explores many themes about growing up in different societies and the growth of all the girls in general.

In “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” one of the characters, Yolanda, goes through a exceptional college experience. Coming from the Dominican republic, the American culture is very different then her home. She is foreign and not used to American culture. In the 60s, this age-group was very sexually active, being that sex is something Yolanda isn't used to either. The way she feels relates back to how her family brought her up; woman being modest and sexually inactive until she is married. This may also stem from her religion. I can relate to Yolanda going to college. The atmosphere she describes in similar to college of Alameda. She describes it as being very academic. Showing how other students personalities come out in relation to their studies, her description emphasizes the academic atmosphere. While walking about in College in Alameda and have taken some classes there, I felt a connection to how Yolanda felt while going to college in America. The message Julia Alvarez is trying to send is that everybody goes though phases through their lives where they must accustom to change. Change is a common idea in ife, especially in adolescent and the beginning of adulthood However, Yolanda comes into contact with another thing about growing up: Sex. She feels conflicted as their as sex has always been unimportant in her life. As she comes into this sex-oriented culture, she doesn't know what to do. As with Rudy, she doesn't pick up on his hints inside the poem at first. She is too naive to see his flirtatious approaches. Eventually, her prudence drives him away, and this is what causes emotional conflict within Yolanda. Yolanda's innocence from her chidhopod show through at different times, such as this when she comes face-to-face with something that has been marked as a taboo throughout her life. Another thing I have seen while reading this book is how what content I have read relates to the title of the book. What has been described so far is how the girls learn from there mistakes. The events that have happened have all taught a lesson to the four sisters. Starting with Yolanda, she learns that some people are different than what they seem. Sofia learns that when you disrespect somebody, especially someone as important as your father, it takes time to heal. Hey all went through some sort of process that they have learned form they're mistakes. I expect to see similar themes like this happen throughout the book. They all learn something from each other.

In the second part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents” we learn more about their life from their young adult to teenage years. Differing from the first part, which explored a later part of their life, the book explores their young adult and teen years. The theme in this part of the book is also different. In this section, the four girls learn how to acclimate to the teenager lifestyle in America after moving from the Dominican republic, instead of acclimating to college life. The girls also come into their first contacts with close relationships and other adult themes. As the girls are teenagers, they are pressured by the American way to become more American rather than retaining their traditional standards in America. They experience social pressures that other teens in America go through, but have the added stress from their parents that want them to be like. The parents keep them away from boys at every opportunity. whether it be on the way to school or when they want to go hang out. The parents think that if they can keep they're social life from expanding in America, they can keep their heritage intact. They go an extra measure too, as in the summer, the parents make the girls visit the Dominican republic for the whole time. They do this to keep the girls in touch with their family, but to also maintain their cultural image. The father is very resilient to have the girls even be in America, as they think they will blend with the culture and become a “Spanish American princess”. He is also afraid of them “whoring around”, and becoming versions of women he sees in the Dominican republic become unsuccessful. The girls also experience their first serious relationships. Sofia falls in love with a man at the young age of sixteen, and the relationship becomes controlling. Her boyfriend, Manuel, becomes very controlling, keeping her in the house, regulating her contact with other people, and even telling her what she can or can't read. However, she becomes docile and unresistant, letting Manuel control her.

The third and final part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”, we explore the young teen and childhood of the four sisters. The family lives in the Dominican republic in this time and are aught up in the history. During this time, the dictator that held total control of the Dominican Republic is power. The Garcia family comes into problems with the government, and immigration to America in the third part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”.In the first vignette, the family comes into conflict with the dictator. Being part of a supposed plot against the government, Carlos, the girls' dad, flees into hiding into the crevasses of the house as the dictator's agents come to him with questions. The arrival of the agent's sends the whole family into a panic, fearing charges of treason from the government. Trembling against the odds, the family holds up until they receive help from a friend, using code words to communicate to him and their father as the agents question them. The theme of danger is a new theme in the book, as never before has the writer incorporated suspense or thrill. New ideas, different then before which have revolved around growing up and losing innocence emerges. Ideas such as protecting ones family, or fighting for one's freedom occurs as we enter the realm of dictatorship and tyranny. As the family escapes the Dominican republic however, we learn of their struggles of immigrating to America. This is very new to all the children, and is a familiar theme. Growing accustomed to a different culture is a very strong theme throughout the story, . The girls are forced to adapt to the American way from the Dominican culture.

