Final Reflection

    The three most important things that I learned this year would have to be the TIQA format, memorization skills, and how to use word choice to my advantage. Before learning the TIQA format, I tended to rant a lot, and I never knew where to begin or when to stop. I believe that learning this skill has also taught me how to be organized when writing, and now I use the TIQA whenever I have to write in any class. In the first half of the year, I never got one 100% on a vocabulary test because I was absolutely horrid at remembering the words and much less the definitions. Now, with Quizlet, even though it wasn't something I actually learned, it was something that has really helped me throughout the school, and it has also helped me with my organization skills. Finally, I think that the most important thing that I have learned and the one thing that will be engraved into my memory for the rest of my life is word choice. Even though I'm not really the best at it, I think that being in this class has definitely helped me improve the way I talk to people, as well as how I write papers. I learned that you shouldn't just use a synonymous word because sometimes it is better to stay simple; but at the same time, I learned that you should try to use bigger words because eventually, after using them from time to time, you will remember them and use them in your everyday speech. I believe that improving my word choice has been my biggest improvement, and it may not seem like a big deal, but personally, I can see the maturity in my writing now, which is extremely satisfying. I was recently looking back at old blog posts and comparing them with recent blog posts and I can tell that I actually think about what I'm going to write before I actually do, which consequently leads to a better written piece.

    I think I will remember doing the Holocaust unit, from reading first hand accounts of survivors, to watching the film Life is Beautiful, the most out of what he have done this year. I believe that this year was the most in depth education that I have gotten ever since I started learning about the Holocaust and it was a lot more interactive learning instead of just reading which is why I believe I don't really remember much of the Holocaust details from previous years. My favorite part of the Holocaust Unit was either watching Life is Beautiful  or the Holocaust webquest. I had never seen Life is Beautiful so it struck me pretty hard in my feels when I we watched it in class. And even though the movie was an account that was probably very, very rare, I believe that it really captured the Holocaust in a completely different view than we are taught, while at the same time, helping me understand things about the Holocaust that I didn't previously know or get. For example, I thought that if anyone in a family was Jewish than the entire family would be taken to either a work or extermination camp, but when the Nazis didn't take Guido's wife, because she wasn't born Jewish was really surprising. The Holocaust web quest was also very informative, and I really liked how we would be able to read more about a topic that interested us, instead of just looking for answers. Even though the web quest was super long and at times was agonizing, it helped me with independent studies as well as being able to guide my own learning. While doing the web quest I learned about the "Angel of Death" Dr. Josef Mengele, who did experiments of prisoners in Auschwitz.

    The most challenging part of this class this year, probably had to be the Butterfly project. I think that I procrastinated a lot, and in the end I made a ton of work for myself. Personally, I think that designing the project was the worst for me because I'm not creative and I can't come up with a well-put together picture that represented my poem. It was also tough because of the requirements to get a good grade, like using various materials, and like I said, I'm not really creative, so it was pretty difficult to do that. Also, I always kind of had the thought that it had to be extremely solemn and respectful, because even though we were doing this cool arts & crafts projects, it was kind of like commemorating the children who were kept prisoners during the Holocaust. I guess I just didn't want to make my butterfly look like celebration even if the mood and tone of my piece was hopeful.

I don't think I could pinpoint one specific thing that my classmates have done for me that has helped me because everyone has been so great. I know I've had this conversation with many of the other people in this class; that Mrs. Larson's class is the only one where everyone actually talks to each other, even if it only the two periods. Everyone has been so friendly and everyone knows how to have a fun time, while at the same time caring about actually learning which a created a really great atmosphere. I'm really gonna miss you guys :):

I don't think I have taught my classmates or Mrs. Larson anything.?

I believe that I am most proud of my argumentative paper, which I also believe it to be my best written piece this year. I think that it was the unit that we spent the most time on and that is where i learned about the TIQA format and where I learned how valuable word choice is. I also believe that the argumentative piece was the biggest and like the most mature one, because it involved so much research. It also allowed people to go their own direction, it wasn't like we were forced to say that Sea World was amazing if we didn't believe that.

