Journal 17 - Reflection On The Quarter

This is the end of the second quarter which is really depressing because everyone says that the second semester goes by the quickest and honestly I do not feel ready to go to college. College is a scary thought because there are so many adjustments I will have to make. I will have new teachers, which is very sad because I love all the teachers I have and I truly connect with my teachers, I am afraid it is not going to be like that in college. I will have to figure out the set up the new school which is always stressful, it gives me anxiety when I do not know where I have to go or the place I am in. This year has been great so far, I love all my classes and I have fun with all the students and teachers. In peculiar AP Literature has been a fun year from slam poem, which are very entertaining to listen to. Since I missed the first slam poem I didn't have the opportunity to read Gabbie’s and mine or listen to Frank’s famous slam poem. I was so happy I was able to partake in the recent slam poem, from Jerrell singing and everyone else being scared to go after his performance to Frank’s cliff hanger story, which I still really want to know the ending to. The slam poem was such a good idea I am glad we did it.  We had a lesson on short stories this year and I really enjoyed some of the stories but others not so much, I also enjoyed the discussions that everyone participated in. I felt like it was a good way for everyone to express what their feelings were towards the story.  Even if I did not really like the story like the “Yellow Wallpaper” I was glad we had a discussion and I was able to express what I was thinking when I was reading it. Another reason I liked the discussions is that I was able to see how other people viewed the story.  We read a novella, Anthem, which I really enjoyed it because of the dystopian society in it. I really enjoyed how we were able to take turns being the leaders of the discussions it made us feel like we had a little power, but also when we were leaders we had more chances to tell others our opinions. AP Literature has been a fun class where we had the ability to express our true literature genius and express who we truly are. Thanks for making this class so much fun. My other classes have been fun too, one of the major changes I had with my class is that we switched from having Mrs. Binaco to having Mr. La for SPIRIT, but besides that nothing else happened. This quarter has been a fun quarter so much has happened good times and bad times I feel like it has all mad my relationships with my friends and family members stronger and I feel blessed for that. I am excited for the next few months because I know there are so many fun things to come like formal on February 8^th, Senior Ball and the Boston trip, but I am sad that I am going to be leaving BK since I have been here for 6 years, it is like a second home. I plan to make the best of the short time I have left at BK and thanks for helping me make this the most memorable time in my life.

Journal 16 - Song

Demi Lovato’s version of Let It GoLet it go, let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, Let it go Turn my back and slam the doorThe snow glows white on the mountain tonight Not a footprint to be seen A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside Couldn't keep it in Heaven knows I triedDon't let them in, don't let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know Well now they knowLet it go, let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, let it go Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I'll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anywayIt's funny how some distance makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all Up here in the cold thin air I finally can breathe I know I left a life behind but I'm too relieved to greiveLet it go, Let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, Let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I'll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anywayStanding - frozen in the life I've chosen You won't find me, the past is so behind me Buried in the snowLet it go, let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I'll stay Let it go, let it go The cold never bothered me anyway... (let the music go on)And here I'll stay Let it go, let it go Oooooh let it go.

Idina Menzel’s version of “Let It Go”The snow glows white on the mountain tonight Not a footprint to be seen A kingdom of isolation, And it looks like I’m the Queen
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go Can’t hold it back anymore Let it go, let it go Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care What they’re going to say Let the storm rage on, The cold never bothered me anyway
It’s funny how some distance Makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me Can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free
Let it go, let it go I am one with the wind and sky Let it go, let it go You’ll never see me cry
Here I stand And here I'll stay Let the storm rage on
My power flurries through the air into the ground My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast I’m never going back, The past is in the past
Let it go, let it go And I'll rise like the break of dawn Let it go, let it go That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand In the light of day Let the storm rage on, The cold never bothered me anyway

            Transcendentalism was a philosophy where there are many different beliefs. They believed in ideals like being your own person and not conforming to anything.  Two famous transcendentalists writers are Emerson and Thoreau.  There are many current songs that contain transcendentalist ideas like  “I Am What I Am” by the Jonas Brothers, “Say” by John Mayer, “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson and “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. These are only a few songs that contain transcendentalist ideas.

