Journal #4 3rd quarter

Rereading a book a second time is possibly better than reading it the first time. When one reads a book for the second or third time, themes and miniscule details begin to present themselves in ways that might have gone unnoticed before. A book that I have recently begun to read again is, The Great Gatsby. I read this novel a few years back. However, I have decided to pick it up again and refresh myself before the movie appears in theaters. The movie made out of this timeless classic truly seems like it will be another classic such as Titanic. As I began reading the story for a second time a theme appeared to me that I noticed before, but not to the extent that I see it now. The shallowness of the rich upper class is truly permanent in this story. These people are extremely preoccupied with the materialistic aspects of the world. Their mindset is geared towards having the latest and greatest that the market has to offer. They have grand fantastic parties, but only to impress one another and show off their belongings. The West and East Eggs sharply contrast one another. The West Egg seems to present the families that are new to wealth where are the East Egg seems to represent the “old-money” of the times. Gatsby is a person who is very absorbed in how the world views him. He wears a pink suit, drives a Rolls Royce, and lives in a grant mansion all to impress the world around him. The East Egg residents seem to be so caught up in the world of materials, that they have lost their sense of character.   

Journal #3 QUARTER 3

In today’s society bullying comes in many forms. One can physically, mentally, and emotionally bully someone and impact him or her for the rest of his or her lives. Their self-confidence can be slashed along with possible physical injuries. The offenders may not realize to what extent their actions impact the people they are hurting. They may think of their actions as just a joke or something the person should be able to brush off. Meanwhile however, they are unaware of the scares they are leaving the person with for the rest of their lives. The book “Thirteen Reasons Why” digs deeply into the heart of someone who has been victimized by thirteen people in her small all- American town. The bullying had gotten to such an extent that she committed suicide. One reading this book may think that the extent of the bullying and the consequences are being dramatacized. However, there are cases of suicides linked to bullying everyday across the United States of America. In this story there were some situations in which the young girl was being bullied emotionally and mentally intentionally by a classmate, or a neighbor. However, some of the culprits had no knowledge that their actions were hurtful or destructive. This story demonstrates that one must always treat others with respect. Every human being deserves respect regardless of things they may have done, what they look like, what religions they practice, or any other circumstances. Ones actions impact another whether that person realizes it or not. Every person is fighting their own battles and treating someone with respect and kindness can go a mile further than one would have expected

Journal #2 3rd q.

Motifs and themes are commonly used throughout literature. The authors use these writing techniques to expose an underlying meaning or lesson behind their stories. These literary tools help give the story depth and leave the reader interpreting the story to a further extent. One story that is an extremely good example of using themes and motifs in a story is, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In this novel, there are many different motifs. However, one of the most forthcoming themes in this story is the story of Christ. The setting of this story is placed in a mental institution run by the head nurse, Rached, or better known as “The Big Nurse.” She runs the ward with ultimate control with the help of three Negro boys. The patients of the ward do not have their own opinions, and if they do they do not act upon them. However, the atmosphere of the ward was forever changed when a man pretending to be insane was admitted into the hospital. McMurphy became a figure that all the men in the ward came to admire. He made an entrance into the ward with his booming manly laugh, one that had never echoed through the ward before. From that point on, McMurphy and the Big Nurse became enemies. McMurphy began to lead the men into standing up for themselves against the combine. He associated with the salt of the earth just as Jesus did, leading them into a better place. For example, when the Big Nurse refuses to let the patients watch the World Series, McMurphy has the men sit in front of the television just as it was on, reacting to imaginary events. As the story progresses the similarity to Jesus and the bible grows even further. When the men go on a fishing trip McMurphy is referred to as the fishers of men. In addition, upon returning from the trip McMurphy was subjected to electric shock therapy. He himself referred to this electric shop therapy device as a crown, asking if there were any thorns to go along with it. The bible imagery does not only pertain to McMurphy. Billy Bibbet can be viewed as Judas who betrayed Jesus. When Billy Bibbet is caught sleeping with a prostitute he immediately tells the combine that McMurphy was the cause of it. Finally, just as Jesus was killed upon the cross McMurphy was lobotomized, leaving his followers of inmates to continue his uprising against the combine. 

Most unbelievable thing to happen to me...

The air was heavy and dense as the winds whirled outside. The sky had ominous green glow as it began to spit out rain onto the city of Jacksonville. The raindrops fell relentlessly onto my house with the pitter-patter of the rain falling and the wind howling Mother Nature was having a concert all around me. The house was dark. The heavy air seeped inside and dispersed around the home. I peered out the window into the chaos going on around my fortress, as it stood strong against the harsh elements outside. Hurricane Ivan was just begging and I did not like the looks of it already. I stepped onto the screened in porch to escape the suffocating stuffiness of the home. The wind blew through my hair and into my face as the smell of the sea became present. I moved to the corner of the small porch to peer down the road to the ocean. I could see the waves raging as if they were angry at the shore. They poured up onto the beach relentlessly as the water began to creep up onto the path to the street. There were no cars on the roads and all was silent except for the sounds of the angry storm invading the city of Jacksonville, Florida. As I stood in the small safe haven I noticed that there was no thunder, I began to believe that this storm was petty. “What is big, strong, devastating storm without thunder?” I thought to myself as I began to make my way back into the safety of the stuffy home. I pulled my damp hair up into a ponytail to relieve me from the humidity of the house as the siren of alert from the weather channel blared through the house. The words flashed across the television warning of high winds, flooding, and etcetera. I had heard all of these short-lived warnings before with hardly any repercussions. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions were just another aspect of life while living in Florida, it was something everyone was generally used to and took for granted. I trudged up the stairs to my room, again looking outside to see if these warnings may have some substance behind them. To my surprise the water was slinking up past the path now and onto the road, seeping into all the crevasses as it made it way forward. The winds picked up as well from the last time I checked my surroundings. The sea grass was bent over by the forceful wind. The power lines looked like a jump rope being swung around in a circle just waiting for someone to hop in. Finally I noticed the giant palm tree that was swinging from its base. This enormous palm tree that stood as tall as my home was swaying hastily from side to side in a rhythm that began to frighten me. I stared at the tree shaking against the green forbidding sky without blinking, mesmerized by the seriousness of the nature around me. Already shaken up by the swaying trees and high seas, the power began to flicker as I ran down the stairs to the comfort of my parents sitting in the living room. In an instant, the house was filled with darkness and an enormous crashing sound invaded the home as the house shook. We grabbed flashlights and ran to the source of the clatter. The exorbitant palm tree that I had been gazing at just moments before was not taking a nap in my bed in my room. The tree had crashed through the window I was peering out of crushing the roof, walls, my bed, but thankfully not me. That was the most unbelievable moment of my life. If I had not left my room, and retreated to the other side of my home, I would have been crushed along with my belongings. 