Book Post 3

The third and final part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”, we explore the young teen and childhood of the four sisters. The family lives in the Dominican republic in this time and are aught up in the history. During this time, the dictator that held total control of the Dominican Republic is power. The Garcia family comes into problems with the government, and immigration to America in the third part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents”.

In the first vignette, the family comes into conflict with the dicttator. Being part of a supposed plot against the government, Carlos, the girls' dad, flees into hiding into the crevasses of the house as the dictator's agents come to him with questions. The arrival of the agent's sends the whole family into a panic, fearing charges of treason from the government. Trembling against the odds, the family holds up until they receive help from a friend, using code words to communicate to him and their father as the agents question them. The theme of danger is a new theme in the book, as never before has the writer incorporated suspense or thrill. New ideas, different then before which have revolved around growing up and losing innocence emerges. Ideas such as protecting ones family, or fighting for one's freedom occurs as we enter the realm of dictatorship and tyranny.

As the family escapes the Dominican republic however, we learn of their struggles of immigrating to America. This is very new to all the children, and is a familiar theme. Growing accostmed to a different culture is a very strong theme throughout the story, . The girls are forced to adapt to the American way from the Dominican culture.

Blog Post nummer 2

 In the second part of “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents” we learn more about their life from their young adult to teenage years. Differing from the first part, which explored a later part of their life, the book explores their young adult and teen years. The theme in this part of the book is also different. In this section, the four girls learn how to acclimate to the teenager lifestyle in America after moving from the Dominican republic, instead of acclimating to college life. The girls also come into their first contacts with close relationships and other adult themes.

As the girls are teenagers, they are pressured by the American way to become more American rather than retaining their traditional standards in America. They experience social pressures that other teens in America go through, but have the added stress from their parents that want them to be like. The parents keep them away from boys at every opportunity., whether it be on the way to school or when they want to go hang out. The parents think that if they can keep they're social life from expanding in America, they can keep their heritage intact. They go an extra measure too, as in the summer, the parents make the girls visit the Dominican republic for the whole time. They do this to keep the girls in touch with their family, but to also maintain their cultural image. The father is very resilient to have the girls even be in America, as they think they will blend with the culture and become a “Spanish American princess”. He is also afraid of them “whoring around”, and becoming versions of women he sees in the Dominican republic become unsuccessful.

The girls also experience their first serious relationships. Sofia falls in love with a man at the young age of sixteen, and the relationship becomes controlling. Her boyfriend, Manuel, becomes very controlling, keeping her in the house, regulating her contact with other people, and even telling her what she can or can't read. However, she becomes docile and unresistant, letting Manuel control her.

His madness part 2

I turned away from the beatings the Shadow Cloaks inflicted on the mother and her child to the ground. I hold back my tears of fear, a grim respite to what I see, and turn away, talking the long way back To my Mum. The sidewalk, a large pathway between building and street,funneling humans and Pokèmon every which way. It's gray concrete color shines with the materials of industries and the sweat of the workmen who laid them down. Strutting down Rain Corridor, Sun shining being harvested on rooftops by panels of light, turbines twirling, wondering really how all of this is powered. It's not by these sources of course, It's by, the space between you and me.

Sepior the scientist, Sepior the savior, Sepior the Chancellor, Sepior the Madman. Unlocking the strongest energy source we have ever known, he quickly rose from the lowest, most embarrassed part of the scientific community, to a celebrity, known all over the world. Unleashing the negative and positive matter reaction creates so much energy. Completely clean, inexpensive, just what the leaders before rambled on about. Just this time, The right combination for something came up, someone in charge, someone loved, someone totally wrong, a dictator.

~ ~ ~

Has it been hours? Minutes, days? Or has it been a year? Looking back, I don't even remember that walk to the outskirts of the city. I think I closed my eyes, shielding myself from the horror. So many dead. Am I the only one left? My footsteps are a grim reminder of where I still am, a wondering soul in a real limbo. Everything seems like limbo when it's not what you're used to.