This song is called “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel, it is featured in the new Disney movie Frozen. This song features the transcendentalist idea of not conforming to society. When she says “let it go let it go. Can’t hold it back anymore” she is admitting that she does not want to be act different anymore. She does not want to conform to her society and acts as if she does not have the magical powers that she does.  She expresses many time throughout this song that she wants to be her own person and does not care what people are going to say “ I don’t care . What they’re going to say. Let the storm rage on, The cold never bothered me anyways.”.  One of Thoreau’s famous quotes is “ This world is but a canvas to our imagination”, this song demonstrates that Elsa, who is the girl singing the song feels that she now ready to feel free and  not allow anything to keep her down, she can do anything in the world and she believes that she has the opportunity to do great things. She now has the chance to live up to her full potential. She can be free and express herself through her power.  Emerson is another famous transcendentalist writer , one of his famous quotes is “write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.”. This song connects to that an aphorism because Elsa does not care what people think about herself and she is now living for herself. She is living the way she always wanted to, not being afraid of what others think and expressing herself with her powers. She is living each day like it is the best day ever and live the life that you are happy with. This song express the idea of not conforming to the ideas of each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHue-HaXXzg  (Demi’s version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk (Idina’s version)

Journal 15 - Emerson and Thoreau Quotes

One of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quotes us “Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true”. I really like this quote because of how powerful the words are, they are speaking to everyone and saying that you should go for your dreams, do not let life pass you by make your life worth living. This is very important in today’s society because many people are not going for their dreams, they are not trying to make their dreams come true, they are taking the tradition route and attempting to do the best they can with the life they are living. They do not like taking risk and that is what is involved when it comes to going for your dreams. I agree that everyone should go for their dreams because if they don’t then what is meaning in your life. I think that Emerson is trying to put emphasis on his ideal of not conforming to other people and being the individual that you are.

One of Henry David Thoreau’s famous quotes is “ it takes two to speak the truth: one to speak and another one to hear”. This quote is also very powerful because it literally speaks the truth about truth. I really like this quotes because it tells how important the truth is , and how it involved everyone it is not just a one person road.  It means that in order to speak the truth you truly have to believe it. You should not say something is the truth if you do not truly believe it. This connects with this society mainly in high school, if people truly believed this and followed this then there would be no such thing as gossip. This belief would make this world a better place because people’s reputations would not be tarnished if people stopped to think before they said something and determined if they truly believe what they were going to spread to another person.  Thoreau’s quote would change so many lives if people followed it. 

Journal 14 - Anthem Quote

The passage from Anthem I chose is on page 96 “ I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from the. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. I am neither foe nor friends to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer- by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned.”(page 96). I chose this quote  because I feel that it is very important because Equality also known as Prometheus now finally realizes that it is ok to be different and that no one owns you. He realizes that he is an individual and does not owe anything to the people that he use to live with.  He realizes how corrupt their society was and does not want to have anything to do with that peculiar society. He states that he is not a friend but he is not enemies with them, he has a mutual feeling towards them. He does not want to live in a society where people are reprehended for being different or showing their individualism. Equality wants to learn more that the world has to offer him. Equality is discovering what it likes to live in our society, meaning he is learned to have freedom to express ourselves and he enjoys it. This quote represents the break Equality makes from his old society. He is never going back to that society, he wants to live with the Golden One in the forbidden forest and learn all that the world has in it. He is developing to his own person and learning things that he never even though of. This is important because it shows how Equality has changed his life from living in his current society to living with the Golden One in freedom. 

Journal 13 - Ayn Rand Quote

The quote “ But why should you care what people will say? All you have to do is please yourself”, written by Ayn Rand is powerful and meaningful.  I think that this quotes means that you should not care what others think about you as long as you like what you are doing to yourself, that’s all that truly matters. It is important to do things for yourself and not to just please other people because in the end it will end up hurting yourself because you will not be happy with the person you are. Ayn Rand made a powerful statement by saying this, we all know she is against collectivism so this does fit into her beliefs because it is promoting thinking about yourself, but it is interesting that this quote fits in our society today so well. Today our generation has struggled with trying to get the latest technology just to fit in and not be judged by the people around you. People today care too much about their appearance and the items they have instead of what they want themselves and what truly makes them happy. This quote is inspiring because sometimes I truly care what people think but at other moments I am like I could care less because I am the only that has to like what I am wearing or doing. I want to try to live by this quote more often but sometimes you do have to care like in a job interview. This quote is very important in our society today.

