My Reflection on Making The Blog

I personally enjoyed doing the Blog. I loved that I could write about things that matter to me during the semester in English 1A. It also helped me to better understand class topics because I was able to read other people's opinions on class topics and that really open my eyes to other possibilities. I also enjoyed getting fed back from everyone, I like how people agreed and disagreed, I think that was very important because everyone is allowed to agree and disagree as long as they do it respectfully and I feel everyone did that. The Blog assignments also improved my writing and I learned other writing techniques. The Blog assignments also allowed me to get to know people and how they feel about certain things. I feel as if we didn't do the Blog assignments, that I wouldn't got to know people on a different level.

5-Photo Essay On Global Warming

What is Global Warming? Global Warming is the increase in the Earth's temperature. Some of the factors that contribute to Global Warming are the releasing of carbon dioxide and methane, and deforestation. If we don't help slow down the production of carbon dioxide and methane and slow down on deforestation we will end up losing a lot of the beautiful places that we have today such as the beaches and forests. A way we can stop deforestation is by slowing down on how much we cut down and by replanting two trees for every tree cut down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I took this photo while I was back in Georgia because I thought it was absolutely beautiful. But I'm afraid if we continue to have Global warming we will lose these beautiful Sand Duns due to the rising sea levels that are occurring because of the Glaciers melting.  A side affect of Global Warming is violent storms. Each year, we have recording breaking storms and the reason why is because the increases of greenhouse gases, it's the Earth's way of cooling itself down. I recently watch The Inconvenient Truth for my Astronomy class and I was amazed on how much Carbon Dioxide levels have increased over the years and it's all because of us. Gore explains that one of the ice shelves in the Artic completely melted away in 32 days because of the increasing temperatures and it's all due to our dependency on fossil fuel. If we didn't use so much fossil fuel then it wouldn't have affected the atmosphere as much as it has. I just can't believe that it took just 32days to melt away a ice shelf, just imagine how many can be melted away in just the next year or two. If they shelves keep melting the oceans levels will keep rising and soon all the communities on the coast will have to leave because they will be submerge underwater. That scares me and it should scare everyone. Whether we like or not Global Warming is happening and it's happening fast. If we don't take action now, then our grandchildren or even maybe our children will have to pay for our consequences. Right now in the Artic Polar Bears are drowning because their environment is melting away, if we don't help this animals then we might just lose them for good and that would be devastating,

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Some other immediate consequences we have facing for causing global warming is drought. About 50% of the United States is facing a droughts. During a drought, people might have to cut down on their use of water and some cities/towns have put days were you can water your yard and days when you can't.

 

 

I feel as if people should take Global Warming more seriously because it is affecting and it will continue to affect us. Things could get worst if we don't change our ways but I'm afraid that a lot of us won't do anything to help because a lot of people are to self absorbed in their own lives, but if they were to step out of that bubble and learn about all the facts about Global Warming and what they can do to help (and actually want to help) then that would be great. But we will all have to contribute or else it won't work.

Into The Wild: My Opinion About Chris' Death

Before Chris' death, he torn a page with a quote by Robinson Jeffers's poem, "Wise Men in Their Bad Hours", which said

"Death's a fierce meadowlark: but to die having made

Something more equal to the centuries

 Than muscle and bone. is mostly to shed weakness.

The mountains are dead stone, the people

Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quitness,

The mountains are not softened or troubled

And a few dead men's thoughts have the same temper."

Then on the back of Chris wrote " I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD, GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL."(pg 199)