Out of the books I read this year, which weren't many, I would say that Murderous Minds would be my favorite because it was the first time i actually branched out from my teen romance novels for a non-fiction, psychology book; and since I want to major in forensic psychology in the future, it was truly interesting. I think that not only was it interesting, but it was also extremely informative and I brag about the facts that I remember, a lot. From reading that book, I have now bought two more psychology books which I am reading. :) I also have to add that Tuesdays With Morrie was an incredible book that included huge lessons, and I am certain that I will reread it in the future.

For the eighth grade students coming in next year, make the most out of your year. Being in Mrs. Larson's classes are so much fun, but you have to make sure that you put the work into it; it will be tough, trust me, but in the end you will learn so much and you will feel great after finishing. Mrs. Larson's class helps you to grow in your educational career, as well as your personal life, and it will be a great ride. Always listen and ALWAYS PARTICIPATE, because there is nothing more she wants more than participation. I hope you have a great year, because I know I did.

Morrie's Aphorisms - May 6, 2015

"If you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until sixty-five." (p. 118)

    I believe that Morrie's main message for this aphorism would be that aging ins't something bad, it is an experience that will allow you to be content with the life you are living the life you are going to live. I think that Morrie is trying to tell Mitch that the only way to move in life is forward and that if we are always "battling against getting older" then we won't be able to be happy when we are young, and much less be happy when we get older; because there is no escaping aging. I also believe that Morrie is trying to say that to live a life that has been fulfilled, you don't have to be perfect, but you have to learn from all of your actions and the consequences that came with, and with those consequences, you learn from them, instead of holding a grudge and trying to change them. Finally, I think that Morrie added the last sentence about age, because, personally, I tend to see people at an older age who are the ones who want to move forward in their lives, and maybe just because they are at an older age and they believe that they have less time; but I believe that Morrie is saying that Mitch can't have the revelation of having a fulfilled life when he is Morrie's age.

    This aphorism reminds me of the movie Meet the Robinsons, where they say "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things ..." The quote goes on to talk about curiosity which isn't really a topic discussed by Morrie, but I believe that the first part of the quote is extremely similar to what Morrie has to say. I think that the first sentence not only relates to the aphorism chosen, but it also relates to another thing that Morrie mentioned; which was that he allowed himself to cry every morning, and I think that when the quote says that they don't look back too long it represents Morrie because even while they move forward, they still take a short amount of time to look back. I also believe that the second part of the quote shows what Morrie was taking about wanting to experience new things and create new things as you go along.

    I agree with this quote because I think that as young people, we worry so much about getting old that we spend so much time planning ahead, whether it be for tomorrow or 20 years from now. I take this quote as more of looking changing your life today than the actual thought and process of aging. I believe that Morrie is trying to show the fulfillment of life and the mindset that comes with that. I decided to try and represent that by drawing a man walking down a road, like the road of life, and surrounding him were everything he has done and created; some butterflies and trees and flowers for the beautiful and happy times, but at the same time, hidden snakes with dead flowers and trees to represent the mistakes and bad times during his life. I chose to do this to show that to have a fulfilling life, you don't need to only be happy. I also drew him in the beginning of the road to show that because he has this fulfilling life, he still has so much more to go. From my own personal interpretation, I agree with this quote because I believe that it is also implicitly saying that to want to move forward and to have a fulfilling life, you need to live life the way you want to live it. In one part of the book, Morrie says, "I decided I'm going to live ... the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure. And I believe that Morrie's decision to live this way, the way he wanted which is probably different than the way Mitch wanted to live and the way I want to live, but by taking this authority on his life, he is more happy.


My Aphorism: take care of others, to reach your full potential

Tuesdays With Morrie - Week of 4/29/15

// What topic(chapter) has had the most impact on you or inspired you? //

    So far in the book, the fifth Tuesday; We Talk About Family has had the most impact on me. Right now in my life, and I think that in many others, we don't really appreciate family like we are supposed to. Personally, I don't really thank my parents, and I don't have a really strong connection with them, so when i read this chapter, when Morrie talks about how important family and love is, as well as the experiences you have with family, is extremely touching. In the first few pages of this chapter, Morrie says, "If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from family, you don't have much at all." I read this quote more than twice, and it really made me realize that now, we get so annoyed with out parents 'butting into our business' or actually being concerned about it because we think we are so independent, but in reality we need our parents to do that. I now see that all of that annoying stuff that our parents do, is out of love, and without it, we wouldn't be receiving the attention that we desire.

