Reflection of This Semester

This was a good semester for me. I loved the in-class discussion and topics that made me think not just about what we were reading, but what could have applied to us in our own lives. I liked reading some of the stories; they were pretty interesting. I found working with partners particularly enjoyable. However, I was frustrated with the large amount of work we had to do outside of class, including outside reading, blog posts, and other mind-numbing work to do on the computer. Those awful couple of weeks when my computer crashed and I had nothing to work on...that was stupid. I'd rather do all my work and turn it in on hard copies than do it on the computer, but I digress. I sometimes found the reading a little tedious, but I did learn a little about the style the author was writing in, so there's a plus. I simply do not have the time to spare on all this outside reading and homework. However, this is an AP class (even if it's a senior AP class) and I guess I'll have to deal with it.

I hope that perhaps there will be less work to do outside of class, and more content-based work inside of class. I'm excited to read my books on my research project for next semester, but I also hope that that will be mostly in-class as well, so I don't have so much to do when I'm at home.

Like I said, this class hasn't been bad to sit through. I've had more fun in AP Senior English than I have in a lot of past classes. However, I just hope we get eased off of so much homework. What can I say? I've been bitten by the senioritis bug.

So....This Thing Called College

I'd rather be a student here than play volleyball at some junior college that can only garuntee me education for two years. I'm just saying. It's the typical sob story that a majority of athletes go through every year: They just aren't quite tall enough, or fast, or whatever else it is that recruiters evaluate young athletes on. Well you're killing a dream by not giving that person a chance. But like I said, my opinion doesn't really matter.

So, if I can't get a volleyball scholarship, I'm just probably gonna settle for going to college in-state. I hear EKU is pretty nice, isn't it? I don't really know much about the colleges in Kentucky. Who knows, maybe I'll keep my job at Outback. I wouldn't mind that. I know it's expensive to move out, too, so it would be smart to stay in my current house.

Okay, that sounds awful. I'm not gonna do that. I'm going to find other scholarships and get through the next eight years (depending on what I want to do). I don't like thinking that there's no point in doing anything or making any important decisions. What's the point of life without obstacles to challenge you? There's no point, really.

My dad says it'll work out. For some reason or other, I don't doubt that.

Makeup blog for 11/1: Negative Nancy Strikes Again

     Sorry, I seemed to forget about this one. Mom's been getting on me about homework and how I have all these missing assignments for this class. I certainly hope a teacher never runs across a student like me again. I may be the laziest piece of work that one could see come ambling through their door, and I doubt any teacher leaves feeling confident in my ability to improve due to said laziness. Seriously, I wouldn't blame any of my English teachers if they thought not-so-kindly of me. I don't know why, but it's only the English classes that I slack off in. Perhaps the overwhelming stress of pre-calc or the ridiculous length of reading assigned by AP Art History that has caused me to stop caring so much in a class I could so easily pass but choose not to. And trust me, this is not me just making an excuse. If only it were that simple. It would be a totally different thing if I wasn't so painfully aware of my grades and how sickeningly, disgustingly close to good (not even perfect) they were.
     I'm not here to preach about the hardships of a student, nor do I care to; Lord knows everyone is already familiar with that speech. I'm not making any excuses because there aren't any. I'm not apoligizing because I know no particular teacher cares about my grades- and apparently neither do I. I know how the world works, and it's my problem.
     I'll figure it out. But I'm just making up a missed blog.

Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture

     Okay, I'll be honest. I don't know that song. But I thought it was relevant because that's was Shakespeare's  name starts with. And he did kind of shake up the world of literature with his revolutionary old style writing that to this day is (sometimes) undecipherable to even the most gifted in understanding Shakespearian diction. Even though, in my opinion, Shakespeare is horrible for forcing teachers to think it's okay to torture their students with trying to read his plays, I can say I admire the orginiality of them (the plays). Many a director has tried (and sometimes failed) to reproduce what Shakespeare thought up in his head.I can only imagine how riveting it would have been to sit (or stand as I understand it) in the audience and watch the actors struggle to personify and memorize those horrendous lines. The story that we are reading right now, for example, would have been thrilling to see. Ghosts and murder. What more could you ask for? Although I can say you would have to be pretty confident in your abilities to act to step up and volunteer for any role- especially a main character -in his plays.
     Perhaps reading Shakespreare is for the best. I can't personally attest to any good it would do me on the outside world to be able to recite the famous "To Be or Not To Be" speech, but I know it might just be advantageous for those who like English and want to major in it in college. And I will grudgingly admit that I may or may not have been enjoying the fact that I can understand a little bit of Hamlet here and there without any help. There's always a bright side I suppose.   

Colorado Mom, You Crazy

     This mother is obviously the overprotective type. And, I'll admit, one of the most overprectitive people I've heard of if she doesn't think that "The Most Dangerous Game" is suitable for her child. That, or the child is just ultra sensitive for some reason. I don't really believe in censoring, unlike this mother here. I think Mark Twain said it best when he stated: "Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." Good one, Twain.
   