I think Chris might have wanted to die out there. Chris was a smart young fellow and he survived out in the Alaskan wilderness for four months and I think he got familiar with his surroundings, knowing what to eat and not to eat. But when he couldn't cross the river when he wanted, he lost hope and just gave up. The author says "McCandless wasn't some feckless slacker, adrift and confused, racked by existenial despair. But the meaning he wrested from existence lay beyond the comfortable path: McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily. He demande much of himself." (page 184).  Maybe Chris gave up because he didn't know what he ment to people. He was on his own for so long and hadn't really spent much time with anyone in two years. He hadn't had much contact with his family and was mad at his parents, he only really cared for his sister and wasn't sure if his family would take him back. Chris was just a very confused and lost person, he just wanted his life to have meaning and mean something to people, he never realized he meant SO much to so many people. Every person he had ever meet in his life cared about him and wanted the best for him, but he never realized that. He took them for granted. I think Chris didn't realize what he was doing because he was basing everything, every feeling and action on impulses. If he would have stopped and think before he reacted and talk to people about how he felt, then maybe he wouldn't felt the way he did and have made the decisions he made. I think right before Chris died, after reading the quote by Jeffers, that he find peace with himself, he gotten to see Alaska and all the other places he did. He got to meet all the nice people he met and he changed each and everyone of them. He started to realize what he ment to people but realize it was too late, that he was dying. The quote gave him peace in mind and he wrote on the back that he was happy and had a happy life and was thankful to God. Chris' story changed not only his family and friends, but people all over the world, and if Chris could look down open everyone he has impacted, he would be happy because he changed people, had an impact, and had a meaning.

Into The Wild Book Response

"Into The Wild" by Jon Krakauser was about the a young man name Christopher Johnson McCandless, who went to the Alaskan wilderness and four months later was found dead. Krakauser told the story of the events leading up to Chris' death. He traveled all over America, went from job to job, place to place. Chris was scared of getting close to anyone and only wrote to his little sister from time to time. When I first began to read the book, I thought Chris was selfish. But as I read move into the novel I began to understand Chris. He was hurt by his farther for having two lives, his parents pushing him into doing what they thought was best for him. Chris just wanted to live his life to the fullest without anyone dictating what he could and couldn't do. Since Chris was young, he was always drawn to Alaska for some reason that most didn't understand. I think that we are all drawn to a place for some reason that we don't quite understand, we just know that we want to go to that place, that it would make us happy if we go there. That's exactly what Chris did; he left his life behind, left all the materialist things behind, and went into the wild with nothing but the essentials he thought he needed to survive. Chris did an incredible job of surviving on his own for as long as he did. I think Chris was just trying to find himself and a part of Chris finding himself was to go out on his own and experience all these different types of jobs, life experiences, and meeting a few good people on the way. Sometimes, in order to find who you are, you must leave home and everything behind, and work on you by trying everything you can possible could think of and once you do this, you become happy. Chris was happy experiencing life but sadly he never got the chance to go home. But Chris did do something must haven’t, he left a forever lasting impact on people. The people who have heard of Chris' story or have read the book, they are changed. They might look at life differently now, they might appreciate what they have, or they might even try what Chris did. I know after reading the book, I want to go out and experience the world. I would like to see Alaska the way Chris did and I would like to see all the other beautiful sites this world has to offer.

Class Topic: What is Success? Here's a Better Definition Article

While reading Georffrey James articla "What is Succeess? Here's a Better Definition" I was amazed that he mention that so many people define success has making a lot of money. I honestly don't understand why people think that way. I don't believe that money can buy happiness because it's not something you go shopping for. You have to create your own happiness and your own success by working hard. You can't be successful if you don't work hard and experience failure a few times. Failuring can either destroy you or better you, it all depends on how you choose to deal with it. If you choice to let failure better you then you will success. If you choose to let it destroy you, then you won't go to far in life. And you don't need to be rich to be happy, James says "there's no point to being rich if you're not enjoying yourself. Second, you're most likely to get rich if you're happy doing whatever you're doing." So do something you love like writing or helping people out because in the long run you want to be successful in something you enjoy no matter how much money you earn. Take Georffrey for example, he spent six years working in as a marketing executive, he got paid well but he wasn't happy. He always had a voice in his head saying he was "born to be a writer". So he decided to become a writer because he knew that would make him happy. Yes, at first his pay was less than what he was use to, but he was happy. Then after a while of being a writer, he began to make more money than ever before and he works half the hours has he did as a marketing executive and he is happy. Georffrey defines this as success, doing something he loves. Georffrey's definition of success is a lot like mine, I believe in doing something that makes me happy and I don't care about the amount of money I make, as long as I am happy. Happiness is key to success, without happiness you won't truly successed.