The quote “ You can avoid reality , but you cannot avoid consequences of avoiding reality”, written by Ayn Rand is another powerful quote. This quote means that you can stay outside of what is occurring around you and just do you but in the end the consequences of just doing you will catch up with you. If you only do things for yourself and not pay attention to what is occurring around you it will end badly because you will be disengaged from the society around you not understand what is happening in the world. When you are not connected to the world around you , you cannot experience the things around you which makes for a boring life. you need to be able to have fun and enjoy the life. When you block yourself out of the events happening around you , there is a chance that you might miss something that is important and essential to you.  Do not disengage from society. 

Journal 12 - Ayn Rand Ecology

This quote means that environmentalist are trying to go back to cavemen times and take technology and everything back to the old days. `I do not agree with Ayn Rand, I think that she is not looking at the big picture. In order to help keep this planet healthy and able to keep human beings surviving, then we all have to help the earth and keep it safe. Ayn Rand is condemning saving whales and saving aquatic animals from being killing and from potential becoming extinct.  It is interesting that Ayn Rand feels that environmentalism is basically a sin and wrong but she is not seeing that in order to survive we have to do these things. We have to save the trees because they give us oxygen which allows us to continue to breathe each day. The true goal of environmentalism is to save the earth and the animals on the earth, it is not to demolish the technological advances the world has made but rather encourage them to find a way to be beneficial to helping the earth stay clean and healthy.  I feel like the meaning of the word ecology is different now than what it used to be which is why Ayn Rand could be saying what she is about technology. Also technology has advanced a lot since Ayn Rand said this and maybe she likes some of the new technology so it could be possible that she might change her mind about ecology now.  I strongly agree that we should not go back to caveman times. 

Journal 11 - Equality's World

In Equality’s world  the  only information that the people know is the information that leaders wanted them  to know. It is different in our world society but in a sense the information that we do not know technically does not exist. For example how in the ocean we do not have the technology to go as deep as the ocean goes  and they think that there are more creatures that live down there but we are not possible of what they are. So technically you could consider that they do not exist because  we  do not know what they are. In Equality’s society  they believe that  only  information that they know is the only information in the world, they know everything in the world already. In our society we believe that there is still information out there that needs to be discovered and at this moment it doesn’t exist but that does not mean it will not exist later life. That is the difference between our society and Equality’s world is that in our world we understand that all the information has not yet been discovered and believe that more information will be discovered. We do not believe that our world is always revolving and changing so new information is always coming into the world. Equality’s world is based on the belief that all the information is already discovered  in the world. I believe that there is never going to be a point in our world where we learned and discovered everything that is out there in the world. So our world will keep getting better and changing while Equality's world will remain the same.

Journal 10 - individualism

 When I think of some one’s “self” I think of their personality, beliefs and values. “Self” is not the physical part of your body but the mental, spiritual and emotional, however someone is able to establish themselves in society by their appearance which includes their physical appearance and the way they express themselves through their words. I think it is always hard to separate yourself from what you were raised in because you grew up in it and became so used to it that you feel it is a part of who you truly are. When I think of people separating themselves I think of the drastic cases where the people change their whole appearance and mind set , in attempt to change who they are. I also think of the people that try to establish who they are by trying different things. Separating yourself from what your grew up in is probably one of the hardest things people do, but you don’t have to change everything, I think you just need to establish your own ideas and have your own mind set. Which means think for yourself not for others. I think the fact that I am so loud, strong opinionated and I stand up for what I believe in is what established me as my own “self”. It is hard to think about yourself and wonder what makes you different or know to others. I know everyone is not the same  but they may have the same belief on a topic. I believe that everyone in this society has the ability to express themselves as an individual but in Anthem’s society the people do not have the ability express themselves or show their individualism. Individualism is key to being your own person.  

Journal 9- Ayn Rand Quote

This quotes by Ayn Rand is very power but I am not positive she is correct on all the subjects. I believe that a large majority of people truly do what they want and dream, but there are also those people that do things  for others. Many people go into a certain career because their parents want them too and they want their parents approval. They are giving up on their dream because they are not sure of what they want to do with their life and only want their parents to be proud of them. I believe that there are people out in the world that do what they want because they truly want it not because their parents or friends want.  My mom has told me many times to become child Doctor but I never in my life wanted to be that , my dream was always to be a lawyer and that is what I am going to college for. I am not going to be a doctor just because my mom wants me to, I want to follow my own dreams. Another thought is that people are motivated by other because they do not do anything that they have not seen before.  I would never have wanted to be a lawyer if I never saw any of the TV shows with lawyers, or if I never knew my father’s friend who is a lawyer. There has been so many different things that have inspired me. I will admit that my motivations to get good grades and do something with my life are because of my parents and siblings, because I want to make them all proud. Also for items that are on TV they are very motivating and convince me to buy their products. This quote is correct and incorrect, on certain topics it is not right and on others it is very correct. Now that I am thinking about it I feel like it more correct than it is false.

