This year has been great. Full of ups and downs good times and bad. Mistakes and good decisions. Most definitely a year that I will never forget.
I am a changed person after this year. I am more confident and open. I am stronger and smarter, that's all because it was difficult and a struggle at times but a struggle that was well worth it. (Regardless of how I talk about not IB it was definitely WORTH IT)
This year has I have grown closer to the friends I would not have had if it wasnt for IB. I found friends that will last a life time. Sure we are going our separate ways next year but we developed a bond that will last through that. I am closers to them than ever. We spent nightsome at each other's houses (đŸ˜‚đŸ˜‚remember Halloween night?), studied/struggled/complained abou that classes together (especially physics and math hl), we disagreed sometimes. But all we went through is what will keep us together.
I am different now than at the beginning of the year. Sure I still don't wear shoes and lay on desks, but I am older, more independent, and better equipped to take on the world. I am ready for what is to come exited to take on the world. Whether my path leads me to Chapel Hill or to Washington DC I am ready and excited for next year.
To my teachers, thank you. Sure there were times I couldn't keep focus or pay attention, but you tolerated me. There were times when my grades weren't the best but you helped me through it. I have worked hard and wouldn't be where I am today without you. To the teachers that treated me like they didn't care I know you really did you just wanted me to show that I cared. I think that you may make my transition to colleget better because I now know how to take initiative odo my own education. To the teacheRA who stayed on me and on me to get worked done and wouldn't let me slack, you taught me to push through the tough times because it will get better. Whichever category you do all into don't stop doing what you're doing. I think it is best to have a balance of teachers it allowed me to be prepared for all types of professors that I will be faced with and taught me lessons I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
To my classmates,WE MADE IT FAM!!! EE's are done. No more IAs. After exams we are in the clear. We have the whole world in front of us and control over what we want it to look like. If we work hard we can accomplish whatever we put our minds to. Graduation is just around the corner and we will go our separate ways, but with all we've been through we have a special bond. We excelled in ib no matter what we claim we gained something positive out of the experience. Going to miss you guys but we have to do what's best for us even if that means leaving and moving away from the people we are closest to.
Going to miss all the things that happened this year but I'm ready to move on. High school was great experience but I am ready for the next adventure. Next year will be great and exciting and I don't know about anyone else but I'm looking forward to it.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Witty Whitman
Step 1
It is very difficult to make out what has been written by Whitman in his journal. From one of the ealry pages in the journal whitman writes that there will be two characters participating in a dialogue. The firsr character is unclear and the second is to be the "president elect". At this time the president would have been Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the journal things are crossed off. This shows that Whitman was constantly going back through his journal and editing in order to get things the exact way that h wanted them. His editions don't appear to be super organized because he just crossed things out and started writing where he had space.
Towards the end of the journal there are four drawings that seem to be the same man. In the first one he has no hat and only his face is drawn. In the second his head is large compared to his body and one hand seems to be reaching for something or someone. In the third the drawing is similarto the first by showing only the man's head but this time his eyes are closed and he note has a hat. The fourth shows the man drawn in a different style with a top hat and a shadow across his face. Based on the last picture the man appears to be the president because of the top hat. Whitman is perhaps showing how his views of the president have changed over time and is planning to use this as motivation for some poetry.
Step 2
It makes since that Whitman first saw Lincoln among a group of his supporters and that Whitman was a supporter of Lincoln himself because Whitman was all for equality and Lincoln pushed to free slaves. I think that Whitman not having many interactions with Lincoln takes away some from what his ability to imitate the way Lincoln would hold a discussion with him, but it allowed him to be more creative and get his ideas out. It was mentioned that the drawings may not have been done by Whitman. This shows Whitman was open to others view and ideas so much so that he allowed one of his drinking buddies to use his journal. This makes me think back to the poem we read in class called "Poets To Come" where Whitman includes singers and orators as poets. It appears that Whitman saw the value of other art forms as a way to deliver a message.
It is very difficult to make out what has been written by Whitman in his journal. From one of the ealry pages in the journal whitman writes that there will be two characters participating in a dialogue. The firsr character is unclear and the second is to be the "president elect". At this time the president would have been Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the journal things are crossed off. This shows that Whitman was constantly going back through his journal and editing in order to get things the exact way that h wanted them. His editions don't appear to be super organized because he just crossed things out and started writing where he had space.