The sky, covered in a purple ash, resembles a bomb. Lighting flashing, yet no rain falling. It swirls to and fro, in and out. Near the horizon line, my farthest point, is a blur. Heat waves emanate from it, miles away, as I see the power plant. What used to be a huge building, towering over the city with it's stacks and labs, is now a pile of vaporized rubble. Burning rubble, burning stones. The power of the blast must have come from there.
The power plant exploded. The power existing between you and me, let loose a fiery, cataclysmic explosion. Burning life for miles around.
I look to the mountains, my view clean of buildings and rubble. Me, an oasis in a wasteland, the only one to perceive the horror, sees nothing. Black mountains. Black skies. Black clouds, and a black moon.
So I start my walk, down my endless highway, out from my home, to my unappealing demise.

* * *

Book Post: What they learn.

 In “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” one of the characters, Yolanda, goes through a exceptional college experience. Coming from the Dominican republic, the American stage is a strange place. She is foreign and not used to American culture. In the 60s, this age-group is very sexually active, something that Yolanda isn't used to either. The way she feels relates back to how her family brought her up; woman being modest and sexually inactive until she is married. This may also stem from her religion.

I can relate to Yolanda going to college. The atmosphere she describes in similar to college of Alameda. She describes it as being very academic. Showing how other students personalities come out in relation to their studies, her description emphasizes the academic atmosphere. While walking about in College in Alameda and have taken some classes there, I felt a connection to how Yolanda felt while going to college in America.

However, Yolanda comes into contact with another thing about growing up: Sex. She feels conflicted as their as sex has always been unimportant in her life. As she comes into this sex-oriented culture, she doesn't know what to do. As with Rudy, she doesn't pick up on his hints inside the poem at first. She is too naïve to see his flirtatious approaches. Eventually, her prudeness drives him away, and this is what causes emotional conflict within Yolanda.

Another thing I have seen while reading this book is how what content I have read relates to the title of the book. What has been described so far is how the girls learn from there mistakes. The events tha have happened have all taught a lesson to the four sisters. Starting with Yolanda, she learns that some people are different than what they seem. Sofia learns that when you disrespect somebody, espeically someone as important as your father, it takes time to heal. Hey all went through some sort of process that they have learned form they're mistakes. I expect to see similar themes like this happen thoughout the book. They all learn something from each other.

My Growth As A Writer

My post, “My thoughts and My German” is the post the surprises me when I re-read it. It shows how I write casually with structure and voice, but also it was very reflective to a time where I felt very different about school. I feel accomplished of my writing growth in this quarter based on how effective I communicate my emotions to readers.

The first thing that I find striking when I re-read this in detail is how much structure I wrote into this. It seems more like an academic piece of writing, like I wrote it under the guidance of a prompt. However, I wrote this for myself, a way of venting or emotional processing: “I knew i would go to bed tonight not worrying about what I had to do to make my life better, what I had to do to make tomorrow count the most as it can for my future. A kind of inconceivable joy that can only be describe by laughing out loud.” I didn't write this to be put on my blog and I didn't expect it to be as structured as it is. I have varied types of words, calculated diction; some from my vocab list, while others were words that would be deemed advance by high school standards. Overall, I am proud how my writing, even when written in a casual tone, has grown.

The night I wrote my post, I was coming home from music class, as stated. Music to me is a one of the greatests sources of passion and motivation in my life: “I wanted to stay in that little room, looking over complicated pieces of music, studying keys and scales, making solos and melodies correctly over a series of shifting chords. It felt like love, something that I had aged into a masterpiece, held before all to see.” I am easily swayed by music that touches me; great melodies, smooth bass lines, I enjoy a melting pot of genres. As an artist, listening to music is practicing music, as while I'm listening, I can analyze the bass line for the key, then engineer the song to re-create. But, as a spectator of music, I am dedicated to alternative metal and rock, but jazz is a close second it is an extremely stimulating style to play. In every way, music lifts my emotions and brings me to my own “happy place”. Some people would call it my zone of my zen; I don't know about that, but it is certainly a passion I live for. At a behind-the-scenes perspective of me at the time, I felt very passionate about someone else, and combined with my love for music, you can say that my feelings created a perfect storm for me to write this. Hanging over my laptop, I stayed awake until late at night writing, hunched over. No break for drink, nor for food. I stayed persistent to complete the post, and even when I finished reading it several times over to ensure what I wanted to to say to the reader was being said.

