devin's reflective essay final

        This school year is coming to an end. As I look back at all the posts I have published, I  found out that a popular topic that I write about is sports. I have posted forty nine blog posts and I have seven posts about sports which is more than any other topic. Other topics include technology, debates and book reviews. Then, there are the usual response posts that are assigned for homework. I am sure inspiration influences my topic selection. What I will examine and analyze is how I choose what to write about and how blogging is different from normal writing assignments.
       The post that surprises me the most is the post about my predictions of the upcoming NFL season. This is because it is a prediction post and if I get it wrong, people might rip on me. Before the season had even started, someone had already disagreed with me. In the end, I did get it wrong in terms of who will win the Super Bowl in this quote, “Super Bowl champion are the colts. They lost the Super Bowl game last year, but they will come back and win this year.” It was not the Colts but the Packers that would go on to win the Super Bowl. Luckily, no one gave me a hard time for that. My format for this post was to analyze each division and league in football and predict who will come out victorious. Then, I predicted the who would be the worst teams and even the match ups in the playoffs. For this post, I had to refer to a sports site so I could remember which teams were in which division. Then, I analyzed each division and picked a winner. Out of the winners, I picked the best team to win the championship. It is much like a bracket. My inspiration came from the hype created before the NFL season. There were many story lines including why they let a player go and coaches who were in danger of being fired. I was part of this hype because I love football. I was also compelled to write about this because this was a new style of writing in which the piece is about something in the future rather than a piece about something that has happened. Overall, I was intrigued by this form of writing and it seemed to work fine as there were no harsh replies or responses.
       This open ended writing is different from other writing assignments because there are fewer requirements. Sure there are minimum word requirements as well as the need for CDs but that is mostly it. The voice doesn’t have to be formal as in this quote,”I agree that having an oc as head coach helps the offense, but the problem is finding a replacement.” Part of informal writing includes the use of acronyms such as oc (which means offensive coordinator). However, other writing assignments don’t allow informal words because there isn’t really an audience except the teacher. Blogging has more audience as it is published on the web. Voice isn’t the only difference. Assignments in writing class force us to meet page requirements. This page requirement is usually longer than one page and that makes me very sad. There is also a different essay style for every large essay. We could be doing compare and contrast and then switch to persuasion. For blogging, anything that is appropriate can be written and there are no guidelines restricting you. There will be no specific points that tell you how to write a classification essay. Blogs can range from sports to politics to the environment. The posts can be totally random and free. I prefer the more open structure of blogging better over the academic essays.
       I get my ideas from the media. This is because the media is very influential and you can’t escape it. Media includes news and especially for me, sports. This is also a form of media,”Facebook is an addicting website and I have to admit it's distracting when I do my homework. There are a ton of stuff to do on that site.” I have to say that Facebook is a form of media and I was inspired to write about it because i use it. It’s all about the media. I would not write about something that I don’t know about as it may result in misinformation and fallacies. Popular news topics are something that can be researched about and is worth three hundred and fifty words. Another thing that inspires me to write are my grades. This means posting two blog posts every week and responding to books that i have read in class. An example is this,”In The House on Mango Street, the window is a symbol. What is this symbol?” The books give me a topic to write about because I can focus on one element of the book and I don’t have to contemplate as much about what to write about. Basically, the book is the inspiration. However, the media is more influential than books because the former has more info than the latter.
       My goals for next quarter are plenty. First, I have to learn how to analyze books more quickly. This will allow me to get on my blog post faster instead of spending time looking for evidence. Right now, I am pretty slow at finding evidence and often have to refer back to the book to find more evidence. Another goal I have is to get past writer’s block. I believe this will be the hardest obstacle to get past because there is nothing you can do about it except think, maybe for a very long time. Defeating writer’s block will allow me to finish blog posts faster. Even in this post I encountered writer’s block. My final goal is to write more about sports. Sports is year round and there is plenty to blog about. A ton of info is waiting for me whether the sports news is recent like the 2011 baseball season or in the past like the 2001 football season. It’s like oil. I just have to tap into this resource. These are my goals for next quarter.

