Paradox Reflections 5-21-15

Date:  5-21-15

Prompt:  1)  Read “Paradox and Dreams” by John Steinbeck

2)  Underline and/or highlight every paradox that you come across

3)  Choose two paradoxes that speak to you and reflect

4)  Reflections should be at least two paragraphs in length, should include a topic sentence, and include quotes to support your reasoning.

"We say we are self-reliant, yet at the same time, we are completely dependent."

          I think this paradox resembles how many Americans argue, and fight for freedom or independence, yet they are so dependent on so many different factors, and they don't even realize it.  It kind of comes back to the claim that many people want things, just because they don't already have them, even if it isn't realistic at all.  Many citizens act like they're getting everything on their own, and doing all the work, yet buying already prepared meals at the grocery store isn't doing all the work.  This common mistake by citizens is a modern day illusion.

          This paradox is right at the front of our nose, just waiting for us to notice it.  In my life, along with 99% of other teenage relationships with family and teachers, all we want, is to be left alone to do our own thing.  Again, all the time we are requesting and begging for that freedom and self-reliance, we don't realize how dependent on our instructors and parents we actually are.  Without them, we wouldn't have an education, food, water, or shelter for that matter.  There are times where these requests are reasonable, when they come in small manner, asking for small favors pertaining to have our own responsibilities.  However, there are also often times where we just don't realize how much we actually would have to do without them.  You end an argument with your parents, tell them how strict and over-protective they are, and how much they're in your business, and then you walk into your room to a made bed, and folded piles of clothes without even giving them a second thought.

"We shout that we are a nation of laws, not men - and then proceed to break every law we can if we can get away with it."

          Many people in our nation, claim that they're something that they might not actually be.  It's sort of a mix between exaggeration, and actually thinking you're better than you are at something.  I think that when Americans have a certain quality, like a good law system, they tend to brag about them, even if they don't use it or take advantage of it.  I mean, we are a country of freedom, our roads are, "paved in gold," and yet we are thousands of dollars in debt.  We don't use our privileges!

          I can relate to this paradox because of personal experiences between me and my siblings.  One of us will get something that the other really wanted, and we would brag and brag about it, even if it didn't apply to us, or if we couldn't use it the proper way.  Our country has all the right aspects and qualities to be great and really successful, but we make mistakes and don't pay attention to the great things we could be doing.

Final Reflection of 7th Grade 5-19-15

Date:  5-19-15

          My seventh grade year at Heritage Middle School turned out pretty well.  I learned a lot of new things, and created a lot of memories.  However, I feel that the most important thing that I learned in Mrs. Larson's LA/Lit class, is that time management can, and will, mean the difference between success and failure.  Time management issues were probably my largest struggles that I had to overcome this year, in order to do well in my classes, and in other activities such as sports.  Also, an experience that we shared in this class, that I'll remember for my whole life, was when we attended the musical, "Shrek", presented at Morton West High School, and by its students.  This event really stuck out at me, because even though I still don't have that much of an interest in theater, it really influenced me to feel a new appreciation for performance, and the effort put into musicals and plays.

          Throughout the year, our class has seemed to work really well and efficiently together, and we've cooperated, and helped each other out.  The most generous and nicest thing that someone did for me this year, was text me what went on in class, what was explained, and what we were expected to complete for homework, when I was absent and sick from school.  They didn't have to notify me, it wasn't their responsibility to help me out, but they did and it really made a difference.  I hope they realize that it really did help me complete my work.  I also am proud of the nice things I've taught my peers and teachers, and all of the things I did for them as well.  I'm so glad we could work together and make our lives easier in our LA/Lit class.  The most significant thing that I taught, or helped guide their thinking rather, was how to suceed within our AoWs or Article of the Weeks.  There was one particular student who was having a little trouble with their AoWs, but who had much more potential then needed to do well with them.  I just helped them start their engines, and guide their own learning, so they could do well on their own with their own learning goals afterwards.

          I can say with a lot of certainty, that my diction, vocabulary, or word choice is the area that I built the most off of, and made the most improvements in.  The other day, I went back to look at my first few blogs, and the difference between my wording at the beginning of the year, and now, is alarming and staggering.  There are a lot of skills that I've mastered within my years of education, that I've had trouble finding too many realy life scenarios where I'd actually have to use them.  However, I can now see the purpose of vocabulary, and how far it could possibly take me in my life.  I can tell that the weekly vocabulary tests, AoWs, blogs, and other challenging activities within, and outside of class, is what helped bring my diction to what it is currently.  That was what I made the most improvement upon, but the worst part of this year, or most challenging obstacle to overcome, was again, time management.  I so often found myself up at 10:00 p.m, finishing blogs, or Articles of the Week on Thursday night.  I even sometimes had to wake up early in the morning to finish my work, and sometimes took tests without hardly studying at all.  I was sleep deprived, and full of anxiety every Thursday night, and I know for a fact that I'm going to organize my time so much more efficiently in 8th grade.

