It's the Final Blog

Looking at all my blog posts, I realize that I have changed so much from the beginning. When I first heard about the blogs, I couldn’t wait to dive right in. Over the past months, however, I lost interest and only did them because I had to. But enough about that, more about the blog itself. My feelings for it aside, I am very proud at how it turned out. My favorite part of the blog, however, was the building of it and the customization. I absolutely adored being able to put practically anything I wanted on my blog. Especially my “Give a man a match, he will be warm for a minute; set a man on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life.” quote. But as for the blog assignments, I could’ve done without those. So, what I guess I’m saying is, if I had a blog for personal needs, I would add a bunch of games and such to it, but never write in it. But, if I had to choose one blog post I am exceptionally proud of, it would be “My Unique Boo Radley” that I did at the beginning of the year. The reason this stands out to me was because one, it was one of the posts that I enjoyed doing, and two, it’s about one of my most favorite things in the world. And, my views on it haven’t changed a bit. I still strive to be a better musician and to add to my musical knowledge until the world runs out of knowledge to give me.

I never really considered all the blog assignments to be one big year-long assignment. I just saw a series of separate assignment done the same way. But that’s probably a side effect of not absolutely loving the whole blog idea as I did when it first started. As a result, I treated each post as a separate assignment, never referring back to past assignments unless prompted to do so.

And so comes the end of my blogging. I can’t say that I will miss it.

Memorable Stuff

As I look back at the trail I blazed through my first year in high school, I can't help but feel proud of myself. Although not all of it is good (see current Biology grade), most of it is. But, focusing on English, the most memorable assignment I have done is probably the Poetry Out Loud. It’s something I have never done before, and I worked really hard on it. I was also really surprised to get that 5^th place (even though everyone above me tied, so really an 8^th place). I think the one thing that would‘ve made it better was if I could’ve recited “The Cremation of Sam McGee”. Instead, I recited “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, which was an awesome second. It’s a long poem, so it took a while to memorize. I still even remember most of it today. All in all, if I remember one thing from English this year, it’ll be the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest.

Poetry Stuff

My experiences with poetry have been few and far between, limited to once-a-year units in various English classes. But just from that, I know what poetry is, I can usually tell a deeper meaning to them, and even have two favorite types of poetry, one for reading (limericks) and one for writing (concrete poems). Oddly enough, though, my favorite poem of all time is neither a limerick or a concrete poem. It is “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service. I don’t really know why I love this poem, I just do. I first read it in 8^th grade English and have never forgotten it.

Nowadays, I’m kind of partial to poetry. I neither love it nor hate it. Because of the English level I’m at, I don’t expect to be reading many limericks or concrete poems for school, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying them when I get the chance.
Now here is a random concrete poem I just did.                   
                   head
               headhead
               headhead
                   neck                       hand
                   neck                       hand
    armbodybodybodyarm        arm
   arm bodybodybody  arm    arm
  arm  bodybodybody    armarm
arm    bodybodybody       arm
arm    bodybodybody
arm    bodybodybody
hand   legleg      legleg
hand   legleg      legleg
           legleg      legleg
           legleg      legleg
           legleg      legleg
           legleg      legleg
           footfoot footfoot

Conflict

One very important conflict in this play is the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. In this duel, Tybalt kills Mercutio, angering Romeo, who gets revenge by killing Tybalt. Prince then banishes Romeo from Verona. This person v. person conflict is important because it deepens the hatred between the two families, kills off two characters, and forces Romeo and Juliet to develop to cope with Romeo's banishment.

This scenario doesn’t really happen in these times. The type of conflict, however, happens all the time. Person v. person conflict is common in any society, and it happens everywhere, on all levels. It can range from a simple verbal disagreement to a cold-blooded massacre. And they are too numerous to count.

The Darkness in R+J

The story of Romeo and Juliet has struck inspiration in many directors, songwriters, and authors. Because of the many different ways the story can be interpreted, it is almost impossible to find a movie, song, or book that has no connection whatsoever to the original story, no matter how subtle. With that being said, I now proceed to the darkest side of Romeo and Juliet. The song Inside the Fire by Disturbed is about two lovers, one of whom takes her own life. The other is faced with the decision to take his own life in order to be with his love again. Throughout the song, the Devil is whispering in his ear to go through with the suicide, baiting him with his love.

