A dedication to you, my brothers and sisters, who bleed white and blue.

The Best Four Years

we arrived.

wide eyed and full of 8th grade pride,

we quickly learned our place,

“freshman” seemed to be it’s own race

Our parents claimed

“don’t be a fool, and don’t act lame

as these four years are some of your best

now shut up and study for your test”

A confused look showed on our face,

these four years? I think you’re mistaken

I think of the best years of my life relaxed at a pool

not sitting in freshman bio starting to drool

The year passed slow, but finally it was June

as we saw the seniors throw arms to the sky.

We all looked longingly wishing it was us who could toss the hats,

walk across that stage, and never return to high school class

Sadly (or not?) it was not our time

and we returned as sophomores

The year of preparation

for IB….

IB arrived,

with homework unmatched,

the Lord Baron warned us,

as we cried “is it really worth it?”

We closed off our social window

and boarded our bedroom doors

to spend long nights writing papers

and keeping up with the work

Again we hear our parents say

“Embrace your work,

these years should be your best

I don’t want to hear you complain about your 36 tests”

Some remained unbroken,

some had simply left,

We were warned the programme is very demanding

leaving all of us familiar with one word; stressed

Senior year has finally come,

IB part 2,

with the friends I have luckily gotten to know

held together by experiences like glue.

When I reflect back on my almost 4 years here

almost like a jab in the chest

I become overwhelmed,

Actually, these years were the best

So much we have learned,

so much we have progressed

so many people we now know

and so many we’ve impressed

So many times we’ve walked these halls

so many times we’ve felt stressed

so many memories of picking each other up

and it was pretty fun (even those tests)

We all claim,

“Thank God that this is done,

another year of that and

my head would get the gun”

But the real world is coming

with more responsibility

more experiences

more fun?

Less of moms cooking

no more sleeping in our own beds,

no more running to hug mom

on ugly, not so good days

More independence,

but more ways to mess up

hoping for success

and the eventual rise of the champagne cup

New people to meet,

new places to explore

But holding strong to memories

of best friends we’ve had before

So before you say

“ The Best Fours Years? What a waste,

I can’t wait to get out of this place”

Think of the memories

think of the day

when you first strapped on your backpack

or finished a 3am essay

think of the halls you’ve walked

a millions times before

think of the places

you’ve gotten to explore

think of the good days

and also the bad

the funny times you’ve spent

and remember the sad

the people you call

when you are upset

the first test you bombed

or the deadline you’ve met

or that one time

with a new special person you’ve met

think of everything, don’t be afraid

High school is a blessing in disguise

don't be mistaken by the bad times

simply embrace, and improvise.

You’ve met tons of people

and shared plenty of laughs

maybe done some things

you don't want to remember in your past

I know I’ll miss you all

the ones who made me laugh

the ones who made me cry

you the ones who made me believe.

and it is these memories

with these people

in these halls

that will never

ever

die.

Walt Whitman's Wonderfully Witty Work

At first glance, there is writing scratched everywhere with no clear indication of what in particular is being addressed. Immediately is see “Brochure” scrawled followed by what appears to say “two characters as of a dialogue between A. L..” I assume this to be Abraham Lincoln based on the time period. However, my favorite part of the journal was the page talking about the different ships, followed by the sketches. “Ship of the World-Ship of Humanity-Ship of the Ages. Ship that circles the World” and my personal favorite “Ship of the Hope of the World-Ship of Promise.” Whitman seems to be exploring different titles, or even ending, and their different interpretations for a poem titled “Ship of Libert__” (I cannot read that). The next three drawings seem to show the same man just different facial expressions. At the end there is that creepy floaty skull thing with a heart pierced by a sword. The observations of messy writing and excessive use of scrawling very messily across the page give the impression that Whitman rushes to get everything in his head onto parchment. He incorporates many question marks, and scribbles out words. He seems to be searching for the perfect combination of words by his repeated use of similar phrases (like the ship example, same basic phrase just altered to create more options.)
The initial spotting of “Brochure” holds some significance as “he is apparently trying out prospective titles for a never-published “brochure” of dialogues with Lincoln, probably in verse form.” What was interesting about the drawings was that “It is unlikely that any are by Whitman himself: according to Alice Birney, who curates the poet’s papers in the manuscript division at the Library of Congress, he never drew or even doodled.” So why incorporate them into his journal? Regardless, the last page that contains the strange drawn figure is called an “Allegory of America”. They say that “This may be the most mysterious page in the notebook.” Behind it is a vast, flat sea with a rising (or setting?) sun. “Could this be an allegory of America itself, poised in a strange halfway state, suspended between day and night, life and death?”. Also, I didn't pick up on the idea of  liberty and that freedom is separate from democracy altogether, but I do think it shows Walt’s concern with the future of the nation, and of humanity, which in a sense, seems to be very poetic, or at least an excellent source of inspiration.