the real final book review

For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)  
If you've read other books by this same author, how does this one compare? (You don't need to decide which one is better, although you can.)
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.         
        Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a fictional book by J.K. Rowling. This novel follows a boy, Harry Potter, who discovers that he is a wizard. He enrolls in a school that teaches magic.There, he has mysteries to solve.
        Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling is a book for children as well as teens. The simple explanation: it's about magic. However, I have to use CDs and CMs so here goes. "'He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.'" If adults read this quote, they would immediately think that this book is so immature and there are no such things as witches and wizards. That would be the end of it. Besides they have better things to do like do the taxes and watch news. However, younger people might have more interest in this magical world. It is easier for them to get sucked into this book. This novel helps youngsters get away from the cruel reality of the world and into a magical one.
        The cover wouldn't appeal to adults. People are told not to judge a book by its cover, but they still do. The cover shows a boy riding on a broomstick who is trying to catch a golden ball. In the background, there is a unicorn on a field and a three headed dog inside a gigantic castle. This type of illustration would appeal more to the younger generation.
        I would recommend this book to youth if I wasn't too lazy and uninterested to do so. It's useful if you want to pass time(whether it be in a waiting room or in a boring class). The beginning isn't slow and it doesn't have problems when introducing ideas. New ideas just blend into the plot and are not out of place. There is nothing that is too bloody to give children nightmares as this is not a horror book. In addition, the vocabulary is not overly advanced. A fifth grader could probably understand this book. The book is not too short or too long(only 309 pages). As a result, the plot is complete without dragging the story out too long to the point where a reader may fall asleep after reading several hundred pages. However if you are looking for action, this book would not satisfy you. The main character has not learned enough magic yet to engage in major duels. It is more of a detective novel because the main characters try to find a culprit.
The other books written by J.K. Rowling that I have read are all in the Harry Potter series.I believe this book is relatively short compared to all those other Harry Potter novels. However, this one is just as good if not better than most of the other books in the series. They have similar styles too. What makes the novels so alike?
        To provide an example, I will use a quote from the book. "It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls..."(Rowling, 307). In the whole series, Harry does crazy stuff that normal people don't do and goes on a lot of adventures. Obviously, Rowling designed this character to be like this. There is also a consistent style in the plot that the author utilizes. Before the school year, Harry stays with the Dudleys. Then the plot always starts with mysteries that are unlocked piece by piece as the year goes on. In the end, the action often involves the defense against the dark arts teacher who opposes Harry (it is said that the job is cursed). The old teacher is always gone the next year. Finally, Harry goes back to live with the Dudleys (except in the last book).
        Like I said before, this one is short compared to the other books in the series (only 309 pages). The fifth book in the series is over 700 pages long! There is not as much spell usage because the main character has not learned enough to use them. In later books, Harry will use more spells. This is the only book where house points are a big deal. Hogwarts is split into four houses and whichever house has the most points by the end of the year wins the trophy. However in later books, house points are not as significant. If I had to say which book was the best in the series, I would say it was the fourth one. That one was better than this one, but I still like the one I'm reading, not to take anything away from this one.
        A character I would like to look at is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. To start with, his personality is very calm. He doesn't become angry and never panics in the face of danger. He seems like a very cheerful man from what Harry says. In addition, he is very knowledgable . He knows everything that is going on in his school as well as the world. He knows that Voldemort, the villian, will strike again. Dumbledore can also be very affirmative and threatening. He bluntly warns that a section of the school is forbidden and that absolutely no one can go there. He also is rumored to be the only one Voldemort fears. He is a powerful wizard and he is praised by supporters and students. Dumbledore is so famous that he has his own trading card and is offered a job as a minister. His relationship to Harry is a friendly one. He offers Harry a spot in Hogwarts. However there are few interactions between Dumbledore and Harry in the novel. He doesn't consciously look after Harry even though he knows he is the one who can defeat Voldemort. It seems like a one way relationship in which only Harry is interested in what Dumbledore is doing. This may be because he is so busy all the time.
        To recap, I think this book is good. I believe that it doesn't contain a whole lot of action, but it is just a precursor to the next books in the series. It's fictional so the intended audience are the children and teens. It's interesting to see how Dumbledore and Harry interact in  this and later books. You should read this novel.

peer review comments

for cristian:
First off, the first sentence is a fragment. Other than that, I think this is fine. I would like you to explain what the other two ministries in 1984 do. Nice use of comparisons in par. 7.
for ebone:
I congratulate you for picking a challenging book for this assignment. I find it interesting that back then women sometimes held top jobs. I have to ask if the notes at the end of the book are useful?
for victor:
Can you post the questions at the top like the assignment says? I think that it's good to describe what autism is because the reader can understand why the character is doing all this stuff. I find it astounding that he knows immediately what 251 times 864.