The idea that I shouldn't let other people let me reach depression and to keep my head high because I have more important things to be happy for is what my post truly means. As already stated, music is my passion, it's what keeps my going. “I had the best time in a long time tonight at my music class. I feel proud of what I can do, something I love. I felt like I was flying, high above Starland, high above Alameda. I could even see into Oakland, if you get what I mean. I just felt awesome”. I face ridicule, criticism and harassment everyday as a consequence for not conforming to the mainstream. The mainstream, the male dominant perspective that characterizes men to be beings void of emotions and women to be objects of sensitivity, is something I am truly against; people should be allowed to be what they be. However, the way I want to be can be scorned upon. I wrote this post to spite whoever thinks I should think my inferior because I'm different, that I can be happy without other people not liking who I am.

One thing that I have been able to to do differently this year then from last year is to try new ideas with my writing. Due to the orthodox English analysis education system, many students are limited to practicing their writing craft to just analytical essays. However, with the blog post system, I am able to use new ideas. This creates a chain reaction, now I am able to think up new ideas for things to write about.

My ideas from blog posts come from events or other pieces of writing that cause controversies or things that inspire me. Controversial events, such as abortion in the case of my blog posts, are what I can base my formal ideas on. These events are very important to today's society and writing about them will contribute what I think to the matter. These events also have many differing sides due to them. Due to the clashing viewpoints, there will be a large amount of subject matter to report on, but most importantly, analyze and relate to higher things.

For reflective posts, I draw upon my passions for inspiration. Such as in my post, “My thoughts, and My German”, I write about music as a source of passion: “I had the best time in a long time tonight at my music class. I feel proud of what I can do, something I love. I felt like I was flying, high above Starland, high above Alameda. I could even see into Oakland, if you get what I mean. I just felt awesome” After music, I experience an high of motions. Since music has such an impact on me, I can consider my main source of inspiration. It acts as a trigger to my brain, something that releases stress and allows ideas through.

A Religious Conflict

 Conflict is what makes a story interesting and creates content that attracts the reader's attention. In the memoir “Night” By Elie Wiezel, he uses his experiences in the holocaust as a source of extreme conflict. The most powerful example is his emotions concerning his religions. When Eliezer loses faith, his struggle against god becomes the central conflict on “Night”

Eliezer is traumatized because of his experiences at the concentration camps. Being someone with a love of religion, he struggles with the feeling of being of abandoned by god and feels alone: “My eyes were and I was alone, alone is a world without God and without man. Without love of mercy. I had ceased to be anything but ashes...” (65) Feeling deserted, Eliezer is forced to come to terms with the harsh reality of the situation he is in. His mind suffer as he starts to show signs of depression; seeing no point in his world. The dramatic changes of how he feels because of how feels about god shows how character versus religion is the central conflict of night. He rebels and defies more traditions of the Jewish faith.

Eliezer takes respite, but still from defying traditions of the Jewish faith. On the day of Yom Kippur, He refuses to fast. He thinks, “I no loner accepted god's silence. As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of rebellion and protest against him... In the depths of my heart I felt a great void” (66), but he still finds anger. The two anomalies are him breaking a sacred tradition and him suffering from a self-righteous anger but still feel guilty about his choice. It is out of the norm for him to break a tradition, showing the he must be having a conflict not only against a supernatural force but also himself. This is further explored in him feeling guilty. He is going against something he had great faith and love for, and instead of feeling good, he feels empty; a great void. He anger festers further as he has controversies with other traditions.

At the height of Eliezer's conflict, he finds great anger. When the people of his block are praying, he is affected by controversies between the status of god and how he feels. He thinks:

“Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because he had had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because he kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and feast days? Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? How could I say to Him: 'Blessed art Thou, Eternal , Master of the Universe, Who chose us from among the races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end in the crematory? Priased be Thy Holy Name, Tho Who hast been chosen us to be butchered on Thine altar?'” (64)

The examples Eliezer provides serve as great points for proving many conflicts, but the root of it relates to his anger revolving god.