Devin
Won't go to heaven
She's just another lost soul,
About to be mine again
Leave her
We will receive her
It is beyond your control
Will you ever meet again

Devin
One of eleven
Who had been rendered unwhole
As a little child,
She was taken
And then forsaken
You will remember it all
Let it fill your mind again

Devin lies beyond this portal
Take the word of one immortal
Give your soul to me
For eternity
Release your life
To begin another time with her
End your grief with me
There's another way
Release your life
Take your place inside the fire with her

Sever
Now and forever
You're just another lost soul,
About to be mine again
See her,
You'll never free her
You must surrender it all
If you'd like to meet again

Fire
For your desire
As she begins to turn cold
For the final time
You will shiver
Till you deliver
You will remember it all
Let it fill your mind again

Devin lies beyond this portal
Take the word of one immortal
Give your soul to me
For eternity
Release your life
To begin another time with her
End your grief with me
There's another way
Release your life
Take your place inside the fire with her

[Guitar Solo]

Give your soul to me
For eternity
Release your life
To begin another time with her
End your grief with me
There's another way
Release your life
Take your place inside the fire with her

Devin
One of eleven
Who had been rendered unwhole
As a little child
She was taken,
And then forsaken
You will remember it all
Let it fill your mind again

This is similar to Romeo and Juliet in the way that they both commit suicide, as said in the prologue. I don’t know how or why, but the fact is they do.

Connecty Thingys

So far is the play, it seems like almost everyone’s personality is taken to the extreme. Romeo is very romantic, Tybalt is extremely aggressive, Benvolio is the ‘peacekeeper’, the nurse is dirty-minded, and Mercutio is very imaginative. As a whole, I think they all represent different parts of human nature. As for something I can personally connect with, I don’t think I can. The language and the characters are all new to me, and some of it is very confusing.

At home, I get the reading done, and try to understand what I can. The definition pages and the Shakespeare glossary really help, though. I have heard from a lot of people that you should read aloud when you’re reading Shakespeare, so I think I’ll try that.

And That's a Wrap!

Like all great novels, Great Expectations has many complex, interwoven themes that all enhance an idea. Consequentially, there are many different views of said idea, and mine is just one of them. But, from my perspective, it seems obvious that the main theme is the classic 'money cannot buy happiness' bit that has been driven into my brain for as long as I can remember. However, this theme’s corniness does not undermine the fact that it is very true. Money can only buy things with, well, monetary value. And happiness doesn’t have a price tag. To be happy, you don’t need the newest videogame, or the biggest TV, or even the computer I am using to compose this post (it‘s an awesome computer, by the way). All you need are friends and family who love and support you. Only then, can you find true happiness.

Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There was a wide variety of characters and settings to fit those characters. Since the beginning, I have sympathized with Pip and his struggles. I think we all did. I especially liked Mr. Wopsle, just because of his randomness and his being oblivious to all that is happening. I wasn’t really able to uncover much of the mystery in this book, although I found out what happened to Miss Havisham and why Estella was like she was, without the aid of Sparknotes (what is that anyway?) or sophomores.

The actual reading of the book wasn’t that bad. I actually read before I go to bed every night so I just exchanged the book I was reading for Great Expectations. From there, it was easy to keep up with the reading because I’d read the amount I was supposed to, annotated it, then read a chapter or two more. That went on for a week or two. Then, I fell behind by just going to sleep instead of reading beforehand. So one night, I just cranked out about ten chapters and annotated them all. Because of that, I finished the book about two days before I was supposed to. This system really helped me because I could think about what I had just read while lying in bed trying to sleep.

Photo Post Thing

This amusing picture represents the evolution of human beings, their downfall, and their beginning again. Pip's evolution is very much like this. He starts out as a blacksmith's son (the monkey), then an apprentice blacksmith (the upright humaniod). But then, Jaggers reveals to Pip his Great Expectations, and he starts becoming a gentleman (humanoid with dagger through human with sword and shield). Now, good things never last long, so when Pip becomes a full-fledged gentleman (modern human with gun), it's only a matter of time before the 'bomb' drops. After which, he must start again.

Connection

In the movie Ratatouille, Alfredo Linguini is the lowly kitchen cleaner of the restaurant Gusteau's, until Remy, a rat, 'teaches' him how to cook. Remy later reveals to Alfredo that he is in fact Gusteau's son. He quickly rises in status to head chef, but is unable to cook without the help of Remy. This catches the eye of food critic Anton Ego, who offers a challenge Alfredo can’t refuse. But when he abandons Remy, it’s all downhill from there.

This sort of coincides with what we have read in Great Expectations so far. Pip starts out as the lowly son of a blacksmith, until an unknown benefactor raises Pip up the social ladder, although he is totally dependent on his benefactor. He is now the same social class as Estella, but has run into a considerable amount of debt.

Pip, Stage 2

When Pip goes to London, he meets a variety of new people. One of these people is Wemmick. When Pip first meets Wemmick, he describes him as “…a dry man, rather short in stature, with a square wooden face, whose expression seemed to have been imperfectly chipped out with a dull-edged chisel.” (169) But later, when Pip goes to Wemmick’s house, he becomes almost a different person. Wemmick explains that “When I go into the office, I leave the castle behind me, and when I come to the castle, I leave the office behind me.” (207) This sets a definite line between work and private life.