          I can't even pick out a "best piece of writing" from this year, probably because it's pretty hard to analyze your own work, and because there's so much of it.  However, I can tell that my blogs have really increased in quality, and have now began to show what kind of work I can really incoorporate into my writing.  I think it's important that people don't look at their own, and others' work, and analyze it off of length, or size.  The size of a paper doesn't have nearly as much to do with how good it is, as its content and thought or effort put into it does.

          My favorite book that I read in class this year was, "Of Mice and Men".  I say this because even though I'd read the book before we started it during our class, I didn't originally get nearly as much out of the book than I did the second time.  The first time, I mainly read the book solely off of recommendation and entertainment, whereas the second time, I was actually analyzing the meaning, messages, characters, and setting behind the story, along with the author and his life.  This experience really reminded me of how you might watch a movie when you were younger and see it a certain way, or with a certain point of view, but when you're older, you start to see all kinds of different hidden meanings, jokes, and character similarities or comparisons.

          The most valuable piece of advice that I can give to Mrs. Larson's next class, is to give every piece of work your very best effort, because it's going to end up so much easier, than having to redo the assignment several times, because you didn't try your best or put all your thought into it.  Don't forget time management too!  Start your work early so you aren't cramming for a test or hurrying to get stuff done at the last minute!  I promise, you'll see improvement in the quality of your work if you do it this way.  Trust me, I went through time organiztion problems, and I learned the hard way, from experience.  Listen to my advice, and your time in this class shouldn't be that bad.

         

OMAM Movie vs Book Comparison (Sections 3 and 4) 5-14-15

Date:  5-14-15

          "Of Mice and Men" has both a movie, and book, both with similar, but different endings.  The book ends with a quote from Carlson, to Curley about George and Slim.  The movie ends with a flashback of George and Lennie together.  The flashback at the end of the movie shows George and Lennie walking together, calmly, naturally, and in a friendly manner, as if they were really close to each other.  They're walking in a light, yet shaded, and very peaceful field, facing away from the screen or camera, in a casual fashion.  This flashback obviously represents the tight and dependent relationship that exists between George and Lennie, and the bond between them, that connects their companionship or friendship.  

          Previous to our viewing of the film, I had predicted what the response or reaction of our class would be as the credits rolled.  As I had inferred, everyone was silent, and seemed to be deep in thought.  We were thinking about the message of the story, its outcome, and the content of it.  I can say with certainty that the director chose to end the movie this way, instead of how the book ended the story, because of the opportunity or chance that they were given.  Think about how hard it might be, to describe a flashback in a book, while having the readers know it's a flashback, with it having the same impact as physically showing it.  Having the ability to explicitly show a message on screen, in the perfect, if not almost exact way that you want the reader to see it, is a privilege.  The director of the movie ended it perfectly with the readers experiencing a mixture of awe, wonder, compassion, and grief, along with positively many other emotions that wrapped the message of the movie up in a very unique and flawless manner.

          The line that finishes the book is said by Carlson, and says, "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?"  This quote really tells me that Carlson didn't understand the relationship between George and Lennie at all.  I mean, to not show any signs of sympathy towards George, or any signs of even acknowledgment that he understood how George felt.  Maybe this was because Carlson, along with the majority of the other men, travel alone and haven't really experienced the kind of friendship that George and Lennie had, or maybe it was because Carlson felt that George wanted to kill Lennie because he was actually a bad person, for some reason.  Honestly, I haven't completely figured that part out yet.  This line is a little bit of a final topic switch or an extra tiny twist to analyze about the book.  You know, I don't feel as much anger or annoyance at Carlson's inadvertent ignorance, as I feel sorry for him.  I think Carlson said that last quote, because he didn't understand what George was feeling, and why.  To be working, traveling, and living practically alone without the feeling of love that George and Lennie shared, isn't even imaginable to me.  Therefore, when Carlson first said that line, I was in disbelief and a little angry, but now I feel only sympathy and feel sorry towards Carlson's numbness.  

          In my opinion, the reason this book was so great, is because of how it can relate and appeal to practically anyone.  I strongly and passionately recommend this book to anyone who's ever known or felt a strong relationship with family, or friends, and I truly hope that this story provokes them and guides them to similar feelings and thoughts that I experienced while reading "Of Mice and Men."  The biggest or the most substantial impact that rubbed off on me throughout this story, was the true privilege and importance of friendship.  As I've proceeded through my childhood, friendship and tight personal relationships have always been taken advantage of, along with take granted for by me.  It is the same with the theme of hopes and dreams throughout the book and movie.  Without hopes, dreams, people you love, bonds, relationships, and friendships, there's absolutely nothing to strive for.  What is life without those aspects?  That's the question that was invoked in me, by "Of Mice and Men", and its answer is nothing.