My thoughts, and my german. ;D

I had the best time in a long time tonight at my music class. I feel proud of what I can do, something I love. I felt like I was flying, high above Starland, high above Alameda. I could even see into Oakland, if you get what I mean. I just felt awesome. A superfluous sensory judgement warranted of an exclamatory response~! I knew i would go to bed tonight not worrying about what I had to do to make my life better, what I had to do to make tomorrow count the most as it can for my future. A kind of inconcievable joy that can only be describe by laughing out loud.

I wanted to stay in that little room, looking over complicated pieces of music, studying keys and scales, making solos and melodies correctly over a series of shifting chords. It felt like love, something that I had aged into a masterpiece, held before all to see.

A new feeling that I hadn’t really experienced before today was that I knew I could do something not many people could. I learned how to compose my own song, composed by me, based on mechanic principle of music ;D. I always wondered how that would feel, jamming away on a incorrect, amateur scale I had made up. I step closer to a professional stage I guess, a step away from your average Joe. Which made it feel good  because I had one more thing that I could impress everybody with.

Sigh, homework, I shouldn’t be complaining, other students have it worse. Much worse.

I'm trying to also relight some of my german-ness, I'ma try  some basic stuff ;D

Meine Famile ist aus Deutschland, England, Irland, Portugal und Tschechien. Meine Schwester hießt Kelsey. Sie und ich wohnen in Alameda. Sie ist achtzehn. Sie ist älter als ich. Sie hat blondes, langes Haar und grüne Augen. Sie ist nett, sauber, schön, und verrükt. Ich habe sie gern. Wie wohnen bei den Großeltern. Mein Großvater ist aus Deustschland. Er ist groß und ruhig. Meine Großmutter ist aus Tschechien. Sie ist schlank, schön, und verrückt. Meine Mutter ist aus Deustschland. Sie hat langes blondes Haar. Mein Vater ist aus Kalifornien. Er ist groß.

That was for my class, but I kept it instead of submitting it.

Qwfwq Insecurities

 Insecurities are our internal weaknesses; what we do and what we don't is based on them. In “Cosmicomics”, a collection of short stories revolving around a character named Qfwfq (shortened to “Q” throughout the essay), by Italo Calvino, many of Q's insecurities are illustrated throughout his journey through time. Q misses many chances to unite his family, form new relationships, and help improve his world around him because of his insecurities. His own fear for something going wrong shows him to be an overly careful, reaction-based character.

In the “Aquatic Uncle”, Q deals with insecurities revolving around prejudices his lover Lll is born with about the differences between their families. Lll's family is completely land based, where Q's family is a mixture of fish and amphibians. As a action of etiquette, Q must introduce Lll to his fish uncle N'ba N'ga, causing conflict, “ Knowing the prejudices in which she had been brought up, I hadn't yet dare tell Lll that my great-uncle was a fish” (75). Q has an insecurity that Lll will be repulsed my Uncle N'ba N'ga, but he has yet to even try her reaction. Him being so afraid of his lover shows how his insecurity affects his love life and family. He won't even try to test their love's boundaries. However, when he does introduce Lll, her reaction is the polar opposite of what he thought. Lll says after meeting with Uncle N'ba N'ga manny times after their initial visit, “Marry him. Be a fish again with him. And bring still more fish into the world. Good-bye” (81). This over-exemplifies the consequences of someone does not do anything because they are afraid. Lll Leaves Q for his own uncle, an act of high betrayal, leaving one lover for another, all because Q was afraid that something would go wrong. A path similar to this repeats again when Q is in a different time period, one after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

When courting a female in “The Dinosaurs”, Q is afraid to make advances onto her because of his insecurities about the physical differences between them. Even though he a chance with the female, he still chooses not to court her because of his insecurities. He says to himself, “This was the moment for me to embrace her. But the dinosaur they imagined was too different from the Dinosaur I was” (101). This shows how his confidence wavers, so much as to not to take a chance at a women. Italo shows him as being weak on purpose, to show Q's fatalistic traits. This is a major character flaw in Q. However, Q is even more insecure when it comes to protecting his new home.