Towards the end of the journal there are four drawings that seem to be the same man. In the first one he has no hat and only his face is drawn. In the second his head is large compared to his body and one hand seems to be reaching for something or someone. In the third the drawing is similarto the first by showing only the man's head but this time his eyes are closed and he note has a hat. The fourth shows the man drawn in a different style with a top hat and a shadow across his face. Based on the last picture the man appears to be the president because of the top hat. Whitman is perhaps showing how his views of the president have changed over time and is planning to use this as motivation for some poetry.
Step 2
It makes since that Whitman first saw Lincoln among a group of his supporters and that Whitman was a supporter of Lincoln himself because Whitman was all for equality and Lincoln pushed to free slaves. I think that Whitman not having many interactions with Lincoln takes away some from what his ability to imitate the way Lincoln would hold a discussion with him, but it allowed him to be more creative and get his ideas out. It was mentioned that the drawings may not have been done by Whitman. This shows Whitman was open to others view and ideas so much so that he allowed one of his drinking buddies to use his journal. This makes me think back to the poem we read in class called "Poets To Come" where Whitman includes singers and orators as poets. It appears that Whitman saw the value of other art forms as a way to deliver a message.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
American Dream
During the 1920s the idea of the American Dream was having a lot of money, being able to party, and just enjoying life. Due to the differing time period my personal views of the American Dream are very different. I view the American Dream as being able to provide myself the necessities for life and to be able to enjoy the life I have. It is being able to practice the rights that I have and not be discriminated against for any reason. It seek equal treatment in society. Not only that but it is also hoping for a better future.
I think that like in the Great Gatsby and in the 1920s hope is a large part of the American Dream. We still everyday hope for our futures to be better as did people in the 1920s and people will continue to look to further themselves in the future. Hope is a continuous piece of the American Dream that will remain for as long as the idea of the American Dream lasts. My view of the American Dream differs from that of Gatsby and people of the 1920s in that my idea of the American Dream is not to obtain as much wealth as possible. While my views may not be the same of other people, to me wealth has less of an impact on how successful we view ourselves as. While wealth is very important to obtaining power in society I feel that this is not as important now as it was in the 1920s. This can be seen by the removal of the terms "new money" and "old money". No longer to we see people with money from their parents as better than those who made their own living. In fact, there as been a shift and those that earned their own money and worked hard to make it to where they are now are more looked up to than those who are given money through inheritance.
My definition of wealth is not necessarily finances but more in terms of happiness. What is the point in having a lot of money if I am not happy and I feel that my life has no meaning? I think that the happier I am with my life the more wealthy I am. This is a direct contrast to the views of people in the Great Gatsby and the people in the 1920s. They viewed wealth as the most important thing. They didn't seem to care if they were happy or not all they wanted to do was to become more and more financially wealthy. This is because at this time the United States was going through great financial increase and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
I believe that the overall American view towards wealth and poverty has stayed the same. Poverty is always viewed as awful and with terrible living conditions. Americans in the media portray poverty as unbearable when in reality this may not always be the case. In some cases those that are in poverty are happier than those with a lot of money. Sure they have to worry about money, but if someone cares about them it is less likely to be because of something they have. People in poverty are more likely to build real relationships with people as opposed to fake ones where people are only after someone else's money. The view of poverty as negative and wealth as positive I think comes from the idea of the general idea of the American Dream. The general idea is that we should want more and seek as much financial gain as possible but seeking financial gain does not always bring the happiness that we seek. I view wealth as not all it is hyped up to be and poverty as not as bad as it is frequently portrayed. This is my opinion because I feel like it is easy to be wealthy and unhappy because sure you may be able to buy whatever you want but there is a lacking human connection that occurs with people when you reach a certain level of wealth. Poverty isn't as bad as it is portrayed because while you may not have the funds you need while in poverty you can develop a deeper connection and find who is really there for you and who isn't. While when you have wealth everyone wants to be around you and it becomes difficult to separate real friends from fake ones.
I think that like in the Great Gatsby and in the 1920s hope is a large part of the American Dream. We still everyday hope for our futures to be better as did people in the 1920s and people will continue to look to further themselves in the future. Hope is a continuous piece of the American Dream that will remain for as long as the idea of the American Dream lasts. My view of the American Dream differs from that of Gatsby and people of the 1920s in that my idea of the American Dream is not to obtain as much wealth as possible. While my views may not be the same of other people, to me wealth has less of an impact on how successful we view ourselves as. While wealth is very important to obtaining power in society I feel that this is not as important now as it was in the 1920s. This can be seen by the removal of the terms "new money" and "old money". No longer to we see people with money from their parents as better than those who made their own living. In fact, there as been a shift and those that earned their own money and worked hard to make it to where they are now are more looked up to than those who are given money through inheritance.