     Anyway, I find that if you're literate and smart enough to be in an AP class, then you should be able to read anything you want. It's unfair for a smart kid to have to read dumbed down books just because someone said so. That book or story was chosen for a specific reason. Authors put violence and sex in their stories to get the message across. If you have to put down a book and just think to yourself for a minute about how intense it is, then that means it's working! The author is getting through to you! You're recieveing a message, no matter how revolting it is.

     So don't be the baby that Mark twain talked about that puts everyone down. You aren't forced to read that book or story. I'm sure there's a watered down version of it on the Internet. Find another way to chew that steak and suck it up.

Oedipus Rex And Why I Don't Care

Don't worry, I don't care about the story for reasons you may think, and I certainly don't hate the story of Oedipus Rex. Although the reading is kinda keeping it tough to stay awake sometimes. I don't think the story is boring or doesn't deserve the appreciation it has actually gotten. I don't care about Oedipus Rex just because I've heard about it all four years of high school. I read a simpler version of the play when I was a freshamn, and again when I was a sophmore. In Humanities last year, we went over the story again for two classes and the same thing happened for AP Psychology when we studied Freud and the Oedipal Complex. To me, Oedipus Rex is old news. Yes, he has a fatal flaw. True, he kills his father and marries his mother. Okay. Got it. Thanks for telling me again. Perhaps I was horrified to hear this when I was a freshman, but I don't feel like it deserves my attention anymore. I know that we're just starting a drama unit, but why not cover something fresher? I wouldn't dare ask for Shakespeare (I dread the day when that unit is going to hit me in the face), but why not like a modern drama? Well, that may be too dramatic.

So good job, Oedipus. Really, I know everything about your unfortunate situation. But would you mind sharing the spotlight with other dramas that deserve credit?

Problemos in the Writing Department

     Everyone- includuing myself- has had some difficulty with essays and thesis statements and the like. What's so troubling about writing a few well thought out sentences and proving those thoughts with evidence from the text to back it up? Well, for me it's the style of writing. I am a naturally sarcastic person who likes to ask a lot of rhetorical questions. There's already one in this paragraph. I don't take a scholarly, well-educated tone, because it isn't how I think. No, I'm not saying I'm stupid (different story for a different time), it just takes a lot of thinking and analyzing and time for me to actually transfer my jumbled thoughts into a coherent sentence. Time of which is not on my side. Sometimes, when I'm thinking really hard and looking off in the distance, a teacher will call me out for cheating. They figure since I spend so much time not writing, I'm looking off someone else's paper for ideas.

     And then there's the thesis. I've had problems creating a good thesis ever since I was taught it when I was a junior. It's just hard to write something that could take you forever to think of and it still not be good enough. And the thesis needs to be pretty general, but specific at the same time because you want to be able to tie anything you say in your essay back to it. Dang.

     In other news, the Dunbar Volleyball Team had a great season. I don't know anyone who's had a 30-8 record. 15-0 streak. Nice.

Two Legs vs. Peg Leg: O' Connery Edition

Okay, I'll admit that I didn't intend for the title of this to actually affect what I was going to write. But, I figured that comparing the two stories based on how I saw them and the author's intention was better than summarizing the plots. Less boring.

Anyhow, I enjoyed reading both of these stories. If there was a story to suggest, I would have gone with A Good Man Is Hard To Find. I suppose I find this story more fascinating than Good Country People because it was far more easy to comprehend (I feel bad for saying that) and it was more interesting plot-wise. I understand the message that O' Connor was trying to get across in Good Country People, but I found it boring and not particularly fitting. It was just kind of strange and awkward.

In A Good Man Is Hard To Find, I wasn't surprised at all to see that the old man was, in fact, the Misfit. I found that was one of the problems to O' Conner's stories- they were both fairly predictable. I knew that Hulga was being tricked in Good Country People, and I knew that the old man was the Misfit in A Good Man Is Hard To Find. I didn't know, however, that the family was going to be killed.

Is it bad that I liked when the grandmother died at the end? Well, I didn't like it- I don't like it when anyone dies ever- I just found her particularly annoying and hypocritical. Perhaps that was the author's intention- to allow the audience to view the world like the Misfit does. Which is why we weren't unbelievably sympathetic when the family was murdered.

BREAKTHROUGH?

Existentialism in REAL LIFE

Existentialism is the philosophical belief that the experiences of an individual shape that person as whole, influencing how they act and think. I strongly believe in this philosophy. I may not live my life through it, but I have noticed that certain types of experiences do change poeple. Unfortunately, I've noticed that the experiences are more negative and people learn negatively from that.

For example, when my father was about 20 years old, his mother died. When he learns this, his attitude on life turns for the worse and suddenly he's one of the more cynical people of the world, who doesn't trust people and believes everyone is out to destroy him in their own self interests. Or so I've been told. He's calmed down a little since he's had kids. That experience in his life shaped his attitude for a very long time until he was able to cope with the loss.