As apparent dinosaur attackers rush on a rampage and target his new home, Q is elected as the leader of the offense, but he abandons his people in hope of reconciliation with the dinosaurs instead.

The commotion of him being chosen and the clamor of the village causes even more insecurity within him, causing internal conflict. Q to contemplate leaving both sides to avoidan uncomfortable situation, “I wanted nothing to do with either side: Let them rip each other apart in turn! I didn't give a damn about any of them. I had to escape as fast as possible...” (106). His insecurity cripples his own pride, as when he is given high command and respect, he would rather leave it to save himself then help his people. This shows how his insecurity will not risk himself to take a risk to improve his leave significantly.

All of Q's insecurities show that he is afraid and is an overly-careful and reactionary character. He would rather save himself from any pain or suffering then take a risk to improve his life. A quote that says, “Do what makes you anxious, don't do what makes you depressed” is an example why Q should test his insecurities for a chance at a better life.

Homework!

This is a response to Andy Li's Post, "Homework- wonderful/awful"

"Is homework a good thing or a bad thing? Teachers and paretns say it's a good thing; they help you learn and get an education, which is good for your future. Students think that homework is torture and should not be assigned. Students are the ones who have to the do the homework, which is why they coplain about it. The teachers don't have to do it so they don't complain.

That didn't answer the overall question: Is homework a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on how you look at it. This is probably the best answer anyone can give. If you're the student who has to do it, you wouldn't want to do it. As teenagers, we care about dates and TV and computers, not homwork."

As a participate of a incredibly daunting task such as homework each week, I take in Andy's inquiry as a personal statement. Homework, even though it is a repepititive task, I do see it's purpose to help reinforce what we have learned throughout the school day.
I think the question Andy is trying to ask is why we have homework. Since it is our job as a student to be educated and grow into a capable adult, we might see homework as our job. Rather, I think it the Educator's job to assign homework. If we didn't have homework, we wouldn't remember what we did throughout the day and lose the time we spent  and energy we pent in school. Homework is a way of re-learning and fortifying what we learned on that day, making what we learned practiced element.
If students ask if homework actually does help them learn better, it may be seen as defiance or laziness. Seeing them that way is valid however, as it is the teacher job to reflect actions of students on their work habits, but if asked by a higher official, it might cause discussion. It is valid to assign homework, as it is a pathway to work later. The way you might complete an english paper might be the same way you file a report at your job. Either way, it doesn't matter, homework sets up a similar environment that a job does.

The Energy between you and I

Something I wrote on vacation a long time ago.


"The energy between you and I, the space that is filled, yet so empty, can fill our energy woes for futures to come."
Or so they thought.

"Look for any survivors!" Days after the blast. I flashback to it. Charred bodies, falling metal. Our Earth beneath us splits in two.
I wake up next to someone, someone cold, unmoving. It was their chill that woke me up. I don't know what to do. I feel sick, I wretch. Swirling, tumbling, blood, is all the comes to my mind. I suck in air, but get nothing. Buildings, carcasses of what used to remain breathes death on me. I don't know what to do. Bracing for the nausea I feel from standing up, ever so slowly, I vomit again. Bending over, hands my knees, I feel what food, what precious morsels I wish I still had, flow onto another gone.
Bracing for another wretch that does not come, I wait, looking up into the sky. I see the horror of what I have not fully realize to this day.
It must have been a good day, I was walking, my pet at my side. 5th avenue and Rain Corridor, I stand at the corner. Cars zoom past, their exhaust cleaning our air. Water spilling from their pipes, dripping out of their engines, it helps even the most neediest of weeds to grow on our city's streets. Our Earth, now so clean, saved by our Valiant one, Chancellor Sepior.
“Remember, Chancellor Sepior! He will clean us of our sins, and will create! Follow Chancellor Sepior into the Futurea!” Blares from the loudspeaker in the middle of the street. A dark colored van, no windows at all, a black sheen across the front, pulled up to a local store. Then, His Shadow Cloaks, wrestled a Mom and her child to the ground for high treason against the government across the street, in that same store. I salute, fear for what they might do to me, as a fortnight before, the same thing happened to brother.
I learn how to walk again. I crawl at first. The only thing I hear is the crackling of fire, burning my lungs, burning away at the life I grew to know. I feel stronger every second, yet weaker as the depression seizes my mind, seeping what hope I have. I try to stand again, not wanting to vomit, yet wondering what I have left to give up.
What happened?

