Assignment #21

My favorite blog this year was the blog about Mark Twain's quotes. I like to look up quotes and read them. I thought it was really interesting. I didn't like The Great Gatsby blog. I would say that honestly I did the most minimum that I could when I could. I did think it was a good learning experience though. I think I learned how to evaluate things a lot better. I do not think that I will continue blogging. I think it is a good thing for future classes to do though.

My favorite stories this year were World on a Turtle's Back, Pit and the Pendulum and The Crucible.

Assignment #20

Daisy Bell by Harry Dacre - This shows Gatsby's feelings towards Daisy
We Both Reached for the Gun from Chicago - To symbolize the end of the book
The Charleston by James P. Johnson - This is just a good 20s song.
1999 by Prince - It says "If you didn't come to party, don't bother knocking on my door..."
Ain't We Got Fun by Van & Schenck - It is played in the film several times

Assignment # 19

Three little birds in a row
Sat musing.
A man passed near that place.
Then did the little birds nudge each other.

They said, "He thinks he can sing."
They threw back their heads to laugh.
With quaint countenances
They regarded him.
They were very curious,
Those three little birds in a row.

I really liked this poem because I love when stories 

make creatures in nature like humans. It was very interesting

and I love the symbolism.  

Assignment #18

'A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.' 
This quote is a great thought. It is definitely true because it is impossible for a human to go through life without lying at least once. Saying that you never lie or that you aren't a liar is not going to be the truth.

Assignment #17

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4812

This website article is all about Dr. King. He has many inspirational an d moving quotes during his time. They moved the Civil Rights Movement along definitely. This pertains to our topics because it is about the things that affected the Civil Rights Movement and moved it along, getting all American involved.

Assignment #16

Bessie's dentist office was on 7th Ave. I see that there was also a neighborhood called "Striver's Row" that was a very wealthy neighborhood in Harlem. I learned while reading about Harlem that Harlem had many parts of the area, just like a town would. There was the hot places to be and the rich parts. They had everything they needed because that was the only place that blacks were allowed. Also, this site shows how involved with music Harlem was which is how it is connected to "Having Our Say." The sisters explain the love for music that Harlem had.

There were many influential people that lived in Harlem during this time according to the second website. James Weldon Johnson was one that I happened to click on. His mother was the first woman to teach in a public school and one of his songs called "Lift Every Voice and Sing" became the "Negro National Anthem." There was also Jack Johnson who was a heavyweight champion. After his boxing career he also opened up a supper club in Harlem. There were many characters and influential people living in Harlem. They are very interesting to learn about and definitely shaped how America is today.

Assignment #15

This picture is very emotional. It shows a bunch of parts of a man who is enslaved. I love how it is an beautifully artistic way of showing something horrible. It captures the man's pain and terror perfectly.
This really shows how badly the slaves of the time were treated.

Assignment #14

I feel very strongly about the quote "envy is ignorance." It is very true. People may think they are envious of someone else's life but they don't know that actually that person also wants to be someone else. I don't like that people feel that way though. It is kinda like the saying that everyone wants what they can't have and is an unending circle of envy. People should be happy with what they have which I know is harder said then day.

Assignment #13

This poem explains how Whitman thinks that children are. They blend into their surroundings. This is similar to how I was as a child. I always wanted to fit in to the things around me and wanted to be like everyone else. This is a naive way to look at life... which explains why this poem is about children.

Assignment #12

I hide myself within my flower


I hide myself within my flower,
That fading from your Vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me—
Almost a loneliness. 

The poem is about the way Emily felt about people around her. From far away you can see how beautiful a flower is just like she wanted people to see her. She never wanted to be close enough to show the real her, like if she was in a vase. 

Assignment #11

I prefer transcendentalist because they are for sure the more optimistic group. I don't really like to read so when I have to I enjoy the more upbeat stories much more. Anti-transcendentalist may be more real to what life actually is but I would rather read about the happy side of life.

Assignment #10

All of a sudden the walls coming at me retreat. Am I saved again? Or is there another awful way of torture coming for me now? Then, I see that sudden flash of light. The one that lets me know that someone is watching me. Except this time it is just a sudden flash. They have kept the door open. I see a man start down a ladder towards me. He is coming to save me at last! I yell out for him but there is no response. He must just be in my imagination. The people in charge of this have just drugged me again. Then I look closer. He has an ax with him. I start to panic and he is almost and the ground level that I am at. I run but trip and fall. They had to have drugged me again, I know it now. He comes towards me as I lay on the ground, unable to move. He takes the ax and swings at me. I feel a sharp pain and my stomach but then I am gone. Finally, the torture is over. I may have died but it is better then being in that awful cell. I'm better off this way anyway.