    In the fifth Tuesday, Morrie called his family his "spiritual security" and said that "knowing your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame." I find this really powerful because I feel like in today's society, a lot of kids and teens strive to success, fame, and fortune because they believe that, that will bring them the most happiness and Morrie completely contradicts that. This also really stood out to me, because, I consider myself a very materialistic person, and by reading that, it shows me, that, all of the items that I want, won't bring me half as much happiness than my family will.

Finally, in this chapter, Morrie also talks about children with Mitch, because starting a family is something that Mitch isn't 100% ready for. Morrie tells Mitch, "If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children." I think this quote really shined some light on parents and their entire experience of having children, and I think that it really sums up the relation between kids and their parents. I believe that the relationship you have with your parents is completely extraordinary than any other relationship whether it be siblings, lovers, or friends, because it really is one of the closest connections in your life. So far, Tuesdays With Morrie has completely surpassed my expectations and I can't wait to finish the book. 

Tuesdays With Morrie - Week of 04/20/15

// What are your initial reaction to what you have read in Tuesdays With Morrie thus far? What is on your Bucketlist? //

    When I first heard started reading Tuesdays With Morrie, I thought it was kind of weird, to say the least. Mitch described his professor in, what I saw, an unprofessional way; like how "Kissing him goodbye earned you extra credit." Now, even though we aren't too far into the book, I can see that it was just part of Morrie's bubbly and welcoming personality. Now, I absolutely love this book, because, in a basic way, it is truly beautiful and it is relatable to everyone. 

    One of the main themes that is unraveling in the book is not to take life for granted, and I think that Morrie is a quintessential model for this. Morrie is slowly dying and he knows it, but instead of letting it not only take over his physical body, he makes sure that it doesn't take over his mind and beliefs. Personally, now that it is the end of the year and we are all moving on to a huge, new chapter of our lives, my mind is racing about all of the different things I want to do before I die. I wrote a bucket list when I was in the fifth grade and it is absolutely embarrassing because I had written stuff like, "Eat three bags of popcorn in one sitting." So here is my new, and not so embarrassing bucket list (I tried to organize them, in groups of similar topics, but they are all over the place, sorry);

- Go on the set of Teen Wolf and be an extra

- Be a tour hand for Halsey

- Work a camera (be a camerawoman) for the Jimmy Fallon show

- Write a well-versed song

- Learn how to play the guitar

- Go to at least two concerts every year for the rest of my life

- Host a wine party

- Go camping in my backyard 

- Go on a no budget shopping spree

- Go on a hot air ballon 

- Make spaghetti tacos (and watch iCarly while eating them)

- Do a Color Run

- Build a treehouse 

- Have a meaningful conversation with a stranger while waiting in line at Starbucks 

- Graduate high school

- Major in forensic psychology in college

- Speak four languages, fluently

- Have my own bookstore 

- Write a book and have it published 

Life is Beautiful v. Night - Week of 4/14/15

   // What connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and Night?

What events or situations are similar? Different?

What is similar or different about the mood of the pieces?

How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film? //

 Based on what we have read in class and the viewing of Life is Beautiful, I can see many similarities and connections between the two, as well as big differences. One of the biggest similarities/connections that I see between Night and Life is Beautiful is the bond and importance between father and son. In Night, Elie's only priority is to stay with his father. In the text, Elie says that he would not be able to survive without his father. This shows that the only thing that kept Elie going was his father and without the support from his father, then Elie would not have lived through the Holocaust. In Life is Beautiful, it is more of the other way around where Guido can't live without his son. Now, Guido, the father, makes it his priority, and spends all of his spare seconds making his son happy and hiding the horrific truth from him. I think that because Guido is so protective of his son, if anything were to happen to Joshua, then Guido would never forgive himself. In both pieces of art, the audience realizes how big relationships were, especially father and son bonds. I believe that both Guido and Elie realized how important someone else meant to them, that without them, the life at a concentration camp would completely destroy them.
   