This is very different from work and private life in the village. Joe is a blacksmith, and his forge is connected to the house. He is the exact same way that he is in the forge as he is at home. For Joe, there is to line between his work and private life.

Both these examples show how far apart city life and country life can be, and how hard it will be to adjust.

Chains

Pip's chain started on the first day he went to Miss Havisham's to 'play'. There, he meets Estella, who criticizes him for being a 'common labouring-boy', and changes his life forever. He no longer wants to be common, which he had no problem with before, and now wants to be a gentleman. He has grown self-conscious of who he is and wants to change.

Like all people, I have many chains. Some stretching as far back as I can remember, and some so short they started yesterday. But today, I’ll talk about the longest chain I have: music. I started my first instrument, piano, when I was four. For the first months, my chain consisted of nothing but gold and flowers. But that wasn’t meant to last long. My gold and flowers quickly turned to iron and thorns. It was like that until fifth grade, when I took up the trumpet. This helped me turn iron and thorns back into gold and flowers. After that, tuba and guitar came in, and strengthened my chain. Without music, my whole life would’ve changed. I don’t know how, and I don’t intend to find out. I’m happy being me, and music has made me that way.

Questionable Passage

"'Yet,' said Mr. Pumblechook, leading the company gently back to the theme from which they had strayed, 'pork-regarded as biled-is rich, too, ain't it?'" (Ch.4 pg.26) This isn't really something I don't get, It's more of a want to know where Mr. Pumblechook was going with this and why Mrs. Joe interrupted him.

Group Essay

Sorry this took so long, but this is all I have right now.

In The Importance of Being Earnest, general dishonesty neatly connects the broad power of freedom with the pursuit of pleasure. For instance, Algernon repeatedly lies about having an invalid to take care of by the name of Bunbury. He explains, “…I have just had a telegram to say that my poor friend Bunbury is very ill again. They seem to think I should be with him.” In this way, Algernon gets out of having dinner with his Aunt, and has all that time to himself now. He uses that time to see Jack’s house in the country and to meet Cecily. Later, when Lady Bracknell shows up at Jack’s house, she says that she does not “approve of mercenary marriages.” This is obviously a lie, as it is the only type of marriage she approves of. This is sort of a pursuit of pleasure because she lies to get Jack to allow Cecily to marry Algernon, which would add her fortune to the family’s. Overall, these examples all have people who lie to get what they want, and mostly have a good time doing it, too. They all connect freedom with the pursuit of pleasure.

I need a third example, if you guys have any ideas. And feel free to change anything you like to make it smoother. Also, email me anything you comment, because I get emails much faster then blog comments.

Animal Farm Project Evaluations!!!

1. Levi: video: Levi's video was very interesting and fun to watch. I think it took place after the book, as they mentioned the card game. This must have taken a while to do, as it is one of the only projects that was entirely computer-based.

2. Andrea: comic and a video: Andrea's comic effectively showed the similarities between the pigs and the humans, especially with the pig's trotter turning into a human hand while it grasps another hand. The video also showed how sad the animals were, with the tear rolling out of Boxer's eye.

3. Daniel: picture: Daniel's use of photoshop (or whatever program he used) was put to good use making this picture. It showed the direct relationship from characters in the book to whoever they were supposed to represent.

4. Connor: comic: Connor's comic showed the flow of the book, especially with the flow chart. He also showed the animal's trust in the pigs.

5. Thomessa: scribd: Thomessa really showed how the farm changed before and after the changing of the commandments. Her project also represented the theme of the book really well.

6. Dann: comic: Dann really represented what Napoleon used and changed to make him the leader. With the comic, I think he hit on four main points of the book.

7. Angela: picture: Angela's pyramid showed the different levels of the animals, with Napoleon on top, of course. I liked how she added the humans on the outside of the pyramid to show how they are usually the ones in charge.

8. Paden: picture: Paden's picture was interesting. He used various pictures of animals and some text to show that the animals followed Napoleon no matter what happened, and bended to his will.

9. Kayla and Kelsey: comic: This comic shows how the windmill was built, destroyed, and rebuilt. It also shows how the pigs did none of the work themselves, just sat and watched it happen. I really enjoyed the goofy-looking animals, the gave me a well-needed laugh.

10. Adora: poem: Adora's poem was very unique, as it's the only project that I have seen that not only mentions, but is about Benjamin. This poem really explains why Benjamin is the way he is. It also hits on the fact that total equality will never happen, which is a big theme in this book to me.

Tim (yo): picture: My picture was very interesting. It wasn't the best, but it was way up there (of course, I'm horribly biased). I think I showed the theme of the book pretty effectively, and I put lots of effort into it.

By the way, if you were wondering, 'yo' means 'me' or 'I' in spanish.