Bwhhat? Style Oppression? D:

I wrote my response to Aleah's post, "Swagga-Style".

I disagree with what Aleah is saying. By styles adapting to races of people, it defines people's culture by complexion instead of location. She is racially profiling individuals by their clothing, stating that black people can wear baggy pants while white people can wear skinny jeans, but interchanging and switching each other is wrong and is considered to be against social demand. I find this point of view offensive, as it is seemingly oppressive and unjust. Having to wear a particular style based on your race is ludicrous. When did clothing become a standard on which to base race? This idea can also lead to racism in communities similar to pre twenty-first century America in times when people were fighting for their own civil rights. If people belong to different factions, such as religion or politics, it is a melting pot of racial profiles, as they're black republicans and black democrats.
People should be able to wear whatever style of clothing they want without being sought as different. Seeing other people like this will create racism, despite what Aleah says even though she claims that her view point is not racist. If you identify something as different, your initial reaction is that you don't like it. Profiling someone's clothing to their race as different than yours will create the same hysteria in times such as the 50s and 60s. This is an unhealthy standard for a society, as everybody sees people different than the.
I'd also like to discuss how these styles stick to different races. How did black people primarily start sagging jeans, and why is it known that white people tend to follow the skinny jean-skater trend? Think this could be for a number of reasons, ranging from either personal preference to social demographics. While there is the argument that people can pick their own styles, as you do see white teenagers sagging and vice versa, if you look at the difference of prices between the two stlyes, the marginal difference between clothing styles may widen. Skinny jeans. Depnding on where you buy them, may range up to as much as forty dollars, while low riding, wide fit pants that are used for sagging as much cheaper, going for as low as ten dollars. If you factor in also shirts, hats, and other acessoies that the different styles have, you can see why it is more common to see Black people sag, as it is proven that black families have a lower income then other races, showing a reason based on economics why styles may differ based on race.

Abortion Cons

Opening Statement: Abortion Cons
Abortion should not be legal, for reasons that it is unsafe to the human body and causes many controversies in the church and state. Cancer is a very high rate among women who terminated their pregnancies through abortions, occurring as much as 25%.(procon.org) This is a very risky, showing that abortions should not be used for public use. As an alternative to unwanted pregnancies, the Centers for disease controls says that women should use contraceptives instead of abortions to prevent women from getting pregnant, so that that they are never impacted from the high rate of cancer. Abortions also cause damage to the women brains, as “2002 peer-reviewed study published by the Southern Medical Journal of more than 173,000 American women found that women who aborted were 154% more likely to commit suicide than women who carried to term. [And] an Apr. 1998 Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology study on men whose partners had abortions found that 51.6% of the men reported regret, 45.2% felt sadness, and 25.8% experienced depression.” (procon.org) With the many medical concern of cancer, there is also many controversies f it within the church and state. “The Declaration of Independence states that "[A]ll men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Allowing abortion directly contradicts the Founding Fathers' intentions for an inalienable right to life in this country.” (procon.org) and the bible says, "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13) With these over-substantial evidence to the cause of anti-abortion, it is clear that it should not be legal.

It is my mythical response :o

I found this quote on Kathy's Blog:

I think people bully for two major reasons, insecurity and being a victim of bullying by someone close to them. They feel like they have to take down a person who feels great or has a good time because “misery loves company”. They have to make themselves seem superior over others so that they can make others feel like they have to be nice and look up to them, wanting to put others don’t for their own self satisfaction.