A Movie Review: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the final movie to the Twilight Series. It opens up with Bella waking up after giving birth to her child (half human, half vampire) and after she is turned into a vampire. She seemed very thrilled with her new life. The movie was filled with humor, romance, and action which made the movie easy to watch. The special effects were a little off (meaning with certain scenes you can tell they were filmed it on a green screen) and some parts were hard to watch because some of the actors seemed to be over acting. Despite all the minor things that made the movie seem a little less than perfect, I still enjoyed the movie and I think anyone who likes humor, romance, and action will enjoy the movie. And for the ones who read the book, this movie seems to be the one that was most off track compare to the other movies that followed the books well. But overall, the movie was enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who loves vampires, werewolves, and romance will like this movie.

 

A Class Topic From Chapter 3- Grow Up? Not So Fast

In 2005, Lev Grossman wrote an article about a new group of young people called twixters. This group is from the ages of 18 to 25, and the reason why this group is called twixters is because they are "betwixts and between". This group tends to put off becoming an adult by still living at home, taking 5 or so more years to gruaduate from college, putting off marriage and having kids, and they tend to go from city to city, job to job. The reason why it takes twixters longer to graduate from college and to get married is because they are simply taking pleasure in savoring the irresponsibility they have. I find this socking because why would someone what to savor in irresponsibility and want to still be living with their parents? Maybe it's because they are afraid to commit to adulthood or maybe it's because they weren't taught to be responsible. Like the author stats "They are worried that twixters aren't growing up beause they can't" Maybe they can't because no one is telling them they can. If someone would just believe in them and give them a little push in the right direction, then maybe the twixters can grow up. Also, if that person who believes in them constantly reminds them that they can do it and that they believe in then that might just motivate them enough to commit to adulthood.

 

A Book Review- The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins is a story of a Utopia, where the people are divided into twelve districts based on the natural resources found where they live at. All together they are called Panem, the nation that uprised after North America fell a part. In order to show what the people of Panem have overcome, each year two tributes between the ages of twelve and eighteen, one boy and one girl, from each district are selected to battle twenty-two other tributes to fight to the death. This type of "game" is called the Hunger Games. The whole Panem is forced to watch.It is ment to show how privaleged the people of Panem are to have the lives they have and where Panem has been and where they will end up.

Suzanne Collins vived vocabulary made the novel come to life, making the novel hard to put down. People may find themselves relating Panem to today's society because people in any country are always paying the consequences of the descisions others have made before them. An example in Panem's society of people being punished is the reaping, when the tributes are chosen. The tributes have no choice in being selected and it's a part of reminding the people of the mistakes made and to not repeat those mistakes.And everyone in Panem much watch to remember what the capitol wants to them to remember. In the novel, the main character Kanis says "Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch-this is the Capitol's way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion.Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. 'Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did District Thirteen.'"(19) (There were orginally thirteen districts but the thirteen district fought back and lost to the capitol, so there are only twelve  remaining and are constantly reminder of the mistake thirteen made).
An other example of the unfairness and inequality of Panem is the mantority to put your name into the reaping at the age of twelve but your name may be enter more than once if you decide to do a tessarie. A tesserae occures when you are sick or ill and are in need of medicine or food, so in order to get that you must put your name into the reaping again. This is appealing that such a country would do that to its people. It's like your sick or starving you have to pay the price for it by putting your name into the reaping each time you get medicine or food from the government. And the older you get the more times your name is enter. So say you are fourteen years old, your name is entered three times that year, increasing your chances of being selects. Collins says "You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen twice, and so on and on until you reach the age of eighteen, the final year of eligibility, when your name goes into the pool seven times. That's true for every citizen in all twelve districts of Panem. But here's the catch. Say you are poor and starving as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person." (13).

The Hunger Games is a great novel to read if you want to escape into a world unlike our own and this book could bring realization to the readers that we are fortunate enough to have a country that only punishes with a jail system rather than seading our children to fight till their death, as part of a sick game to entertain people and to punish and remind them of the past. It may also bring realization of how lucky we are to have a country who tries to help its people without punishing them for asking for help. So if you want a book that will change your view on life and make you appreciate what you have or if you want a book that has a lot of action then The Hungar Games is for you.