final book review

For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)  
If you've read other books by this same author, how does this one compare? (You don't need to decide which one is better, although you can.)
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.         Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a fictional book by J.K. Rowling. This novel follows a boy, Harry Potter, who discovers that he is a wizard. He enrolls in a school that teaches magic.There, he has mysteries to solve.
        Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling is a book for children as well as teens. The simple explanation: it's about magic. However, I have to use CDs and CMs so here goes. "'He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.'" If adults read this quote, they would immediately think that this book is so immature and there are no such things as witches and wizards. That would be the end of it. However, younger people might have more interest in this magical world. It is easier for them to get sucked into this book. This novel helps youngsters get away from the cruel reality of the world and into a magical one.
        The cover wouldn't appeal to adults. People are told not to judge a book by its cover, but they still do. The cover shows a boy riding on a broomstick who is trying to catch a golden ball. In the background, there is a unicorn on a field and a three headed dog inside a gigantic castle. This type of illustration would appeal more to the younger generation.
        I would recommend this book to youth if I wasn't too lazy and uninterested to do so. It's useful if you want to pass time(whether it be in a waiting room or in a boring class). The beginning isn't slow and it doesn't have problems when introducing ideas. New ideas just blend into the plot and are not out of place. There is nothing that is too bloody to give children nightmares as this is not a horror book. The vocabulary is not overly advanced. A fifth grader could probably understand this book. The book is not too short or too long(only 309 pages). As a result, the plot is complete without dragging the story out too long to the point where a reader may fall asleep after reading several hundred pages. However if you are looking for action, this book would not satisfy you. The main character has not learned enough magic yet to engage in major duels. It is more of a detective novel because the main characters try to find a culprit.
The other books written by J.K. Rowling that I have read are all in the Harry Potter series.I believe this book is relatively short compared to all those other Harry Potter novels. However, this one is just as good if not better than most of the other books in the series. They have similar styles too. What makes the novels so alike?
        To provide an example, I will use a quote from the book. "It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls..."(Rowling, 307). In the whole series, Harry does crazy stuff that normal people don't do and goes on a lot of adventures. Obviously, Rowling designed this character to be like this. There is also a consistent style in the plot that the author utilizes. Before the school year, Harry stays with the Dudleys. Then the plot always starts with mysteries that are unlocked piece by piece as the year goes on. In the end, the action often involves the defense against the dark arts teacher who opposes Harry (it is said that the job is cursed). The old teacher is always gone the next year. Finally, Harry goes back to live with the Dudleys (except in the last book).
        Like I said before, this one is short compared to the other books in the series (only 309 pages). The fifth book in the series is over 700 pages long! There is not as much spell usage because the main character has not learned enough to use them. In later books, Harry will use more spells. This is the only book where house points are a big deal. Hogwarts is split into four houses and whichever house has the most points by the end of the year wins the trophy. However in later books, house points are not as significant. If I had to say which book was the best in the series, I would say it was the fourth one. That one was better than this one, but I still like the one I'm reading, not to take anything away from this one.
        A character I would like to look at is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. To start with, his personality is very calm. He doesn't become angry and never panics in the face of danger. He seems like a very cheerful man from what Harry says. In addition, he is very knowledgable . He knows everything that is going on in his school as well as the world. He knows that Voldemort, the villian, will strike again. Dumbledore can also be very affirmative and threatening. He bluntly warns that a section of the school is forbidden and that absolutely no one can go there. He also is rumored to be the only one Voldemort fears. He is a powerful wizard and he is praised by supporters and students. Dumbledore is so famous that he has his own trading card and is offered a job as a minister. His relationship to Harry is a friendly one. He offers Harry a spot in Hogwarts. However there are few interactions between Dumbledore and Harry in the novel. He doesn't consciously look after Harry even though he knows he is the one who can defeat Voldemort. It seems like a one way relationship in which only Harry is interested in what Dumbledore is doing. This may be because he is so busy all the time.
        To recap, I think this book is good. I believe that it doesn't contain a whole lot of action, but it is just a precursor to the next books in the series. It's fictional so the intended audience are the children and teens. It's interesting to see how Dumbledore and Harry interact in  this and later books. You should read this novel.

second blog post prewrite 4/13

        The other books written by J.K. Rowling that I have read are all in the Harry Potter series.I believe this book is relatively short compared to all those other Harry Potter novels. However, this one is just as good if not better than most of the other books in the series. They have similar styles too. What makes the novels so alike?
        To provide an example, I will use a quote from the book. "It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls..."(Rowling, 307). In the whole series, Harry does crazy stuff that normal people don't do and goes on a lot of adventures. Obviously, Rowling designed this character to be like this. There is also a consistent style in the plot that the author utilizes. Before the school year, Harry stays with the Dudleys. Then the plot always starts with mysteries that are unlocked piece by piece as the year goes on. In the end, the action often involves the defense against the dark arts teacher who opposes Harry (it is said that the job is cursed). The old teacher is always gone the next year. Finally, Harry goes back to live with the Dudleys (except in the last book).
        Like I said before, this one is short compared to the other books in the series (only 309 pages). The fifth book in the series is over 700 pages long! There is not as much spell usage because the main character has not learned enough to use them. In later books, Harry will use more spells. This is the only book where house points are a big deal. Hogwarts is split into four houses and whichever house has the most points by the end of the year wins the trophy. However in later books, house points are not as significant. If I had to say which book was the best in the series, I would say it was the fourth one. That one was better than this one, but I still like the one I'm reading, not to take anything away from this one.

book review prewrite-1 question

        Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling is a book for children as well as teens. The simple explanation: it's about magic. However, I have to use CDs and CMs so here goes. "'He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.'" If adults read this quote, they would immediately think that this book is so immature and there are no such things as witches and wizards. That would be the end of it. However, younger people might have more interest in this magical world. It is easier for them to get sucked into this book. This novel helps youngsters get away from the cruel reality of the world and into a magical one.
        The cover wouldn't appeal to adults. People are told not to judge a book by its cover, but they still do. The cover shows a boy riding on a broomstick who is trying to catch a golden ball. In the background, there is a unicorn on a field and a three headed dog inside a gigantic castle. This type of illustration would appeal more to the younger generation.
        I would recommend this book to youth if I wasn't too lazy and uninterested to do so. It's useful if you want to pass time(whether it be in a waiting room or in a boring class). The beginning isn't slow and it doesn't have problems when introducing ideas. New ideas just blend into the plot and are not out of place. There is nothing that is too bloody to give children nightmares as this is not a horror book. The vocabulary is not overly advanced. A fifth grader could probably understand this book. The book is not too short or too long(only 309 pages). As a result, the plot is complete without dragging the story out too long to the point where a reader may fall asleep after reading several hundred pages. However if you are looking for action, this book would not satisfy you. The main character has not learned enough magic yet to engage in major duels. It is more of a detective novel because the main characters try to find a culprit.

reading through students' vignettes and finding a symbol

        According to the American Century Dictionary, alcohol is a colorless volatile flammable liquid. Whenever I hear about alcohol, I think about beer, wine and drunk people. However, Alex, Meriam and Tony use alcohol in a different context. Nonetheless, all four of us (including me) cast alcohol in a negative light although the vignettes themselves do not necessarily have a sad ending.