My definition of wealth is not necessarily finances but more in terms of happiness. What is the point in having a lot of money if I am not happy and I feel that my life has no meaning? I think that the happier I am with my life the more wealthy I am. This is a direct contrast to the views of people in the Great Gatsby and the people in the 1920s. They viewed wealth as the most important thing. They didn't seem to care if they were happy or not all they wanted to do was to become more and more financially wealthy. This is because at this time the United States was going through great financial increase and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
I believe that the overall American view towards wealth and poverty has stayed the same. Poverty is always viewed as awful and with terrible living conditions. Americans in the media portray poverty as unbearable when in reality this may not always be the case. In some cases those that are in poverty are happier than those with a lot of money. Sure they have to worry about money, but if someone cares about them it is less likely to be because of something they have. People in poverty are more likely to build real relationships with people as opposed to fake ones where people are only after someone else's money. The view of poverty as negative and wealth as positive I think comes from the idea of the general idea of the American Dream. The general idea is that we should want more and seek as much financial gain as possible but seeking financial gain does not always bring the happiness that we seek. I view wealth as not all it is hyped up to be and poverty as not as bad as it is frequently portrayed. This is my opinion because I feel like it is easy to be wealthy and unhappy because sure you may be able to buy whatever you want but there is a lacking human connection that occurs with people when you reach a certain level of wealth. Poverty isn't as bad as it is portrayed because while you may not have the funds you need while in poverty you can develop a deeper connection and find who is really there for you and who isn't. While when you have wealth everyone wants to be around you and it becomes difficult to separate real friends from fake ones.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Importance of Translations
Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
- insect-specific type of bug
- uneasy-restlessness
- continuous no puctuation= detached from what Gregor feels
- objective views of what he turned into
- transformed- implies no resemblance to former self
- one morning- typical day that something strange is going to happen in
#2:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
- Uneasy - restlessness
- changed- seems as though he may not have undergone a "complete transformation" still some trace of his former self
- woke- sudden break from sleep
- giant bug- negative connotations. Makes me think of like a big beetle.
- By placing his name first
- Bug- more negative than the word insect, bothersome
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
- Enormous- makes me think like human sized, or abnormally large for a bug, not normal or natural
- troubled dreams- nightmare
- transformed- implies no resemblance to former self
- Bug- more negative than the word insect, bothersome
- Longer sentence still processing the information, processing his transformation
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
- Frequent use of commas- Gregor hasn't processed the transformation yet. leads audience to process this with him
- agitated- most negative descriptive word used, Gregor had nightmares that he couldn't escape, woke up to find something worse
- montrous- no longer human like
- vermin- very negative, don't know if he is a bug or rat, but he is a pest of some kind
- transformed- implies no resemblance to former self
The meaning of the translation greatly changes with the stylistic features. By changing one word slightly affects how the reader interprets the text and views certain characters for the entirety of a work of literature. First impressions are very important especially in works of literature.
Simply by changing one word to describe the change that occurred to Gregor Samsa affects how the audience views interprets Gregor's views toward the change. By using the words "monstrous vermin" there is an understanding that he has turned into something undesirable and that he has negative views of what he has turned into. This phrase also does not give a clear representation of what he ahs turned into. By using the word "vermin" the audience is aware of the negative connotations of the word, but cannot get a clear picture of the thing that he has turned into. In contrast,in the first translation using the word "insect" implies a very specific type of bug and does not carry the negative connotations. It implies a bug with six legs and three major segments to the body. The audience is given a very clear view of what Gregor has turned into. The word "bug" leaves the visual of Greogor open to interpretation but not so much as the word "vermin" did. With bug we are aware of the type of creature he has turned into but are not givne a clear view since bug is such a broad term.The lack of punctuation in the first three translation presents the transformation all at once as though the narrator has already processed the fact that Gregor has turned into a bug. The fourth translation has a more slow pace. This comes across as though the narrator is processing the information with the reader.