I've learned from my own physical experiences as well. Not to be cliche, but, yes, volleyball is the main reason why I have the attitude I have. I've had good coaches and bad ones, ones that loved to scream, and give me the silent treatment. Players and how I personally play affect my confidence- not just when playing volleyball but in all aspects of life. If I can't do it on the court, why should I be able to do it in the classroom or any social situation? I'm a confident/sarcastic person because I've learned to brush off the small stuff and come back with a vengeance. It's simply who I am now, and I don't think any decent amount of phsyciatric care can fix that.

Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?: Mindblowing?

      The story we most recently read was Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Okay, perhaps the story wasn't toally mindblowing. In fact, I found it one of the stranger ones I've ever read. And I've read a lot of strange stories. We all read the story, all had the discussion. We all know what the story was about. I just find it frankly odd that we were able to pick out the religious allusions. I had to google the story the night before to even suggest to my own group that perhaps the character Arnold Friend was the Devil. I was aware that the name sounded like Arch Fiend, but I had no idea that meant Satan. I also didn't know that the title may have meant something religious. Actually the title came almost verbatum from the Bible. I didn't even pick up on the three 24's until Mr. Mullins pointed it out. Quick math told me this was also a reference to the Devil's number (which I will not say, nor type because of religious superstition). I need to work on picking out important details like that if I'm going to survive this class. Dang. Despite this downfall of mine, I found that last in-class discussing more or less riveting, so that's a plus.  

Hills Like White Elephants Analysis

     This was one of the stranger stoires I've had to read. I understand what the author was trying to tell us and all that, but I find the actual story somewhat....forgettable. I couldn't tell you what the characters said to each other, other than the quote: "the hills looks like white elephants, don't they," or something like that. Not to be rude, I just find this specific point of view less powerful than others. It's too abstract in my opinion.

       This story just didn't capture my attention. Usually, I save the reading until the very end of the day until I'm in bed. This wasn't an exception, of course-- I have a routine. Anyway, these stories that are assigned to us are (to me) easy to read and they do a good job at being at least a little interesting. This story, however, wasn't. I can imagine, though, that the author thought that this perspective was more creative and overall a bit more mysterious than others. Which it was. I just didn't find it entertaining.

        I hate to criticize any literary fiction because I don't want to seem like one of those people who have to be spoonfed all the details. Why else would I take AP Senior English? Regardless, I learned a lot from this work even though I didn't like it as much.

Thoughts on The Lesson

Even though we covered the theme of this short story in class a little, I wanted to give my opinion on it. I believe that there were many things the author wanted us to take from her story. For example, there may have been many themes. I think there were two.

The first one is, obviously, that people who spend their riches on trivial items such as material goods, are undeserving of their wealth. Like in the story, the children gawk over the price of a paperweight- $400- when they themselves don't even have a desk or paper to put a weight on. The children also obsess over a $1,000 sailboat, that may or may not have been equipped with a motor. They muse over their own homemade sailboats, resolving with the statement "white people crazy."

Before they enter the store, however, one girl stops the teacher and asks, "can we steal?" I find this to be another underlying theme, one that people aren't supposed to notice as much as the main one. Of course, Miss Moore, the teacher, blanches in horror and immediately says no. However, the fact that this child would have the nerve to ask such a thing to an authority figure tells something about the environment she grew up in. An environment where it was okay to commit criminal acts, just so long as they weren't caught. Perhaps the author is trying to say that the environment children grow up around hinders there responses to moral situations. Or that the ghetto is no place to live. Either one, really (I like the first one).  

Thoughts on Senior Year

 Ah, procrastiantion at its finest. Most seniors this year have yet to even fill out college applications, me being one of them. Props to you, if you already have. These past seventeen years have flown by, and I fear the worst for my furture self, because as of late, I haven't been able to find one single thing that interests me for a future job. My parents always ask, "Well, what do you like doing in school?" And I always answer with an honest "nothing." Because it's true. Everything feels like a requirement, and nothing is fun anymore like it was way back when. It's all quite challenging, and "here's an F if you don't understand what I'm trying to teach you."

Regardeless, the pressure is on to make something out of my life, and I have to decide what to do-- now. There are many colleges out there, and I'm sure I'll find one. But what I'm not sure about is if I'm ready to leave the security of my own home and venture out into the Big Unknown, ready to strike down any obstacles that head my way with the "knowledge" I have obtained over the years.

Ah, well. "Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end." --Unknown

This is new...

        So, I've never blogged before. And with the little restrictions we've been given for these assignments, I suppose I'm free to type up pretty much anything that relates to what we do in class. I know for a fact that we have a lot of homework, but it all seems doable. The problem is finding the time to do it between the extracarricular activities and all the other homework from other classes. Oh well.
    
       Recently, we read some short stories that, to me at least, seem to have been more commercial fiction than literary. Both The Most Dangerous Game and The Tiger Child (or whatever the title is) kept mhy interest throughout the book. I'm not saying I'm one for violence, but I think this type of action story is better than any poem I'll ever read.