        Alex writes a vignette about the time he had to save money for his trip to Washington D.C. He recalls of a particularly interesting can donor who gives Alex trouble by handing him recyclables as well as trash to recycle. He did manage to save enough money through this recycling work and in the process made a new friend in an alcoholic. "I would always wonder if he was ok when I heard him on the phone because he seemed to always be impaired due to alcohol." Alex is obviously worried about this man. Alcohol has taken a toll on the man as he seems to be a bit mental as he can't tell the difference between what can and can't be recycled. At this point, it is too early to tell what exactly alcohol is supposed to symbolize. Some possibilities are that alcohol is an obstacle, insanity, etc.

        This next vignette by Meriam is a little more intense (complete understatement). The main character tries to help Owen break his alcohol addiction. The last part gets confusing when some people named Witch and Troll fight the main character and Owen. "One night he gave me a black eye when I tried to help him because he had alcohol poisoning." Alcohol can make someone do crazy stuff when they are drunk. Violence can be an obvious side effect of drinking. By now, readers of this response should establish that alcohol can't be a good symbol. Possible answers for what alcohol might mean include insanity and chaos.

        The last vignette is from Tony. On a more lighthearted note, it talks about how playing with fire is fun (don't really do this at home). "I used alcohol and a little Boric Acid to make green fire. I’ve burned myself many times too. One time I burned a piece of skin about a big as a penny off one of my fingers." This quote is different from the previous two in that it does not involve drinking it. However it still does damage. After reviewing the three quotes, I conclude that alcohol represents chaos. The problem arising from the chaos may range from tiny to large such as the recyclables being mixed with trash to someone receiving a punch in the eye.

Esperanza's future

        Esperanza's future is left for us to predict because the ending does not tell of her fate. The only insight into the future is in the vignette about the three mysterious women who tells Esperanza to "come back for the others who cannot leave as easily as you"(The House on Mango Street, Cisneros, pg. 105).This brings me to ask whether she will return to Mango Street. I also question exactly what kind of mission this is.
        Going past the end of the book, I predict that Esperanza will move to a better place to live. According to the book, Mango Street is some god-forbidden impoverished community and it is the worst place to live in. Surely, her next home must be better. She will most likely go to high school because I believe Esperanza is loosely based on Sandra Cisneros's own life. Cisneros is a great writer and she must have had a proper education to learn these skills. Esperanza's future job I think will also be a writer and thus I predict she will get a college education to acquire advanced writing skills. She will become rich from writing novels.       
        Esperanza will come back to Mango Street. If she doesn't, it wouldn't make sense for Cisneros to include the vignette about the three mysterious women because it would not have any ramifications whatsoever. It would also mean a not so good ending as she does act selfish in the end. She will come back to make up for the selfish wish she made when she met those three ladies. The encounter with the three ladies must have spooked her into doing what they suggest in fear of punishment. The magical nature of the ladies should have left a positive impact on Esperanza's decision making. She would probably regard them as holy and respect their advice. Esperanza returns to offer aid to the residents there. Obviously, she will donate some of her wealth to counter the poverty there. Despite some speculation that she might offer to teach the citizens, I don't think that's going to happen. It's not as if the children there are illiterate. Esperanza's friends can speak English perfectly well. Besides there are already schools in the community that teach children.

what would sandra cisneros say about gender issues

        I don't know for sure what Sandra Cisnero's opinions about gender issues are, but I can formulate an answer using evidence from her vignettes. The particular vignette I am studying is "Marin" which starts on page 26. The vignette talks about a girl named Marin who plans to marry her boyfriend in Puerto Rico. Her plans are destroyed when she is sent back to her mother. Marin's life spirals out of control and all she does is dance under the streetlight, smoke cigarettes, and listen to the radio. It is a sad vignette, but it contains hints about Cisneros's opinions.
        All of my quotes show characteristics of females. Appearance is a factor in choosing mates, but it is more associated with females than males. Society expects females to dress nice. "And since Marin's skirts are shorter and since her eyes are pretty..." Cisneros is implying that the way Marin dresses and looks is the standard for females. I can tell that Cisneros does not like this standard because Marin meets a sad ending. She is trying to convey the message that looks and clothes aren't everything and females should not follow this standard. Therefore, she believes that males and females should be raised the same way.
        There is prejudice in the job market as well. Females are expected to take certain jobs in society. "She says he didn't get a job yet, but she's saving the money she gets from selling Avon and taking care of her cousins." Selling makeup and babysitting are all typically associated as female jobs. Men are not interested in makeup. Makeup is more popular for females. Females are expected to learn how to take care of children and so a babysitting job is training to them. Cisneros opposes this standard for the same reason as the standard above.
        This last quote from "Marin" definitely supports my theories about the author's opinion. Think about marriage as you read this quote. "...since you always get to look beautiful and get to wear nice clothes and can meet someone in the subway who might marry you and take you to live in a big house far away." Cisneros is saying that females are raised to get married and implying that females are dependent on the opposite sex. She wants to break this standard by displaying a scenario in which this dependence doesn't work out. The marriage in the vignette is called off. Cisneros wants to say that raising both genders the same way is preferred to avoid bad consequences.