The American Dream

1. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

Its the idea, or the mentality that anyone should be able to reach fiscal success within the US through firm beliefs and implementation of hard work and determination.

2. What is your definition of wealth?

Wealth, in essence, is an abundance of what someone believes to be valuables, whether tangible or intangible. The definition of what those valuables is dependent on the person describing their wealth. I like to believe wealth is a mixture of both money and relationships. IT\t is fair to say that wealth is a difficult concept to truly define.

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?

Wealth in this question I am going to assume as money. Sad, but true, most people judge someone based on their financial status. If a person doesn’t have the money to stay with the new trends, fashions, or fads, they are cast to the side as “uncool” or “lame.” Conversely, if there is someone with more money than what I have, or they have a better car, or a bigger house, they are automatically (still using the judging without knowing them approach) “Luckier”, “rich and ungrateful”, “Just better off.”  Wealth and poverty each create their own attitude. I happened to be blessed and be in a very fiscally stable home where we can afford almost anything within reason. I know people in both extremes, and they are excellent people, yet in this day and age, the ability to afford and attain material items seems to be the cause of a separation.

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?

I’ve always ended up surrounding myself with people who I find to be good friends. That is what matters to me. Loyalty and friendship far outweigh what year their car is. That is all I have to say.

A poem that doesn't really matter (Freebie)

roses are orange
violets are silver
I suck at Poems
Microwave





(and a freebie.)

IOC (just aint for me)

Oh IOC, oh IOC, how you will be the death of me. (Christmas is coming....eventually...)

Self Grade: How I think I did & why I think I did it

Criterion A: 6

I know the context of the text well, and refer back to the text multiple times on my comments, and therefore all comments are subsequently linked to the text, yet I believe I definitely could have improved the references by making them more specific, and explaining in greater depth.

Criterion B: 4

I need to add more Fiidds/ Sparse most definitely, as I feel I focused more on the guiding questions rather than breaking the text down into literary devices

Criterion C: 4

After seeing many people comment on their down fall on this section, I made it a point to follow a specific structure of Intro, context, Thesis, Question 1(example, comment), Question 2 (repeat), Conclusion (restate thesis and back it up), and a quick little comment on what i found interesting.

Criterion D: 3

Talking to yourself is weird. It is obvious that a stuttered, feel awkward, and sometime revert to repeating something I've said. Scholarly and pedantic language will come eventually, it's just a matter of practice and comfort level.

Judging a Book by it's Cover

                       VS                       

1) What are the first words that come into your mind when you see this image?  What does it make you think of?

The first (left) automatically brought to mind "lonely" or "isolated", as it depicts a girl sitting by herself in a secluded almost slumped posture. The cover to the right shows a torso with organs, which brings to mind "Medicine", or "Life."

2) If you hadn't read any of the novel, what would this image make you think the book was about?  Now that you've read (some of ) the novel, what kind of relationship(s) does this image have to the text? 

The image to the right make me think of organs and letting them go? Without reading the book the title or cover do not make much sense, however one the book had been read the covers explode with meaning. Organs to donations. "Never Let Me Go" to the tape cassette. The crude drawing seems to be from a child's hand, leading into the importance of creativity and art during the years at Hailsham. With the proper context, the covers are great foreshadowing sources.

3) Who seems to be portrayed?  From whose viewpoint are we looking? 

To the left, it shows a lonely Kathy, potentially down by the pond where her and Tommy met to discuss private matters. The viewpoint seems to be that of Tommy's because he was the very observant one who would see Kathy and notice her body language as a reflection of her inner troubles, which, by the way Kathy is sitting, seems to portray her as deeply troubled. 

4) Does this image spark any ideas about the cultural construction of the book? 

