Blogging Around

    There were many intriguing posts in the last few months by my fellow classmates, but a few really caught my eye in particular. These both posts use impressive descriptive language and open doors to new ideas and thoughts. 


    The first blog entry i chose was Faith's "Get Organized" entry. Faith, you turned a post about organizing your suitcase into something witty and entertaining. That is not easy to do, so nice job on that! I agree that it can be hard at times to motivate yourself to do organizational chores. I get the exact same feeling of stress. You did a fantastic job of describing the feelings you had when presented with this task, while preforming it and after you completed it. It's important to be organized, so you might want to figure out how to motivate yourself without waiting for the death threats first. I should probably follow my own advice and do the same. I think we'll both find it easier and less stressful to live in a clean, organized environment.


     The second blog I chose was Shawn's "iMedia" post. Shawn, you're right in that it's incredible how much fun this little boy is having while doing something most of us would never consider enjoyable. Some 3 year olds play with barbies and action figures, some play with trains, some play music, and some conduct it. Everybody, hopefully, finds their own passion at some point. This little boy may have been lucky and found it very early on in his life. If he is doing something he loves and having fun, what is the problem? Students venture on to college after high school to learn. They mostly get to choose the classes they want to take, in subjects that intrigue them. Those classes result in a degree that hopefully lands you a job you really want and enjoy. If you worked so hard to get to that point in your life and do something you supposedly love, why are people always complaining about going to work? Why don't you see more smiling and laughing adults during work hours? It doesn't have to be stressful all the time, just remember that it's not always bad to be a kid. Sometimes it's good to learn a lesson from a young, unrestricted mind. You did a nice job on picking a topic and video Shawn! I think it opens a lot of doors for new thinking, as do your questions. Very impressive. 

Metacognition: Get Organized

      As my mom walks in my room she says, "I think a tornado passed through here." I told her about my assignment and she was pretty relieved some cleaning would finally get done. I decided to tackle my desk as my project.


     My first feeling was excitement. I've always wanted to be organized, and I've re-organized hundreds of times, but it never seems to last more than a few days. I pledged to keep my desk clean and clutter free for as long and I can manage. As I moved old papers, jewelry, magazines and books into piles, that excitement soon turned into dread. That dread only built up more as I opened each of the four drawers and discovered the horrifying truth. I had papers from eighth grade and freshman year in one of them! I was just about to give up and try to organize something else, but I resisted that urge. I knew I would be happy and it would all be worth it in the end. To distract me a little from the task at hand, I blasted some music. My mom didn't even yell at me because she knew I was cleaning.


   I divided things up into seven piles. CD's and DVD's, magazines, books, papers I need, papers I don't need, pictures (there happen to be a lot of stray pictures), and jewelry. By the time everything was divided into piles, my desk was almost clean! I still had my somewhat organized jewelry box, alarm clock and laptop on it. I took them off and wiped it down. I threw out my old papers and put the new ones in a binder. Then I put all of my jewelry in its correct spot in my jewelry box. I also thew out the magazines i was done with and put my old books in a pile to be donated. When I was finished I was left with a pile of pictures.

   That pile of pictures was turned into a collage that hangs above my desk as a reminder of my new (partially) organized room. Every time I see those pictures I'll remind myself that I need to keep my desk clean and clutter-free. If I ever think about tossing some old papers over there hopefully I'll think twice about it now. I'm relieved it's all over and I feel better about doing my homework at my desk now. Having an organized room makes me feel more in control. This time I hope I can maintain the feeling.

iMedia: What Would You Say

What Would You Say by Dave Matthews Band Video

      What Would You Say by Dave Matthews is a catchy upbeat song that seems to be funny and meaningless. Although catchy and upbeat, it has a serious meaning. This band is known for having upbeat songs with serious meanings. 

     If you listen to the lyrics and really think about them, this song can affect yourself and our culture. Dave sings, "Look in the mirror my friend, I don't understand at best." He's saying that we should be grateful for the freedom we have. Sometimes you need to take a step back and really look at what you have compared to the rest of the world. It's necessary to realize you probably have more than most people and it's important to be thankful about it. 

    The other part of his message is to think about what people who don't have as much feel like. Dave also sings, "What would you say, If you were a monkey on a string, If you were a doggie on a chain." We recently attended a presentation about North Korean refugees. At that presentation we viewed a 5 minute introductory video where we were supposed to think about what it would be like not to have freedom of all sorts. Life would be so different, it's hard to wrap your head around the whole idea. A lot of those North Koreans are literally like monkeys on strings, like Dave says. If everybody in our country, or even the world, would think about others sometimes, the world would be so much better.