Devin's vignettes

Title: Life in a Nutshell

1. What’s preschool
2. Naughty
3. Early Modern Times
4. My Delimma
5. Education
6. Good Teachers
7. End of school
8. Detention
9. I Hate Summer Camps But Later I Like
10. A New Beginning

End of School

I can’t wait for school to end, I says, I continue looking up at the clock, 2:00
This clock is broken, Michael says, He looks up too, 2:01
The day is almost over, what a boring, boring day and such a tedious class that teaches useless stuff, the stuff my middle school teaches is torture.
Devin pay attention, my teacher orders, and I do, Michael laughs and I tell him to shut up in a friendly way, better be careful, careful or I get the dreaded detention, I hate detention.
I try to make the most of my time, class is almost over, 2:02
We listen to the teacher talk about some writing stuff that I’m not interested in
I wish something interesting happens, I say, 2:03.
Occasionally very peculiar things happen in class and I remember those few memorable moments. Sometimes stuff like angry outbursts, passing of notes, stuff thrown around, and people getting sick occur. Which one would you pick, AK-47 or M16, i ask randomly in a desperate attempt to make it to the end of class. Ak-47, has a higher caliber, Michael reasons.We like to talk about random stuff like after school activities and jokes until the end of class, 2:10.
One more word out of you guys and you will both receive detentions, the teacher threatens. Why are we the only ones getting caught? Aren’t there other people? Maybe we are the only troublemakers. I daydream for another five minutes, 2:15.
I am awaken by a rude message. Put your name on the detention list, the teacher commanded, pay attention. I was in a mood for the rest of class. I just needed to survive for five minutes and I will have escaped, but i fail, 2:20.
End of school.

Education

Everybody in my family has different education. My mother and father got their education in China. My father’s education was a walk in the park. He only made it to middle school. My mother’s education was like that of my father’s except she made it to high school. My education is really straightforward, preschool, elementary, middle and high school. My little sister’s education is still young.
      But my big sister’s education is the longest, long like a line at a carnival. She has been through fourteen years of schooling. It is the sight of tremendous work and countless frustrations, the only one in my family to experience college, college and its hassles of living away from home. I think it feels lonely.

Detention

People get detention through various means. Being late, cheating, talking in class, not doing homework, etc. Detention is not a fun place. Everyone just does their homework. It is fun if you are with friends. There are the usuals who come almost everyday. Then, there are the new ones. Also, there are people who get more detentions during detention for not doing their work or talking like this guy called Victor who talks a lot.

“Where are you going after school,” he asks his friend.

The teacher takes roll call. Some people ditch detention and tell classmates to answer roll call for them. Then it’s off to work for the rest of detention.

“ Are you done with homework,” Victor asks the same friend.

The homework part of detention is tedious. The only good thing is you get to finish your homework. You can eliminate one hour of homework. An alternative is to draw, but don’t get caught.

“Wanna see my drawing,” Victor offers.

I continue with my work. Something about Mesopotamia or Babylon, how about math, polynomials and square roots, science, the eight planets, writing, compare and contrast essay first draft.

“What are you doing?” Victor questions.

“Doing my homework,” his friend replies.

A teacher sees this conversation and comes over.

“Both of you are getting another detention,” he says.

Victor and his friend look dismay. I am that friend.

I Hate Summer Camps But Later I Like

Summer camps are dreaded among children. It means less summer playing time and more education. That’s how I was thinking before I went. What summer camp is this, you ask? CTY of Center for Talented Youth. It is hosted at several universities across the globe. I went to UC Santa Cruz. I was in a bad mood the day I left for camp. I had already gone to a summer program at my middle school. I was mad about sacrificing in total six weeks of summer break, mad that my middle school required us to take two summer programs, mad that I was taking math which is boring.
UC Santa Cruz was a big campus. The campus was beautiful and surrounded by trees. The campus had a lot of land. The campus contained a lot of students. The campus was haven for me. The campus was heaven.
I got to live in a dorm. My roommate, I did not remember his name, was a funny kid. My roommate was Mexican. My roommate liked to party. My roommate had a bunch of friends. My roommate was cool.
Everyday, we get to eat three meals in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a big place. The cafeteria was a place to socialize. The cafeteria was filled with delicious foods. The cafeteria was a messy place. The cafeteria was a happy place.
We students also received PE classes. The soccer field was the most enormous field I’ve ever seen. The soccer field was filled with green. The soccer field was bustling with students. The soccer field was gorgeous. The soccer field was freedom.
In addition to all the fun aspects, there are classes too. The classes however are fun. The classes are small. The classes are instructive. The classes are interactive. The classes are taught by funny teachers. The classes are educational.
In the end, I discovered not all summer camps are bad. I was happy to have participated in the best summer program in the world, happy that I made a lot of new friends, happy that I could procrastinate on my summer homework.