    One very big difference that I see between the memoir, Night, and the film, Life is Beautiful  is that moods seem to be, almost opposite, which leaves a very different experience for the audience. In Night, you cringe at everything that Elie had to experience, from the train ride to Birkenau, to the hanging of a little boy. In the film though, there are very few times where we actually saw explicit torment in Guido or Joshua. In Night, Elie certainly focused on all of the horrible things that he saw, and I think that this caused a very solemn, but also terrifying mood, personally. I believe that this has to do a great deal with the fact that Elie was an actual prisoner while in the movie, Joshua wasn't an actual, working prisoner, so he didn't go through as many traumatic events as Elie. Because Elie had to go through all of the traumatic events, i think that, those events are the ones that he would remember the most. Even though, Elie was also a prisoner, he did have his father, and he seemed to recognize quiet of few people, which in my perspective, makes gong through everything, a little less bad because you know you aren't alone. In Life is Beautiful, the mood always seems to be very optimistic and loving. Even when Joshua got told that people were being burned in the furnace, Guido found a way to turn that around and have a reaction that makes the audience smile. I believe that the movie had very different intentions than the novel. I think that the movie was meant, to inform about the Holocaust, yes, but to also show the power of love and connections throughout what is seen as some of the worst experiences of human history. The novel on the other hand, is not only a first-hand account, but I think that Elie wanted people to know what actually happened, and what happened to him, personally. I think that the biggest difference is that Night is an actual, primary source, while Life is Beautiful is a story made to give a message to the audience other than just experiences about the Holocaust.

    Life is shown as beautiful in the film, in my opinion, throughout the entire film. The first example being in the beginning of the movie. In the beginning, Guido has a very joyful and love filled life while chasing after his "Principessa". A few years later, Dora and Guido get married and have Joshua, and everything is great and the family is very close together. Guido is always playing around with Joshua, whether it be by driving his bike really fast or by helping Joshua hide from his mom when it's time to take a shower. After this, a few things take a turn and cause some difficulties like people vandalizing Guido's uncle's horse and when Dora announces her engagement with another man. Even through this, Guido is very optimistic and uses the horse to capture the attention of Dora and take her out of the venue and away from her fiancee. Guido used what was thrown at him to create a funny and romantic scene for the audience. Forwarding, when Guido was in the concentration camp, he created an entire game for his son, so that Joshua wouldn't have to lose his innocence at such a young age. Guido made his son laugh and become excited while in the place where millions of people suffered and died every day. In my eyes, I see this as such a great love and it makes life beautiful not only for Joshua, but for Guido because I'm pretty sure that seeing his son thrilled in that place really made him smile. Later, the second time that Guido sense a message to Dora, really shows how life is beautiful because Guido uses something that the audience had forgotten about to tell his wife that everything is okay. By playing the song, Dora was given this huge push of hope and happiness, and Guido also was filled with hope and love while imagining his wife, still alive. In the end, I think that it was the most powerful form of beauty in the movie. I think that Guido's death helped to show the beauty in love. Of course, Gudio's death was tearjerking, but I also believe that it helped show that Guido's goals were fulfilled; protecting his son. Guido would be content with his life because his son was safe, and I think that his death helps show that life is all about love, which is all Guido had throughout the movie.

Night - Week of 3/30/15

// How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person? //

    Throughout the novel Night there are many instances that show that Elie Wiesel is changing as a person, including his belief in God and his views/thoughts to cruelty, brutality, and survival. Elie is forced to grow up very quickly when he is first put into a ghetto, and from there on, he has to witness horrific events that changed him. 