January 3 Blog 3

The SAT’s are something that every high school student barley knows of as a freshman, hears about as a sophomore, worries about as a junior, and is terrified of as a senior. The SAT’s were always something that had worried me. I have never been the type of person to do very well on a standardized test because of the pressure and anxiety it causes. I walked into my first SAT test in May of my junior year, petrified, sweaty hands gripping a bottle of water, a calculator, and my pencil attempting to mentally prepare myself for the test. As I took the exam to my surprise I thought that I did very well, until I received my scores and they were not where I wanted them to be, at all. Many hours of studying, SAT classes, and two tests later, my scores finally came to a 1700, which I was pleased with. After I received that last score I finally could hand in my applications. Nothing felt better than pressing send on the application website and the SAT website which sent my scores. Or so I thought. A few weeks go by and I decide to check my email that I created specifically for applications. I was horrified when I opened the inbox to see dozens of emails asking where my scores were and that they have looked over everything but cannot make a decision until they review my SAT scores. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach as I checked the online recite on the SAT website, stating that none of them had been sent. I hurried to my phone calling my mother crying, with her reassuring me that we had in fact been billed for the shipping of the SAT’s, but to go ahead and send them again. I sent them on rush straight away to all of my schools but the feeling was not the same when I pushed the send button. 

Janurary 3 Blog 2

I was born in the small town of Newark, Delaware and was very comfortable in my hometown of Newark, Delaware, riding my bike along Main Street and going to ballet class every Tuesday night. However, my world changed when my family moved to Maryland. Even though the move was miniscule, the effect of separation from my friends and life I was custom to, made it feel a million miles away. However, just as I began to adjust to my new life, my personal nightmare repeated itself. My family packed up and relocated to the sunny sands of Jacksonville, Florida. I felt out of place in a paradise that was supposed to make one feel warm and welcomed. Even though I felt out of my element, I adjusted, and eventually became good friends with wonderful people. Although difficult, by adapting to change I made myself successful during my time there. After moving to the Sunshine State, my family once again transferred to a more frigid place. Michigan is seemingly more uninviting than Florida; however, because of the skills I gained during my experiences, I enjoyed the winter wonderland. I met unique people, adapted to new situations, and felt comfortable in an unfamiliar place. Through moving around the nation, I found myself. I found the outgoing person who gives those skills to my community in many ways. I am involved in multiple associations within St.Mark's, with almost all of them containing leadership roles. I am now the captain of the cheer team, a sport that I had never done before entering St. Mark’s. However, the confidence and skills that I had acquired during the moves I had made gave me the self-confidence to try out for the team. Another way I applied the experiences to my younger life was attempting to meet people through running for student council. I have been on student council for four years now and I cannot imagine what it would be like to not be involved in the association. These experiences not only gave me the courage to be involved in all that I am and helped me develop the skills that I now acquire. I plan on taking these aspects of myself with me when I take the leap into college. I am excited about using these life-changing skills to meet new people, becoming involved at a new place, and opening a new chapter in my life.

Blog Jan 3

I had always enjoyed my science classes during my younger years of schooling. I particularly enjoyed the study of biology. I found the unraveling of secrets that make up the human body, word, and universe exciting and captivating. However, throughout my education I have always seemed to be someone who is creative minded rather than a logical or numerical thinker. I often arrive at conclusions that are outside of the box, by enabling creativity to take over. This became more apparent to me as I matured in my studies throughout high school. I found myself enjoying my English and social studies classes far more than I was my mathematic and science courses. I did not loose my lack of interest in the sciences, but rather understood the idea that my mind is not quite programmed to think that way, and that those classes would take more preparing for. For these reasons, in my senior year at St. Mark’s I made the decision to take two English courses. The two courses are, Creative and Critical Writing and World Literature. The curriculums the courses contain are not the only differentiating quality the two have. Two very different teachers teach the classes. In addition, these two teachers have extremely different teaching styles. My World Literature is a class taught by one of my favorite teachers who has planned and structured way of teaching. However, this class is not all notes and power points, there is fun involved too. She does not jump from one subject to another without depicting all of the necessary material from it. However, my Creative and Critical teacher varies completely from my other English teacher. His style of teaching is more chaotic and sporadic. Subjects change quickly and it is a fast moving class. This has its positives and negatives. A positive quality would be that it is entertaining and keeps the students focused. However, a negative would be that some material might not be covered as fully in class as it is prepared for the students on exams. Neither teacher is better than the other; nevertheless, I enjoy the style of teaching of my world literature teacher greater than my other. However, it is interesting to observe that even though both are teaching the same core subject, they both do it in such different supporting the idea that the creative mind truly steers an English driven mind.