Kathy's quote, being insightful and showing great hindsight, also relates to two of the propositions on the ASTI Student Constitution. Numbers three and five, accept others for who they are and assume positive intent, are the opposite of the examples Kathy states in her post. The idea of that people bully others based on their insecurities creates insecurities in other people. Stopping this would require to go to the source, the bully's insecurities. By accepting others for who they are, they do not have to feel insecure about their looks or their body, their personality, or their backgrounds. To totally eliminate Kathy's examples of bullying, everybody could also "assume positive intent", as stated in the constitution. Assuming positive intent creates a nourishing atmosphere, instead of one where students are afraid of their peers. A place where a student is faced with positivity instead of ridicule is very healthy and progressive for the students academic discovery, a place that ASTI strives to place for students.

Dubble Rainbows?!

I mean, they're my high :}

My Summer Homework Prompt Responses

 #1

When I look at myself as a student, I know my responsibilities extend farther than good test scores and turning my homework on time. I feel that I must prepare myself for the time I become a teacher to others in any work field I place myself in as an adult. I task myself to take care of myself in my studies, keeping up with my study schedules and academic obligations, as well as following my own ideas and dreams outside of the ASTI campus. I think My responsibilities is to grow up in my own way and exceed other standards and my own. However, my utmost goal for my education isn't to get into a good school, it's to have enough insight based on the subjects I have learned in school to know what I want kind of job I want to pursue. To achieve this, I set my goal is to provide myself with a well-rounded foundation, ranging from business to music, as well as achieving great academic success. To make this rounded base however, I will need to grow through many experiences, including failures. When president Obama says, “Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not even know it until you write that English paper” I interpret it as a initiative to try out different things, which will you fail and succeed at. As one time, I experienced a failure to my morale in my school band in 7^th grade. I was publicly embarrassed by the director, which was his way to motivate us to fix our mistakes, from where I was became motivated to fix said mistakes. The next year I became a power player in the band, winning Best Instrumentalist and several awards for my participation in the band knowing that my failure had changed how I acted.

#3

What I think a positive deviant is someone who does good in whatever they do, and is recognized for it. Working in a job or just living their life, a positive deviant is someone who changes what they do to maximize their positive affects on the world. Such examples is anybody that has taken their work to another level or is well known in the media and society. You become a positive deviant from devianting from a normal job path, as Gawunde suggests. His five points can be related to high school life, as I can follow his five points in my schooling to become a positive deviant. His first suggestion is to ask an unscripted question, which to me means to me as ask about something that you not understand in an attempt to understand it better, but something that helps you grow. As not to be a distraction, I think asking an unscripted question would be something along the lines of a question that involves both the students and teacher to the topic at hand. This will create a better understanding of both teacher and student. The second suggestion, not complaining, relates to your maturity and patience in high school. Are you able to complete the work assigned to you and not complain about it? Not making a big deal out of things and bringing negativity will bring a positive atmosphere. I think this would affect productivity , hindering your work if you do complain. The third suggestion, to count something, is a placeholder in high school life, meant to keep you busy rather than boring you. It's designed to make something interesting out of school work, either by counting how many times you see the same word in a reading or the same number on a page in your math book. When Gawunde says his fourth suggestion, to write something, I would interpret that in a high ­school setting as working on a hobby that can help you in the future. His fifth suggestion, to change, would be like wanting to make yourself a better person, either by improving how you look in your own eyes or toning down on bad qualities of yourself, or simply finding something you take pride in.

#13

While I used to be in Boy Scouts near the beginning of middle school, there were often power struggles and alliances that were made between me and the other members. We would either ignore one friend, welcome another, make fun of some people too. One time, at a week long camp, we intentionally left several kids out of our group. While we would eat at the mess hall, go do activities and everyday matters, we made ti a goal to leave him out. At this time, this kid was one of my close friends, but me wanting to not get kicked out of the group myself, I decided to join. I felt guilty for betraying our friendship, but my options were limited. It was either make fun of him, or sacrifice myself for him, but I wasn't able to do that because I did share some of the same reasons with the people making fun of him for why they were making fun of him. While he was an undesirable, I was actually wanted by the group. I thought that the camp would be a lot easier and more fun if we included everyone. I think people bully others as something to do, even though it might not be necessary. I think that the reasons why other people hurt their peers as not skin deep, and might be on a mental level. People shouldn't naturally hurt their peers if they live in a positive atmosphere. I think that they do it to other people despite what kind of atmosphere there in because they feel the need for power, and they can get I though hurting others.