Boys & Girls Club Ad: Chapter 2

This ad for the Boys and Girls Club is saying that by sending your child or children to this clubs will help prevent them from participating in violent activities. When they come here, they will most likely follow their dreams or participate in a hobby that they love. This ad captures the attention of people by saying "The sound of a guitar or a sound of a gun." It gives the parents an ultimatum of having their child play a guitar or play with a gun. The parents would rather their child play with a guitar over a gun any day. I feel as if this ad captures the social perception and desire for success and happiness because the Boys and Girls Club does help establish those fundamental structures of success and happiness in their clubs everywhere. They want the kids who go there to have a great life and they help out the business parents. The parents or anyone who has a child or children they look at for is the the audience for this ad. I know this because I know that the Boys and Girls Club is for children and the children (depending on the age) won't grasp the concept of this ad, only a parent or guardian can. Also, children are the ones who are easily influenced and the comparisons in the ad are for children who are influenced easily. This ad symbolizing the change one person can have on an other. The overall message of this ad is to send your child to the Boys and Girls Club so that they have a change to be a kid and not get caught up in violence. I think this ad is effective overall because if I had a child and needed somewhere for them to go that would keep them from violence, I would send them to the Boys and Girls Club. Also, I have done a lot of volunteer work at my local Boys and Girls Club, and while I was there I saw how much the kids enjoyed it and how rules were forced. The kids actually did their homework because they made time for that in their schedule. Also, the people their enforced rules and when a child broke them, they had to pay the consequence which was a time out. I found it very helpful and you could tell that the kids were actually learning the fundamental structures of rules, success, and happiness at a young age. Which is great because they will benefit it in the long run. Overall, I think this ad is wonderful because it does make the comparisons of what could happen if a child did and didn't go to the Boys and Girls Club. I know a lot of children don't for some reasons, but I think it would be a good idea if they did especially if they aren't being supervised by an responsible adult. It would also ease the mind of the busy parents who are at work and can't keep an eye on their child if they did send their child to the Boys and Girls Club.

Ideal Commuinty Post- Perfect Harmony

Perfect Harmony is based on peace and equality. We believe that everyone should have the same opportunities as everyone else in education, job, and medical care. That's why we provide jobs to everyone, education (people from the age of 5-21 MUST attend school), and free medical care. We don't put up with discrimination or hate crimes or any crimes. If you commit a crime, you will face the city council and they will determine your punishment. We have a sales tax of 3.5% and gas prices of $2.15 per gallon. We are also an Eco-friendly community, we grow our own food. We also have a yearly election, which everyone is allowed to participate in. It's for one month, and we have conventions everyday to inform the people about each of the people for renewal of election and for people interested in joining the government. If this community sounds suiting to you, please stop our office at the city council office, off of Main Street.

5 Looks On A Book

Gripping- I find the novel very gripping. I couldn't put the book down for more than a few minutes without wanting to read it more and more. Reading the novel caught my attention because it was based on a society different from ours, yet the same. We all must follow rules like Jonas did and we all have had experience some of the feelings Jonas felt through out the novel. Like when Jonas saw how calm his dad was through the releasing of the twin. Jonas was socked and couldn't bare to look at his farther. We all have felt that way towards someone we love like a parent. We find out they did something we didn't like and become disappointed in them and can't look at them.

Intricate (complicated) The giver is very intricate because of how the communities is ran. Everyone must follow the set rules such as attending school til the age of 12 and then getting a job at the age of 12. Once they receive their job they must follow the specific rules given to them Jonas is given the rules of "Everyday, Jonas is to report himself to the attendant at the Annex behind the House of the old After each day of training, he is to go immediately to his family dwelling. He is also exempt from rules regarding rudeness; he can ask anything of anyone. He is not to talk about his training with anyone, however, not even with his parents and other Elders. He is prohibited from talking about his dreams or applying for any medication related to training or applying for release. Finally, he is allowed to lie."  (Lowery, 69) This takes Jonas away from what he has originally known and throws him into something he isn't sure about. It seems confusing and it makes things intricate. He was raised the way he was for a reason, and now he doesn't have to follow those set rules anymore, making him unsure of things.

Vicious-  The Giver was vicious because of the way the Elders would release people. They would release newborns who didn't grow or make improvements as fast as they like. Or when the pilot misread his directions or when someone doesn't conform the way they wanted to. I find it most vicious when Jonas farther puts the needle into the newborns head. Reading that part was almost unbearable. I don't know why anyone would do that to an innocent baby.