AOW Impressions 5-5-15

Date:  5-5-15

          This week's AOW Gallery Walk was quite like to the previous ones we've experienced, because several of the articles were the same, or very similar depending on what our world is experiencing at the time.  For example, there were at least seven articles this week, covering the devastating earthquake in Nepal.  However, there are always a decent amount of students who decide to challenge themselves and supply the rest of the class with a different story.  Personally, those are the articles I enjoy the most, because there's more information on the topic, considering we already know a lot about the popular topics.

          I really appreciate the opportunity our teacher offers us with these Gallery Walks.  I rarely am fully aware of the events that take place in our world, and I use these presentations to help get me on track with everything on the news, and on TV.  Another aspect of these AOWs that I've taken advantage of and noticed, is that on the news, they hardly give all the details on a subject, and through these articles, many of our original questions on an event can be answered.

          These AOW displays can really help increase all kinds of different skills, or change them for the better.  Some of these skills are presenting, listening, and note taking.  Also, by selecting different articles that should be important to people all over the world, we can extend or break free of our comfort zones.  The great thing about these whole class activities, is that often, when someone is describing a story to you, you'll be struck or influenced with new ideas.  Whether that's because of how you relate to the characters, or how the story surprised you, or any other connections.  Different articles might cause someone to want to help out in a conflict, change their actions, who knows.

Dreams Poetry 5-3-15

Prompts:  1)  "Using "To A Mouse" by Robert Burns as inspiration, write a short poem expressing what happens when you have a dream and it doesn't come true."  2)  "Based on your brainstorming via Edmodo, write a short poem elaborating on your dream and/or why dreams or visions are an important part of life."

Date:  5-3-15

When Dreams Break Down

Anticipations

Special destinations

Dreams of work or jobs

Dream vacations

Work hard, you may

Fight, try, and also pray

The reality within

Might choose not to stay

All about your goal, you'll want to learn

Until suddenly, your interest takes a turn

Something else big, then fills your mind

At the blink of an eye, you've lost concern

As you can see, plans don't always work out

However, nothing will be gained, by starting to pout

The road to a new possibility

Should be your new route

As a door shuts, another is left ajar

New visions will be seen, from very afar

Feelings of doubt and hardship, will fill your head

But you can do it, reach for that star

  

Total Happiness 

My ultimate dream, plan, or scheme

Is to compete on a professional basketball team

But that's not all, not even half

I want to be around people I love, who make me laugh

Family and friends, are the most important part

Without them in my heart, I wouldn't know where to start

People to come home to, while knowing

They'd keep me and growing

Dreams for us, are very much a necessity 

When it comes to keeping us trying, goals are the recipe

Without our will to try hard for our dreams, and endure the suffering

Life's meaning, would add up to nothing

OMAM Conflicts 5/1/15

Prompt:  Explore two or more conflicts from "Of Mice and Men" deeply, and discover the effect they had on the plot.

Date:  5/1/15

***SPOILER ALERT***

          Curley's fight with Lennie was one of the main conflicts of the story, and I feel like it was the first major problem, that set the scene for other possible future fights.  After Lennie had crushed Curley's hand, I thought Curley was going to find a way to come back for revenge, however, that never really happened.  The book states, "Curley’s face reddened. “I’m goin’,” he said. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand. I’m gonna get ‘im.”  This shows me how the fights and confrontation between Curley and Lennie brought the tension in Curley to the climax, and that this was the last straw, when Lennie killed Curley's Wife.

          Another conflict of the story, was how Candy's dog got shot.  In the story, it said, "A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him.

For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent."  This textual information helped me realize that the death of Candy's dog didn't really play too much of a role in the plot, however, it was definitely very important because of how it portrayed a message or part of the moral of the story.  I feel that companionship and loneliness played a huge part in what this novella is defined for.  Candy was a very old man, and his best friend was his pet.  Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to see that Candy felt very remorseful and sorrowful when he didn't do it himself, and had his dog forced away from him.

Conflict	Type of Conflict	Effect
Curley fights Lennie	Man vs Man	Curley might want to come back for revenge.  Curley’s hand is also completely broken.
Candy’s dog gets shot	Man vs Self	Candy feels remorse, and guilt for agreeing to the killing of his old dog.  It really lowered his self-esteem.
Lennie grads dress at weed	Man vs Man	George and Lennie are forced to hide in an irrigation ditch, and run from Weed.
Lennie and his mental disability	Man vs Self	Lennie forgets things very often, he gets in a fight with Curley, and isn’t able to communicate his feelings very well.
George’s frustration with Lennie	Man vs Man	George always yells at Lennie, and often confuses him because Lennie isn’t sure what he did wrong.
George is forced or obligated to shoot Lennie	Man vs Self	George is going to feel a lot of remorse for what he did, and he took Lennie’s life for his own good because he had to.