house on mango street trees symbolism

       Trees give us life, yet in The House on Mango Street, the trees are not given respect. What could this mean? We can compare trees to groups of people on Earth. Sandra Cisneros personifies the trees to make this comparison more valid. The three vignettes I will use to support my point are "Meme Ortiz" on page 22, "There Was An Old Woman She Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What To Do" on page 29, and "Four Skinny Trees" on page 74.
        Before I read any of the quotes, I guessed that trees are a positive subject. I soon found out I was wrong. "This is the tree we chase for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest. Meme won. And broke both arms."(pg. 22). At first, I was confused about the last sentence. It sounded like Meme broke her arms. Then, I understand that they broke the tree's arms while jumping on it. The kids treat the tree like it is some sort of playground and not a living thing which it is. I understand immediately that trees represent some sort of outcasts on which people take advantage of.
        To confirm my answer, I go to another vignette that mentions trees. This vignette discusses how Rose Vargas has too many kids."The kids bend trees and bounce between cars..."(pg. 29). It's obvious that the kids are breaking the tree. Another interpretation is that the kids are bullying the tree. They are bending the tree against the tree's will. In addition to being taken advantage of, the trees are victims of bullies.
        In this following quote, the trees are personified. They are compared to Esperanza. "They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong her but are here."(pg. 74). I would just like to say that this quote is saying how Esperanza isn't wanted just like the trees. In addition, the quote confirms how trees are symbols of outcasts. The adjective "skinny" is used to describe the trees because they are weak and fragile and thus vulnerable to bullying.

WIndows Symbolism

        In regular terms, a window is a transparent opening in the house encased by glass or something like that. In The House on Mango Street, the window is a symbol. What is this symbol? The window is mentioned in "My Name", "No Speak English", and "Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays" as well as "Sally".
        The first mention is on page 11 in "My Name". Esperanza discusses about her great-grandmother and how she was kidnapped by her great-grandfather."Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. She looked out the window her whole life..." After I read these lines, I jumped to conclusions that the window represents a barrier between the two genders. It is the cause of gender inequality. The man is able to treat the woman like an item. However, I wanted to confirm this with other vignettes.
        "No Speak English" is a vignette about a fat woman named Mamacita who wants to move back to her homeland. The author says she doesn't come out of the house at all."She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country..." This vignette sort of disproves the gender inequality proposal. The vignette is not about a man forcing a woman to stay in a confined place. In fact, it's about a son bringing his mother into a new country because she lives alone with a baby boy. She isn't forced to stay at home by her son. She chooses not to leave the apartment. At this point I propose that the window is a symbol of what the world looks like from isolation. It's an obstacle to freedom.
        "Sally" discusses an author's classmate. At first, Sally is a cheerful person. Then, she becomes disillusioned with her pupils. A window is included in a fantasy about the perfect house. "And if you opened the little window latch and gave it a shove, the windows would swing open..." After reading this, I decided to revise my proposal. I propose that windows symbolize a way to escape oppression and isolation. It is the path to freedom. This is my final answer.

the color purple essay

        The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is an epistolary novel. “Epistolary” means in the form of letters. Celie, a daughter of a deceased mother, writes letters to God and to her sister, Nettie, who is in Africa. The novel follows Celie as she struggles against her abusive husband. In addition to the main story lines, there are side plots that involve supporting characters. Everyone who reads the novel knows that Celie and Nettie are the main characters in the novel. That is not the only thing they have in common. Both of them marry at a young age and have the same mother. They are not exactly identical either. Although Celie and Nettie are sisters, they respond differently to religion and community and are involved in different side plots.

        A major theme is the spirituality of Celie. There is a mention of God very early in the book. Her beliefs change as events occur. Celie lost faith in God. She thinks God is a white man like those who destroyed Nettie's village in order to build a road. The hatred may also have been driven by the history between the white people and the African Americans. Celie's only reason to confide in God in the first place is because he is the only one she trusts. She can't talk to Nettie because she's in Africa. The men don't care what she has to say and her mom is dead. Nettie has an opposite view on God. “I will write more when things start looking up. I trust God they will.”(171). She thinks he is holy. She talks of him like he has the ability to change and individual's fortunes. Nettie confides in God she is religious. She used to attend church while she was still with pa.

        Each sister faces a different in equality. Celie is enslaved to her husband. She isn't allowed to talk back and must tend to the house as well as the children and Mr.___. Later on in this essay, there will be a discussion on how she is punished often even for the slightest mistakes. By far, this is worse than the inequality Nettie has to face. Another major theme is gender inequality in which men seems more dominant. Celie at first accepts the punishments that Mr.___ dishes out. “He beat me like he beat the children.”(22). The punishments continue until much later in the book when she speaks up before leaving for Memphis. Mr.___ has no regard to how he treats his wife. Celie is too scared to resist because if she does, she will be beat down. Nettie is in Africa for most of the book. There, women are not allowed to take part in education, but she listens in on the lessons anyway. The men there don't think that education is necessary for women. Nettie is fiercer than Celie. This can be proven by examining her words. “You got to let them know who got the upper hand.”(17). There are a couple of reasons why her attitude is more positive than Celie's. First and foremost, Nettie is younger than Celie. She is more energetic because of age. Celie is older, so she is more worn out. The other reason is because Nettie has never been beat down by a ma, so she doesn't fear. Plus,   Nettie knows Mr.___ has a thing for her, so he wouldn't ruin his chances by treating her rough.