    Sometimes we forget that there are people dying and suffering every day. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own little social circle and forget that the rest of the world is out there. This song is a little reminder that you should step back and appreciate what freedom you have. So let the dog run around with out the leash or inform others about freedom in other countries. Any action, no matter how small helps. You can make yourself and others happier; it's a win-win situation. 

Connection: Disguises and Life Relationships

    Shakespeare teaches us a huge number of important lessons in life. Disguises may seem like a way to mix up the plot in his books, but it could be hinting at something a little bigger. In King Lear Edgar pretends to be a mad beggar so he is able to avoid his fathers' men. At the same time, Kent is disguised as a beggar. These characters disguise themselves to become someone they're not. It may have been to make themselves happy, or to make the people around them happy. Either way, we come across both of these situations in real life today. Your friends and family could be pretending to be someone they're not.

    Middle School, High School and College girls say it all the time, "she is so fake," but it might be true sometimes. Kids pretend to be something or someone they're not so they can fit in. They don't do this quite to the extreme degree that Kent and Edgar do, though I think it can get to the point that kids will often question who they are. It might actually be a good thing though. Some people may get more out of life and have a deeper understanding of themselves after they put the mask down and face their true selves.


   It isn't only teenage girls that pretend to be something they're not. Boys and girls of all ages do it all the time. Every human being has an urge to gain a sense of belonging, and it's natural to want to change to fit in. It's not necessarily something to be ashamed of doing, although it probably won't do you much good in the end.
  
  I think Shakespeare was trying to tell us to watch our backs. We never really know who is being honest and who isn't. We have to pick and choose who we trust and who don't. Choose you're friends wisely and make sure you stay true to yourself, because you never know if people are really who they say they are. 

Dialectics: Free Will and Education

There are a lot of different ideas about free will floating around in our world. Some people think that everybody has a restricted form of free will. Others think we have complete free will, and some individuals believe we have no free will. In my opinion, we have restricted free will at first, and gradually we are granted complete free will. I also think that the amount of free will given to us correlates with the amount of education you have received. If you have a lot of free will, you most likely will have a lot of education.

Young children are uneducated, and are also controlled by their parents or teachers. They have very limited free will. Children are required to follow rules about what they do, what they say and how they behave at all times. 

         As kids transition into adolescents they are given more leeway to do what they like. At the same time they are becoming more educated. They are intellectually able to make decisions, think for themselves and behave as they choose. This is generally the high school stage. A lot is being learned and a lot more responsibility comes with that. Teens are able to make smart choices because they are learning so much. They are also becoming more and more inclined to fight back and rebel, so they become more inclined to think outside their old boundaries and say exactly what is on their mind. While the brain may not be mature enough to handle this yet, it can be viewed as a bad thing. If we view the increase of free will as a bad thing, we never have the chance to learn. Learning and education are not only granted through the school system; people learn through experiences also. They are both equally important and well thought out decisions can’t truly be made with out both of them. As you age, you still learn through life experiences, if you’re not learning through school.

      As adolescents begin another transition into adulthood, they have more of what we refer to as complete free will. Their classes and teachers still keep their minds somewhat confined in college, but once they graduate that constraint is gone. Their minds are completely free to make decisions and think for themselves. They're also free to take action on those thoughts or ideas. These actions teach them, and they in turn make different decisions. These decisions, formed from an individual’s free will, and education go back and forth in one big vicious cycle.

         We will always have more to learn, which keeps our free will on edge. You never know what boundaries an adolescent might push with their increase of free will, and you never know what decisions an adult with complete free will may make. People can surprise you, but remember that their actions stemmed from some type of education, whether it’s school or life experiences.

Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

  When the assignment was first being introduced to the class, ideas for my paper were overwhelming me. It took me some time to sort things out and get focused on one main idea. I came up with what I thought was the best thesis to fit me and my thinking style. My final understanding was the idea that Hassan proves ironically that power and social status do not necessarily have to go hand in hand. 
   In my original idea, I did not use the word "ironically". This was a word Mr. A suggested to be put in my thesis. I added it right away, just because the teacher told me to, but then I really started to think about it. Why was it ironic? Think about the dominant-submissive relationships in your life. In a teacher-student relationship, the teacher has power over the student. They are smarter, older and generally in a higher social class. The same idea goes for a parent-child relationship. For those of you with siblings, this can be related to that type of relationship also. I'm an older sister. I have more power over my sibling in general. I'm older, wiser and have a higher social status. In Hassan and Amir's relationship, there is a huge social, cultural and religious difference between the two children. Hassan is a Hazara boy and works for Amir and his father around their house. They also live on Amir and Baba's property. Amir should have complete power over Hassan, no questions asked. But he doesn't. 
   When I realized this, all I needed to do was figure out why he had more power. Through observing the details of the boy's relationship I saw that there were a number of reasons. The four main reasons I observed were as follows: bravery, experience, intelligence and passion. These characteristics can be seen through Hassan's actions, words and even his facial expressions. As I began to notice these things, everything was clicking into place in my mind. It may make it easier to come across power and be of a high social class, but you need assets such as bravery, experience, passion and intelligence to have real power. To really have power, you don't need any kind of social title. 
   By the time I had the final "aha" moment, my essay was done. We learned earlier in the year that writers write to discover things, and that is exactly what I did.

Blogging Around

   I read quite a few blog posts tonight from my fellow classmates, and decided to comment on the two that really grabbed my attention.




   The first post I commented on was Shawnk2010academy's post titled "Connection: Closure in a Story and Closure in Life". The blog post was basically about how in a story the character starts taking steps towards the end of the book so he or she finally gets closure (partial or full) at the end of the book. The connection was made to life and how in life you get closure when you die. I wrote "I really enjoy this blog post because you take the time to take the reader through your thinking process. I also like the fact that you have quotes throughout your writing. It shows the time and effort you put into this. Although I enjoy the writing, I have to say I disagree with you about closure. I agree that there is closure at the end of your life, but I also think that there is closure on a day-to-day level. Really, any situation you are put in must have closure at some point in time. Also, in a book there is definitely closure at the end of the story, but there may also be closure on a smaller level throughout the book. I think it's important not to overlook these smaller situations and accomplishments." 


  
   The second post I commented on was Sarahw2010academy's post titled "Connection: Postmodernism and Mean Girls". This connected certain aspects and ideas of Postmodernism and related them to the teenage chick flick, Mean Girls. This student focuses in on the ideas that public space is now used for more than one thing (the lunchroom in the movie), contradictory words and ideas ("frenimies") and a metaphor between the main character Cady and Africa. After reading this blog I commented, "I'll be completely honest in saying that when I read the title I thought one of two things would happen. Either you wouldn't convince me that there was an intellectual connection between postmodernism and Mean Girls or your claim would be far-fetched. You proved me wrong. I thought Mean Girls was just a mindless teenage chick flick until I read this. There must have been an incredible amount of thought put into the Africa metaphor and the relation between the lunchroom and other things such as social status. I applaud your thinking and analyzing of this movie and the idea of postmodernism! Like Mr. A says, the writer always does things on purpose. None of these scenes were on "accident". They were carefully thought out by writers and directors. This blog makes me want to keep an open mind when trying to make connections."




  After reading these blogs I feel like I should be more aware and more open-minded when thinking about or doing basically anything. Good job writing everybody!