The image to the left seems to reflect a child's representation of their organs, because of the crudeness of the drawing. It gives an idea of the innocence of these children, and their childhood emphasis on creativity.

5) What kinds of people would make this book, and what kinds of people would read it?  

The kind of people who would make this book would be the people who are more progressive, and see the reactions to the book as people read it. The people who read this, however, could very to a large extent. But this wide array of potential readers allows for multiple perspectives and take of the book, creating a somewhat social experiment.

Talk of the Ted

Malcolm Gladwell: The unheard story of David and Goliath

Mr. Gladwell's main point he is trying to argue is that there are unseen advantages and disadvantages in the classical story of David and Goliath after further in depth analysis. He uses the idea of forces and physics to inform that as readers, people greatly underestimate the power of the Sheppard's sling. He states that a the sling could have propelled a rock with the equivalent force of a .45 caliber handgun round. He also touches on the weaknesses of Goliath that we don't consider, like that he could have acromegaly, which is a form of giantism. With acromegaly, a tumor formed on his pituitary gland explaining his massive size and also impaired vision and coordination. Gladwell combines these two to state that David may have actually been the superior combatant in this originally one-sided duel.

Gladwell uses mainly logos in his explanation, as well as hypothetical reasoning in order to back many of his claims. Yet, many of his supposed claims aren't well supported, with lack of much evidence. For example, when he states that David could use his sling to unleash a projectile at over 35 m/sec. There are many variables in that statement, and he doesn't make any statements about how strong David might have been or even where he got this statistic from. Gladwell uses persuasion from ethos. By saying things such as "within the medical community" without referencing any specific physicians or professionals to back up his analysis of the situation. He also quotes the bible in order to add credibility to his findings.

I somewhat stumbled upon this video, yet I'm so glad I did. It was extremely interesting and turned my entire perspective on this originally easy story to understand. On a personal level, it gave me a new way to look at people who i originally assumed as threats. Also the new perspective allowed me to realize that sometimes I am the giant, and i put myself in situations where i am extremely vulnerable, and the only way to really escape is to hide my weaknesses, but, no matter how big we as humans think we are, there is always a weakness. It is different in many people, yet yields the same results if exposed. I think we should all take a moment to realize just how vulnerable we really are, from allergies, to our deepest fears and secrets. It amazing how well we hide these, but don't make the same mistakes as Goliath, because there may be a Shepard right under our noses.

"Hey baby"

Film noir literally means “black film.” As you are watching the film, keep track of all the elements in the picture that seem dark or depressing. Think about the characters, the setting, and the story line.

Since Double Indemnity is an example of the film noir genre, it is generally filled with elements that a common to the genre. An apparent element of the movie is that it is shot in black and white. This highlights stark, angular shadows and puts emphasis on what is shadowed, and what is light. The movie is shot in a modern city setting, compounding the feelings of isolation, and being lost among the crowd.  However the most notable feature of film noir is the use of high-contrast lighting. Because the film was mostly shot in the darkness of the night, or the early morning, artificial light was used to illuminate the actors. With the high contrast the light sections were very bright, and the dark sections were very dark, creating a visual gap between what could be seen and what could not. One could easily see the light of a cigarette, or the striking of a match. This emphasis on darkness creates an atmosphere comprised of melancholy attitudes or depressed decisions.

The story line is not linear at all. Many jumps between the past and present are apparent. The fractured plot adds to the disorganization and disorder in the world which the characters are living. A main characteristic of the plot of Film noir is that fatalism is expressed by one transgression that spirals out of control. Walter Neff makes the mistake of helping Phyllis, which then snowballs into much greater problems. Every attempt at correction makes everything worse, suggesting the hysteria and panic of the characters. The “perfect murder’ begins to fall apart and the true natures and motives of the characters shine through. Both have distanced themselves from society, and, in a sense, have become close to each other (murder buddies for life) yet Phyllis shoots Walter and admits to using him, yet simultaneously admits to loving him after her inability to shoot him again. (Women right?)  At this climax, with both characters revealing their true dark selves, in a room with no lights, Walter shoots her twice. (“Goodbye baby”) Murder, plot twists, darkness, blood and cigarettes. Walter Neff will not be the same insurance sales man he once was. And it is that transformation of the human mind which really is the dark scary part of this film.