        Every book has side plots. The Color Purple is no different. In Celie’s side of the world , side plots are common. The story also tracks the life of Sophie. She marries Harpo, but then leaves when the former gets tired of arguments. She encounters the mayor’s wife one day and she asks if Sophie wants to be her servant. The situation results in Sophie punching the mayor himself. She goes to jail and comes out just to end up as the mayor’s wife’s servant. She returns home after teaching her master how to drive. Sophie becomes a dishwasher at Harpo’s juke joint. The relationship between Harpo and Squeak as well as Sophie is complicated. Harpo becomes engaged with Squeak, but doesn’t make Sophie leave the juke joint when Squeak asks him to do so. Shug is on a quest to seek forgiveness from her father. She tries once, but fails and succeeds the second time. Celie is on a mission to bring Nettie back to America. In Nettie’s side of the world, there is competition between Corrine and Nettie. Corrine thinks Nettie wants to marry Samuel. The conflict ends when Corrine dies. Corrine’s suspicions proved true.

        All people are created equal, but aren’t necessarily identical. One sister thinks God is a man while the other thinks God is holy. One accepts gender inequality while the other fights it. Both characters live in places with drama. The comparisons prove that Celie and Nettie are different, but not entirely.

rebuttal against Bianca's blog post

        Bianca's post suggests that teens above 16 should be able to vote. She says that teens know enough to make their own vote and that there are no such thing as wrong votes. In this quote, she demonstrates why teens know more than other people:

For example, with the parcel tax, teenagers who attend school and feel the effects of it not passing know full well what will happen. To some people, it would be just mean more taxes, but teenagers know that it is more than that.

I can surely say that not everyone who attends this school knows what is happening. This can be a combination of students not caring and others who just don't know what a parcel tax is. Not all adults are stupid. People such as the principal and teachers understand what the tax is going to mean too. Other people who don't attend this school probably don't know about it because they've never heard of it before.
        There is a such thing as a wrong vote. You can rate a president using their popularity and what they've done for the country economically, diplomatically, etc. If an individual voted for the candidate who was very unpopular and put the country into recession as well as plunge the country into wars then that person would've made a wrong vote. Let's use Bush as an example. His popularity is lets say not so good as seen in this CBS article. What has he done for our country? He made the American dollar weaker and did a bunch of other bad stuff that I will not go into detail with.
        I agree with her when she says that parents, teachers, etc. will have much influence on teens. Yes, they are entitled to their opinions and they make the final decision, but influence is still influence. It will always have weight on someone's decision and sometimes that weight may be heavy enough to make the decision for them. For example, there are teens that smoke. They could have been influenced by friends saying how cool it is to smoke or they could have watched the commercials and thought it would be a good idea to smoke. I would not count out influence as an important factor in voting.

Writing prompt from wednesday about Celie

        Celie's letters to God show that she believes and trusts God. In other words, she is religious. This is supported in this quote:

But I say I'll take care of you. With God help.(Walker, pg.3).

Celie looks to God for support even though there is not sufficient evidence that he even exists. She trusts God enough to ask him to help her sister. If that isn't religious, then I don't know what is. Her visits to the church probably influenced this trait.
        Asking God for help is a desperate move. She knows that she can only do so much to protect her sister and children. Her desperate pleas show she is willing to get whatever help she can find. Alice Walker writes,

Sometime he still be looking at Nettie, but I always git in his light.(Walker, pg.5).

The man in the story has a thing for Nettie, Celie's sister. Celie is determined to distract her and instead put attention on herself. In the second half of the quote, it means Celie is always getting in the man's sight whenever he is looking at Nettie.
         Celie takes on the mother role in this book. She is forced to take this role because her mother is sick and has to go see a doctor. Alice Walker writes,

By time I git back from the well, the water be warm. By time I git the tray ready the food be cold. By time I git all the children ready for school it be dinner time.(Walker, pg.2).

After he mother dies, the role is magnified. She has to take care of all the children alone. This includes protecting Nettie from that man. Her role later transforms to servant when she is sold to another master. However, she still worries about Nettie.
        Celie is mentally tough. Even though she was raped, she still goes on with her life. It doesn't seem like she has any mental issues because she never mentions it to her diary. Celie marries another man and leaves her original master. Later in the book, she makes new friends whose names I will not give away.

should teens be allowed to vote? opening statement

        Our constitution offers basic human rights to all citizens of this country, but teens are not allowed to vote. Should they be allowed to vote? Poll results like this one seem to show that people favor allowing teens to vote. I for one would like the current age limit for voting to remain the same. Teens have much more to learn and politics would overwhelm them. Teens should not be allowed to vote.
        Teens do not know everything about politics. High schools do not require students to study civics and political issues. These classes are offered when students get to college. By that time, those people would have turned eighteen and then they would be allowed to vote. Even then, young adults still don't understand everything about politics as this article states:

In recent elections, the turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds has been dismally low.