Connection: Kite Runner and the Complexity of Reality

   In The Kite Runner there is a complex contradiction between fiction and non-fiction. The story itself and it's characters are fictional, but the memoir Amir writes is non-fiction. To Amir it is all too real. Just the mere fact that it's possible to write a book that is both fiction and non-fiction is a new idea. It is hard for some writers to wrap their heads around this idea and then master it.  The author, Khaled Hosseini, does an exceptional job of using this new idea. If a friend were to ask you what this book was about you would have to pause and think before answering. You would have to choose your words carefully and try your best to make sure everything fit together how it is supposed to. The point of writing like this is to get you to think. To understand this story, is to understand somebody's life, whether they're real or not. If you think logically, to understand someone's entire life would be extremely difficult and complex. This is only a portion of Amir's life we are attempting to comprehend, and it should be complicated. 
   Some authors make their character's lives simple. They are simple and boring. In any good story the character makes mistakes. In an interesting story they make mistakes with complex results and that take time to fix. In an average or below-average read the character makes a mistake and 'poof'! It's magically fixed with a simple "I'm sorry", or something along the lines of that. Amir makes a simple mistake: running from Hassan. The healing and fixing of this mistake is complicated in every way imaginable. It takes a toll on his emotional health, it affects his relationships with Babba, Ali and especially Hassan. It basically affects every aspect of his life. I might even go as far as to say his childhood ended at that moment. Very few parts of this situation and it's outcomes are straightforward or 'black-and-white'. Reality is the same way. The choices you make and the outcomes you get from those choices are rarely simple. A lot of books make their character's lives simple and clean-cut. In real life, nothing turns out like that. I hate to be a realist, but it's the truth. 
    Since I may have not convinced all of you, I'll prove my point with a few examples. Let's say a man decided to drive while talking on his cell phone. He gets in an accident with a family- a mom, a dad and two kids. The entire family is in the hospital but he is fine. He'll be asking himself, "Was the call that important?", "Why would I be so stupid?",  and other similar questions. The outcome is much more complicated than the original act itself. Another less dramatic scene would be not studying for a test. Let's say you don't study for your German test. You bomb the test and you had an 82% in that class. Now you have a 78% and the quarter is almost over. If you get a C on your report card, you'll be grounded. The consequences for not studying for that test had implications beyond getting a bad grade on the actual test. 
     Like I said before, The Kite Runner is not in any way a 'black-and-white story'. There are complex situations and outcomes, opinions for you to form, situations to interpret and new ideas to ponder. It sounds just like real life to me. Hosseini did an excellent job of bringing deeper aspects of reality into his book. I applaud that and hope to read books of equal comparison in the future. 

[2] Best of the Week: Mistakes on Purpose

        For years a rush of disappointment would wash over me every time I was handed back a paper. The same thing was always scribbled in bright ink all over the black and white pages. Fragments, comma misuse, grammar. These were common errors among my class though, so my teachers were never overly-concerned about my writing. I never understood how to fix these so-called errors, so I would go though the same god awful ritual every time corrections were due. I would haul myself out of bed at the crack of dawn, drive to school and try for the life of me not to argue too much with my teacher. Eventually, I stopped trying to show my voice through my writing. I took on the generic "student voice", and immediately started receiving A's in writing.
      If something doesn't flow naturally while I'm writing, or I'm unsure about a comma or fragment, I say it out loud. If the extra pause the comma adds gives the reader a better idea of the emotion I'm trying to portray, I'll add it. If it doesn't, I move on. Writing in that simple way gives the piece much more voice. Plain and simple: it sounds better. Up until recently, I got rid of that habit. I followed all of the rules and regulations of writing a paper or an essay. That got me through middle school, but in my Freshman year of Academy, things took a turn.
      Mr. Morgan was our English teacher last year. He would give me B's on my papers with a "Good job" written in green pen on the top. But looking at the rubric, Voice and Image were always the categories where points were lost. I didn't think anything of it and I tried to make sure I really was following all of the rules. Eventually, a paper came along that I had very strong opinions about. I wrote the paper in the words I would have used if I had been talking directly to Mr. Morgan. That assignment had A written in his infamous green ink on the top. I knew from then on that the Academy would let me be me. I was finally allowed to write like I think.

[1] Best of the Week: Memoirs

        This week we discussed a lot of interesting ideas in English class. One of the things that really got me thinking was the idea that memoirs are written to come to terms with something that happened in your life. It could be a recent event or it could be from years and years ago. What we were taught was that memoir's were written to come to terms, or accept whatever happened.
        Something you may have secretly blamed yourself for, or we're too hard on yourself for is what's typically written about. It's usually some sort of tragic event, which makes it a sad story. For example, if you and a friend got in a car accident when you were driving and they died it would be extremely hard on you. You might find yourself thinking, "Why wasn't that me? Why am I alive?" Most people would probably keep these questions to themselves, or try to ignore them completely. Using either of these strategies is unhealthy and can lead to huge amounts of stress that can last for years. Some writers have discovered that they can get out their thoughts about their particular situation by writing a memoir. While their writing they discover new things they probably never even thought they knew. They find out about what is deep in their brains and they let it come out through their memoirs. Writing your feelings down on paper can lift a huge weight off your shoulder. Just admitting what happened is a great first step. It's almost like a diary. It's a healthy, non-destructive way to help yourself out.
      Before this past week in Academy, I had no idea there were such specific ways authors choose to write the way they do. Any piece of writing can change someone's life, especially the authors.