Personally, the fourth translation is the most effective. It shows that the author is taking more of a negative tone toward the transformation. By using phrase "monstrous vermin" it creates more emotion in the text than the other three translation do. I also think the use of punctuation has a positive impact on the way the message is delivered. The pausesecond created with commas adds an air of disbelief to what has just occurred. It makes the narrator come across as though he or she is gaining insight at the same time as the audience. This exercise makes me specifically think about the scene when Meursault killed the Arab. I wonder how it would be read differently if more description was given. Due to the point of view of The Stranger the information the audience is given is indifferent. I wonder how a different point of view would changer this scene. I am also curious about how changing punctuation would impact the ways it is read and interpreted. Would more pauses come across as Meursault second guessing his actions? Would longer sentencesee with a description of the feeling he got make it seems as if he enjoyed killing the Arab? I think that little changes have a great impact on the way a reader interprets some thing and it is interesting to look at how just these changes influence the views of the audience.
Personally, the fourth translation is the most effective. It shows that the author is taking more of a negative tone toward the transformation. By using phrase "monstrous vermin" it creates more emotion in the text than the other three translation do. I also think the use of punctuation has a positive impact on the way the message is delivered. The pausesecond created with commas adds an air of disbelief to what has just occurred. It makes the narrator come across as though he or she is gaining insight at the same time as the audience. This exercise makes me specifically think about the scene when Meursault killed the Arab. I wonder how it would be read differently if more description was given. Due to the point of view of The Stranger the information the audience is given is indifferent. I wonder how a different point of view would changer this scene. I am also curious about how changing punctuation would impact the ways it is read and interpreted. Would more pauses come across as Meursault second guessing his actions? Would longer sentencesee with a description of the feeling he got make it seems as if he enjoyed killing the Arab? I think that little changes have a great impact on the way a reader interprets some thing and it is interesting to look at how just these changes influence the views of the audience.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
IOC Practice
Unable to attach recording.
Criterion A: 6
I gave myself a 6 because I placed the text in context with the rest of the novel and used the text as the center for my argument of this IOC. I stayed focus on what I believed the overall effect of the passage was and used the passage itself to prove my point. I think that I could have included more references to other events in the book that were related to the point I was trying to prove.
Criterion B: 5
I gave myself a 5 because I did explore the effects of literary devices and relate them back to the overall purpose of the text, but I feel like I could have done so more clearly. I believe that I did show understanding of the literary features and their effects on the reader, but I feel I could have explained better by specifically stating the literary features that create the effect on the reader.
Criterion C: 4
I gave myself a 4 because I feel that my commentary was organized in a logical manner for the most part. I organized my argument based on what I was trying to prove I feel I could have potentially be more effect by organizing by the literary device being explored. I thnk that my commentary was easy to follow though.
Criterion D: 3
I gave myself a 3. I feel like sometimes I would start a sentence but not be 100% certain about how to say what I was trying to say, so I would change what I was saying in the middle of my sentence. Also, I used the words "like" or "um" a lot when I was trying to gather my thoughts. I think that it may be better to not say anything at all while gathering my thoughts instead of speaking unnecessarily.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Once Upon a Time...
The TedTalk that I chose was called "A tale of two Americas. And the mini-mart where they collided." This speech was presented by Anand Giridharadas. In his speech, he tells the story of two men, Raisuddin Bhuiyan of Bangladesh and Mark Stroman of the United States. The story begins ten days after the events of September 11th. Stroman, seeking revenge for the attacks, was going around to mini-marts and killing people of Middle Eastern decent. Bhuiyan was the only of the victims of Stroman's attacks to survive. Bhuiyan after being in the hospital for a day had a lot of debt he had to pay so he couldn't take I.T. classes as originally planned. Even though he lost his wife to be Bhuiyan made the most of what he had. He got a job working at Olive Garden and had to go against his beliefs and sell alcohol and he did I.T. jobs part-time too. He eventually found a six-figure job with a company in Texas. As Bhuiyan's life changed for the better so did Stroman's though he was on death row. Stroman was introduced to pastors, pen-pals, and journalists that were there to help him as he questioned himself and the things he had done.
Eight years after the shooting and a pilgrimage to Mecca, Bhuiyan decided to not only publicly forgive Stroman for what he had done but he also was fighting to keep him from receiving the death penalty. A few hours before Stroman was executed he talked to Bhuiyan on the phone. Bhuiyan said he never hated Stroman and Stroman thanked him for everything and said that he loved him.Even after the execution Bhuiyan reached out to Stroman's eldest daughter who was dealing with addiction and said to her , "you may have lost a father, but you've gained an uncle."