If young adults aren't educated in politics, what makes anyone think that teens would fare better than them? Keep in mind that these voters are either in college or working so they would have received more education than teens.
        In addition, teens have no time to worry about politics. They have high school to deal with and that should be a teen's top priority. With high school comes homework, finals, college applications,etc. All of this requires a lot of attention. Some teens even have to do community service or work part time jobs. They don't have time to read political magazines or watch political news on TV. I doubt if any teen is even slightly interested in them.
        If teens were brought into voting polls, candidates would try to exploit their lack of understanding and win them over. They would trick them with strategies like using political slang or by lying. Parents may also have an influence on their children. They might think that a candidate is good just because they trust their parents and their choices. Then, there are those teens that want to be funny and not take voting seriously. Those people might just pick the person based on their looks, name,etc. Let adults decide who the leader of our country should be. They ought to know better than us.

Advancing technology

        Technology is always advancing as long as there is civilization. This is still true today as internet and computers become more advanced along with phones. Tony's article shows the positive and negative sides of technology:

Internet is growing rapidly. The variety of speeds and the amount of things you can do with the internet are endless. More and more daily tasks are now easier because of wireless technologies. You can start your car from hundreds of miles away, surf the internet without any cords, but is all of this actually safe.

Tony then goes on to list smart technology such as the iphone and TVs that can access the internet. He explains briefly how people can hack iphones and download a bunch of apps and how they can also aid in grand theft auto.
        All of this is definitely true as I've seen on TV that a GPS system can help robbers get into homes by opening gates. It's also true how people can hack iphones and use it. The same can be said for computers as new malware is constantly created to destroy computers. So I would say that not all technology is safe. Just make sure not everything in your life is controlled by technology.
        Technology alone is not evil. It's just how people use it makes it evil. The same can be said for nuclear fission. It can be used to create nuclear energy or it can be used to make a bomb. All this knowledge of technology is harmful if it falls into the wrong hands. We can blame the internet for this problem. As the internet expands and it becomes available to more people, more information is spread out. People become smarter and these people include evildoers too. The reason we still use the internet is because the pros outweigh the cons. The internet helps with communication and research as well as serve as entertainment.
        Going back to the main question which asks if the technology is safe, I would say not all of this is invulnerable. Don't rely on it too much. Other than that, technology can really make life easier.

who will win the super bowl

        The NFL playoffs had started a week ago and four teams have been eliminated. This weekend another four teams will head home. Lets start with the Falcons and the Packers. I'm starting it off interesting by picking the packers to upset the falcons. Both of the falcon's losses have come against playoff teams. I believe Matthews and Woodson would pressure Matt Ryan a great deal. The other game in the NFC pits the seahawks against the bears. The big story is whether the seahawks can pull off another upset like last week. The seahawks made history by being the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record(7-9). Then, they made history again last week by being the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game. I don't think they're going to do it against this team. Sure the seahawks beat the bears early in the season, but the bears are now a different and better team.
        Now to the AFC. The steelers clash with the ravens in a divisional playoff game. Earlier in the season the steelers barely inched by the ravens, beating them by a field goal(3 points). The game will be close like that one. I expect the steelers to take this one. In the other game, the jets and patriots square off. Earlier in the season the patriots steamrolled over the jets 45-3. After finding out about that, I pick the patriots to easily win this game.
        Of all the playoff teams, I pick the packers and patriots to make it to the super bowl. Between these two teams, I'm going with the upset and picking the packers to be super bowl champions. I know it's a bold prediction and that the patriots are regarded as the hottest team in the league and the patriots beat the packers earlier in the season, but that was because their starting QB was out. Even with that setback, they still did nearly win losing by only four points. That game proved that the patriots's defense is not impenetrable as the backup QB picked them apart.

Does it matter where you go to college?

        I have read all seven articles about elite colleges vs less selective colleges and have found that David W. Breneman's "Graduate School Matters More" makes the most sense. He believes that students should not look solely at college rankings when picking a university. Here's one quote from his article:

While the various reports on “college quality” are worth reviewing, a successful college experience resides in the relationship between a given college and a particular college student.

What Breneman is trying to say is students should pick the college after taking into account the setting, finance and size of the university. Setting is quite important. Some people like to stay close to home so they can return home more often for visits and not get homesick. Others want to get as far away from their parents as possible for freedom.
        Finance must be considered no matter what unless the student has a scholarship. Rich people can go wherever they want, but the less fortunate may have their options limited. The size of the college isn't as important, but still worth thinking about. If the student was to go to an elite college, chances are the subject would blend and be lost into the crowd of thousands of peers. Going to a smaller school increases the chances of being able to stand out.
        In contrast, I chose Kevin Carey's "Skip the Admissions Game" as the least persuasive argument. The main point wasn't really clear. The beginning said that elite colleges are good choices and then the second half explains how some community colleges are as good as some elite colleges. Here's two quotes from his article:

...you should seriously consider going to an elite college or university.

It turns out that the best community colleges do a better job than the average elite research university at teaching freshman and sophomores.

In addition to this confusion, the writer supports his points with opinions and offers no statistics except for one website. I found no strong persuasive points and more opinions, but the really big mistake was not staying on topic. Two contradicting points does not make a good essay.