    By the end of Night, Elie has changed significantly towards his views on his religion. In the very first few pages of the novel, Elie compares living to practicing his faith. Elie writes, ""Why did I pray? ... Why did I live? Why did I breathe?" (2) This comes to show that his faith and his belief in God was the highest priority in life that it might as well have been on the same level as something that without it, you wouldn't be able to live. In the beginning of the novel, Elie also described his day with only two things he really cares about doing. Elie said that ""During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple." (1) This shows that all Elie really counted as doing in his day was practicing his religion by reciting the Talmud, and then mourning over the loss of the place where he spent special time with his God.
    As Section 2 starts to come up, it is the first time that Elie is starting to rethink his religion; by this time, his family has been deported to Birkanaue, the reception center for Auschwitz. When Elie saw the crematory for the first time, and he saw babies being the victims of the flames, he had a sudden, but drastic change within him. Elie says that "For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, choose to be silent." At this point, I think that Elie really ins't sure what to think because he had always believed that everything he had ever gotten and seen was a gift from God, but he couldn't believe that his God would allow the murder of innocent infants. Here, you start to see how Elie is petrified at the sights he sees, and he questions God because of it.
   In Section 3 of the novel, Elie talks from his present day perspective for a little bit, to talk about how the first night at Birkanue had changed him. Elie writes, "Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul.." (32) This shows that when Elie reflects on his time in Birkanue, it is the time that made him doubt God, the person whom he had devoted his entire life to. As time progresses, onto the rest of the novel, Elie starts to mention God and his beliefs less, until he completely stops mentioning him. I believe that this signifies that Elie had completely lost all of his faith of God because of what he had to go through and what he had to see others go through. By the end, Elie has lost everything he ever knew in his life; his entire family, himself, and his life, and he felt like it was on God to blame for his loss.

    Elie also has a huge change in his personality; as I read on in the novel, Elie starts to only think of himself first, instead of others, including his father. In the first two sections, you could see that Elie is a very sympathetic and kind person. When Elie is explaining who Mochè the Beadle is, he said that everyone else in town didn't like him and they didn't pay any attention to him. Elie, on the other hand, said that he "liked his wide dreamy eyes, gazing off into the distance." I think that thsi really revealed who Elie was. Everyone else in town didn't care about Mochè the Beadle, they didn't even interact with him. I think that because Elie said that he was actually really fond of him, even though he was the poor, homeless man in town, he took sympathy and actually liked talking to him.
    Personally, I don't see any change in Elie, until Section 4. At this point, Elie and his father have already arrived at Auschwitz. Elie and his dad are both working but Idek is in one of his bad mood and Elie's father is the victim. Idek beat Elie's father with an iron bar, and Elie says that his dad "seemed to break in two like an old tree struck by lightning." (52) Elie's reaction was pretty surprising, and I think that this was the first and biggest change in him. Elie said, "I had watched it all happening without moving. I kept silent. In fact, I thought of stealing away in order not to suffer blows... That was what concentration camp had me me." (52) This shows how Elie would sacrifice his father so that Elie wouldn't have to suffer.
    Moving on to Section 6, I believe that this is the biggest section in which the reader gets to see the change that camp life has caused in him. In this section, it is very obvious that Elie does not care for the other prisoners, as long as he survives, he is okay. When Elie and his father had to run in the ice cold, on the way to Gleiwitz, a young adult from Poland was running next to Elie, and he said that he couldn't go on. Elie tried to keep him going, but the boy, named Zalman, soon collapsed and died. Elie believed that instead of an SS officer shooting him, he was trampled to death. After that Elie said, "I quickly forgot about him. I began to think of myself again." (82) This shows that Elie really didn't care for Zalman because Elie was fine; even after seeing a boy die right next to you, and you were the last person to ever talk to him, the death didn't big Elie. Also in Section 6, another selection was happening and Elie had been separated from his father, Elie sacrificed others lives so that he wouldn't have to go through pain. Elie tried to run to his father, and SS officers were pushing him back, while this happened many others switched lines, and Elie and his father were soon reunited. But because of Elie's actions, "there were some shots and some dead" (91) The way that Elie says "some" like brushing it off, basically saying that its okay, is pretty scary because he now has no sense of sympathy for anyone else.
    Finally, in section 7, Elie shows a lot of signs of his indifference towards the other prisoners, including his own father. When Elie's father died, Elie felt guilty because he felt like he could have done more. In the text, Wiesel writes, "I had known he was at the end, on the brink of death, and yet I had abandoned him." (101) This shows that even though Elie knew that his father was about to die, he decided to go on and eta his soup, to go on and enjoy a shower while leaving his father outside when it was snowing. Secondly, when Elie had lost his father in the line for the shower, Elie was debating whether or not he should look for his father. In the text it says, ""But at the same moment this thought came into my mind: 'Don't let me find him! If only I could get rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all of strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself." (101) I believe that, that piece of evidence is the biggest and most explicit piece of evidence that shows how self preserved Elie has become. He really thought that by leaving his father, his life would be better because he wouldn't have to have a 'burden' on him any longer. Finally, before Elie's father passed away, Elie was giving his father a piece of ration, and he had brought hims cup of coffee that Elie only took a sip of. When Elie was giving his father his own ration of food, he "felt that I(he) was giving it up to him against my will." (102) This shows that even when his father actually needed that food because he was too weak to even walk, Elie felt like it wasn't right and if he could, he wouldn't give his father the food. At this point in the story, you could tell that in Elie's mind, the best thing to happen would be his father's death because it would not only 'relieve the burden' that he had mentioned earlier, but Elie wouldn't have to give up his ration of food to help his father.
    Overall, Elie changed significantly as a person because he started to lose himself to the camp life. Being in the concentration camp changed Elies mind completely from being a devoted Jew, to not believing in God at all. Being in the concentration camp also made hi lose himself from making, human, emotional, and caring decisions.