Assignment #9

I am team Poe. Not only do I like his writing but after the video we watched on him I feel like I know so much more about him. I thought the video was very interesting and it really made me have sympathy for Poe and make sense of more of his writings. I think he has a more direct and emotional effect to his stories. They interest me not just because of the story line but also because I am curious on why he wrote what he wrote and what he was thinking about while writing.

Assignment #8

The poem we read call 'the Tide Rises, the Tide Falls' was very interesting to me. I loved how secretly he direct his was with the meaning of the poem. It was one of those poems where you don't really know the message but once you figure it out, the poem all comes together. That is what makes many poems exciting for me to read. I get really happy when I can figure out the symbolism and descriptive language that the author is using.

Assignment #7

Get a Voki now!

Assignment #6

'On June 9, the hearings reached their moment of greatest drama, when McCarthy attacked a young legal aide of Joseph Nye Welch (Army Chief Counsel). The aide, Fred Fisher, had once worked for the National Lawyers Guild (an organization with communist ties) and Welch had advised him to stay away from the hearings for his own good. Even though the man was not present, McCarthy impugned his character. Welch’s reply became famous: “Until this moment, senator, I think I never gauged your cruelty or recklessness .... Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” When McCarthy attempted to respond, Welsh cut him off demanding that the chairman call the next witness. Hesitating for a moment, the silent gallery broke into applause. McCarthy was stunned. The hearings drew to an inconclusive finish shortly afterwards.' -- http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1769.html


This is part of an article that I just read about McCarthy attacking the Army. It was a highly publicized event that they say about 22 million people watched in TV. I like this part of the article because it was the government official finally getting back at McCarthy for what he was doing and finally taking a stand and getting a say. I think it was very brave of this man to say those things to McCarthy because obviously McCarthy has no problem throwing people under the bus and Welsh just made himself able to be the next person he attacked. I am glad that someone did it though. 

Assignment #5

The Crucible has been a lot more interesting then I was expecting it to be. I have always had a little interest in the Salem Witch Trials so when I heard that that is what this play was about I was kind of excited. I didn't realize that there would also be all of the drama that there is. I find it very interesting how each person is reacting to the girls sickness. Some people believe that the children are bewitched while others know that they are faking. I also find it interesting that the children thought to act bewitched so that they could get out of Mr. Parris seeing them in the woods. When I was reading the play, before we talked about it in class, I did not realize that is what was happening. Now though, it makes much more sense. I am excited to keep reading and to see where each character ends up and what secrets come out.

Assignment #4

At tennis today I was returning one of my teammates serves and the ball I hit went straight into the net and my coach turned to me and started teaching me how to change my swings so that I can consistently get the ball over the net. Immediately I tied this experience to religion.

Each experience in your life is just another serve coming at you. Some are harder to deal with then others. God is our coach. If we trust in him and what he says we are going to be able to be successful and get the ball over the net. You have to trust in both your coach and yourself to be successful in situations that you go through in your life. Let God be your coach and you will see a huge difference in the way you take situations.

Assignment #3

Squanto:

Squanto was a Native American who knew how to speak English when the pilgrims came on the Mayflower. He helped the Native Americans get to know the pilgrims because he was able to be in the middle and knew what each side was saying. He also guided the pilgrims to the river to learn how to catch the fish and where in the forest to hunt. He also taught the pilgrims to plant their own food, especially corn, and where to find the nuts and berries of their land. Squanto seemed to be the peace keeper between the pilgrims and the Native Americans. The pilgrims probably would not have had enough food to feed themselves if it wasn't for Squanto. That is why we have Thanksgiving, because he was helpful so the pilgrims wanted to invite them to the harvest meal that they had.

Assignment #2

This picture shows Pocahontas getting between her fellow Indians to save John Smith. The picture is not accurate because first, she was only an eleven year old girl and second, she never had to physically get involved. Most people believe that this is what actually happened because of the Disney movie. The message is that she tried to save him, which is true. She just did not have to get in between as much as is portrayed in this picture.