Giridharadas uses the story to point out the two worlds that exists within America and show that the colliding of these two worlds may not be such a bad thing. He also wants to show that people can change and that everyone deserves a second chance. The speaker gets his point across primarily through the use of pathos. He uses images of Bhuiyan right after leaving the hospital to show that he was released before he should have been. This picture is intended to tug at the hearstrings and make the audience feel connected to the story. The picture allows the audience to put a face with the name that is being presented in the story. It gives the story more meaning by seeing and hearing as opposed to just hearing what Bhuiyan was faced with. Towards the end a picture is shown of Stroman and he is smiling into the camera. The choice of portraying him in a positive light in the picture as opposed to having him appear angry and seeking to kill is to show that people can change. No matter what a person may have done Giridharadas belivees that they deserve a scond chance to right their wrongs. Pathos is also used in the amount of detail given in the story. Giridharadas says,"dozens of scalding, birdshot pellets puncture his head," and " He cups a hand over his forehead to keep in the brains on which he'd gambled everything." The details from these tow quotes in particular are to make the audience feel sorry for hat Bhuiyan was faced with and to envoke feelings of sympathy in the audience.
Giridharadas gets his point across by directly addressing the audience and explaining what he took away from the story of the two men. He wants to show that as humans we should give second chances and learn to forgivve people for the mistakes they make. He direcly addresses thae audience chahallenging them to embrace the philosophy that he has and be willing to give others second chances. This relates to me because there are times when I have questioned whether I should give someone a second chance or not. This caused me to refelct on the situations I have been in when I didn't want to give someone a second chance. It showed me that if someone was almost killed and was willing to give his attacker a second chance then I should be able to forgive others and give them a second chance. It also made me think about some of the things that I have done that I and the second chances that I was given. I realize that I shouldn't take these second chances for granted and that I should take them very seriously. This made me realize it is miportant to think before I act.
Eight years after the shooting and a pilgrimage to Mecca, Bhuiyan decided to not only publicly forgive Stroman for what he had done but he also was fighting to keep him from receiving the death penalty. A few hours before Stroman was executed he talked to Bhuiyan on the phone. Bhuiyan said he never hated Stroman and Stroman thanked him for everything and said that he loved him.Even after the execution Bhuiyan reached out to Stroman's eldest daughter who was dealing with addiction and said to her , "you may have lost a father, but you've gained an uncle."
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| Mark Stroman |
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| Raisuddin Bhuiyan |
Giridharadas gets his point across by directly addressing the audience and explaining what he took away from the story of the two men. He wants to show that as humans we should give second chances and learn to forgivve people for the mistakes they make. He direcly addresses thae audience chahallenging them to embrace the philosophy that he has and be willing to give others second chances. This relates to me because there are times when I have questioned whether I should give someone a second chance or not. This caused me to refelct on the situations I have been in when I didn't want to give someone a second chance. It showed me that if someone was almost killed and was willing to give his attacker a second chance then I should be able to forgive others and give them a second chance. It also made me think about some of the things that I have done that I and the second chances that I was given. I realize that I shouldn't take these second chances for granted and that I should take them very seriously. This made me realize it is miportant to think before I act.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Double Indemnity
In Double Indemnity, like many other male leads in noir films, Walter Neff can be considered weak. Starting with his motivation. The only reason he was involved in the predicament that occured is because of his weak mind. He was distracted by the beauty that he saw in Phyllis Dietrichson. Neff was quick to submit to the request of Mrs. Dietrichson even after he had expressed to her that he was not willing to help her achieve her goal of killing her husband. All it took for him to submit was the presistance of Phyllis. The second time that Phyllis sought assisstance from Neff in her plot against her husband he willingly joined and agreed to help. Neff can also be viewed as a weak coward because of the way that he went about killing Mr. Dietrichson. Mr. Dietrichson was not even given the chance to defend himself. He was killed in a surprise attack. This makes it seem as though Walter was aware that he may not be able to kill Mr. Dietrichson. Neff was aware of how weak he is and was not willing to take any risks so he had to make sure that there was no chance of any defence from Mr. Dietrchison. Walter Neff can also be seen as weak due to his actions after the murder. He was full of fear and was worried that he would be caught. When people became suspicious about the death of Mr. Dietrchison, Neff always appeared nervous. As a result of the nerves he had Neff lied in order to try to shift the blame to someone else.
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