Journal 8 - Past Events in a Character's Life

             Khaled Hosseini is an amazing author who creates works of literature that grasps the author and allows them to envision what his vision is. The Kite Runner is one of his recent books that shows the readers that his characters are affected by the past. One of the major instances that comes to mind is when Amir saw his best friend Hassan getting sexual assaulted by other boys. Amir had the opportunity to help Hassan and maybe he would never have been harmed if Amir intervened. This situation eats at Amir because he realizes that he should have stood up for his friend and conquered his fear, even though Amir was afraid of the boys he should have helped his friend.  This event in Amir’s history affects his life more than other events. He loses his friend Hassan because Hassan’s father decides to leave as a result of Amir’s actions.  The guilty of not helping a friend  eats away at him and he becomes a different person. He never wants to hang out with Hassan anymore because he is scared of what might occur. He usually stays in his room after this event occurs. Amir acts differently towards Hassan, after his party he puts his money and watch underneath Hassan’s so that his father would think he took it from Amir. Amir did not want Hassan to live with him anymore because he feels so guilty. So he devised a plan to get his dad to ask them to leave, but to Amir’s shock his father said he forgave Hassan . Hassan and his father felt it was best for both of them to leave so they do not have to get hurt from Amir anymore. Hassan was such a good friend, he took a beating and he lied for Amir. The past actions of Amir resulted in a loss of the best friend (and step brother) he ever had.  Amir’s and Hassan relationship was once at a point where they were inseparable and after these events it changed forever. After Hassan and his father left Amir never saw him again. After these events Amir changes his perspective on life, he changes because he never wants to hurt people together. Past events are very important to characters in this story, sometimes it can cause a character to change the person they are for the better. 

Journal 7 - Point of View Element

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini uses many different elements to help engage the reader and help the reader envision the story in their own eyes. The Point of View of this novel is first person. Amir the protagonist is telling the readers they story. This is key because we only see the events through his eyes with his feelings and thoughts about them. The reader does not have the chance to see the story from the different perspective, but also this is a good thing because the audience learns the events firsthand.  This character is the main focus of the novel, because it revolves around his life, it includes where he grew up, his friends, family, traditions and adventures. The audience see the story through his life because it is about his life. Since this is in this specific point of view it allows the audience to see only the limited view that Amir sees. Since this is in the first person it allows the audience to feel a connection with the characters and it makes the text more meaningful. To the reader it is not just a story it is a life story about Amir’s life and the adventures he took, the obstacles he accomplished and the struggles he faced. When Amir says “When we were children, Hassan and I used to climb the popular trees in the driveway of my fathers’ house and annoy our neighbors by reflecting sunlight into their homes with a shard of mirror”(chapter 2 page 13) because it is in first person it makes his life stories more personable and relatable, if that story was told in a different point of view it would sound very strange. I enjoy first person point of views better because I feel I am able to connect to the character more often and I enjoy doing that when I am reading my novel.

Journal 6 - Free Response- Kite Runner

Today I continued to read the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, this book is so interesting, there is never a moment when I am reading this book that I get bored or sick of the story. There is always something new happening in the story or some kind of twist. As of today I read the part of the book when Baba and Amir are trying to escape their old life including their house because it has been overtaken and  become a dangerous place to live. They came across a Russian soldier and this part was very intense because when the gun went off I thought for sure that Baba was killed, but luckily he was not. Baba was standing up for his beliefs and the soldier was not taking it so he attempted to shoot him. Another officer came over and apologized for the officers behavior and said that they are too young to be here fighting and when they arrived they learned of a peculiar drug that, that man was on so he apologized for the man’s behavior towards Baba. This book has always kept me interested and always kept me on my toes. Khaled is a fantastic author, his writing become vivid images in the readers mind. Khaled Hosseini is a writer who creates clear and precise works of literature. The stories he has written from A Thousand Splendid Suns to Kite Runner and now And the Mountains Echoed, he has always created a story that I loved and feel apart of. He makes the audience feel like they are apart of the story and are connected to the character. I really enjoy reading his books and I am excited to finish this book and start is most current book And the Mountains Echoed.