Emotionless- The community isn't allow to how emotions. They are created without emotions. Once they start to feel emotion they are given a pill to stop it. Jonas doesn't agree with this. He likes being able to have emotions. So when he becomes the giver, he is relieved that he can refuse to take medication. He believe the community should be allowed to have emotions. It would make the community better.
Robotic-  The community is robotic because the people do the same thing everyday. They get up and go to school or work and then the come do their volunteer hours or go to daycare. At dinner, they discuss their feelings and then go to back. Then the next day, they do it all over again. Everyone must follow the rules or they will be released. The Elders watch their people very closely to see if and when they mess up and to see what job they should select for the individual. The people have no say in how their lives are ran.    

The Giver- Are They Clones?

The impression I have gotten from "The Giver" so far is that the people of the community are controled by the elders. They can't make their own decisions, they must follow the rules or they will be released. I think that this type of control makes the people seem like clones. They do the same things as everyone else. Their lives are chosen from them and they are constantly monitored. They have no sense of freedom and the elders are "protecting" them from the outside world. I feel that the people don't know what it's like to actually live but they are to afraid to challenge the rules. I think the community relates to our society when it comes to people falling victims of media influence. It's like in the video "Beauty Pressure", it shows imagines of what females tend to do to make themselves feel accepted by society. Most of us do but why? It's to follow everyone and most people don't do anything about it because they are afraid to challenge it. I feel as if the people in "The Giver" and people in our society today should take a stand and be themselves. If they do this, then they will be very happy and satisfied with their lives.

Class Topic from Chapter 1: Tattoos

According to a recent poll conducted by Pew Research Center, 36% of 18 to 25 years and 40% of 26 to 40 years have at least one tattoo. So since more and more people are getting tattoos, I think it's important for people to become more acceptable of allowing employees to have tattoos because it is apart of that person and you can't change that. They shouldn't judge someone because they have tattoos, they don't know the true, significant meaning behind a person's tattoo. For example, I know people who have gotten tattoos as a symbol of a loved one they have lost or a symbol of a mile stone they have overcome. It may not make sense to you at first, but I guarantee if you asked them they true story behind their tattoo, you will understand, not only the meaning of the tattoo, but the person with the tattoo. It's like when John Reid said in Joshua Suaverdez article Opposing Viewpoints: Tattoos Express Personal Relevance" It is important to know that it is the person that makes the tattoo, not the tattoo that makes the person. Tattoos do not change someone’s personality." I would have to agree 100% with that quote because tattoos are a way a person can express themselves not a tattoo making a person who they are. Yes, tattoos are apart of a person and always will be. A person can be themselves with or without a tattoo, it's the person's choice whether or not they want to express themselves by getting tattoos. Some people rather get piercings or dye their hair extreme colors, while others rather have a tattoo. Like I said before it's a person's choice and when you first meet a person, you might not understand why they express themselves with tattoos, but if you give them a chance to explain or get to know them, then you'll understand the tattoo and that person. So think before you judge someone with a tattoo because you may be surprise by the meaning of their tattoo.
This image here, is of my first tattoo I got, in remembrance of my mom.

 

 

My mom and I were very close and when she passed away, I became very lost. She was such a great person and I wanted something to signify our relationship. The butterfly represents something we both loved, the tribal band that goes all the way around my arm represents my heritage (well part of my heritage), and the heart on the other side of my arm (which you can't see in the picture) represents the forever lasting love that a mother and daughter have







                                                                                                                                               

My Sentence

In order to achieve your dreams, you must conquer hardship because without hardship, your dream wouldn't be worth it.

How Advertisements Relate to People

The Splot advertisements capture both my identity and American Culture because it gives people, like me, the ability to express themselves. I believe it's important for people to be able to express themselves in any shape or form that they choose.  When I first saw the advertisements for Splot, I was very excited because at the time I was wanting to dye my hair purple but couldn't find the right hair dye. So when I saw the advertisement I asked my mom to take me to go get some Splot to dye my hair purple. So the next day, we went and bought two things of hair dye. When I dyed my hair, I was so happy that the hair dye actually worked. The reaction I got from people was amazing, they all loved my hair. And when I started seeing people dying their hair all kinds of colors it was amazing because these people were stepping out and expressing themselves and feeling comfortable about it. I think it's very important for people to express themselves either by dying their hair an extreme color or in any other way they feel comfortable. I also believe advertisements influence a lot of people to do something different or rebel against conformity. I think those type of advertisements are becoming more and more common as more people begin to express themselves more freely.