"Pain Strikes Sparks On Me, The Pain Of Terezin" by Anonymous - Butterfly Project

Fifteen beds. Fifteen charts with names,
Fifteen people without a family tree.
Fifteen bodies for whom torture is medicine and pills.
Beds over which the crimson blood of ages spills.
Fifteen bodies that want to live here.
Thirty eyes seeking quietness.
Bald heads that gape from out of the prison.
The holiness of the suffering, which is none of my business.

The loveliness of the air, which day after fay
Smells of strangeness and carbolic.
The nurses that carry thermometers
Mothers who grope after a smile.
Food is such a luxury here.
A long, long night, and a brief day.

But anyway, I don't want to leave
The lighted rooms and the burning checks,
Nurses who leave behind them only a shadow
To help the little sufferers.

I'd like to stay here, a small patient,
Waiting the doctor's daily round,
Until, after a long, long time, I'd be well again.

Then I'd like to live
And go back home again.
______________________________________________________________________
Comments: Elenia, Steven, Maria, Bela

Night - March 23

Pages read: 0 - 43

// Describe the major conflict(s) in the story. What side are you on? //

    Even though we are only three chapters in, I think that this memoir has already described so many conflicts, big and small alike. The things that Elie has to go through and see is completely terrifying and mostly when I think that he is about my age when he goes through this. One of the most tormenting conflicts that Elie describes was the four day journey to Auschwitz. Elie says that all of the eighty people in the wagon car had to take turns sitting because of how crowded they were. They were deprived of food and water, and a tiny window was the only source of light. Personally, the worst of all, there was no bathroom, so everyone had to go inside, on the floor of the car. I don't believe that there are two sides to this, but I do believe that everyone in the car needed to be as patient and calm as possible, or else a hundred more things could have gone wrong. Another conflict within the journey was Madame Schächter who lost her sanity and she ended up being beaten and tied up by her own community. 

    One of the most internal, but also important conflict so far was Elie's conflict with his faith in God. I think that this is going to become a lot more prominent further on in the story because one of the first things written in the book was how religious he and his family was, so now that he is questioning that, it is going to really mess with Elie internally. In the book, Elie writes, "For the first time, I felt a revolt rise up in me." I think that this line is very huge because it not only shows the fight that he is having with himself, but it helps to show how traumatizing the actual concentration camps were without even having to do any work yet.

Finally, I think that one of the biggest conflicts was being quiet and respecting orders. Now a days, everyone has a voice, and everyone has an opinion on anything and everything. All throughout the time since they stepped foot in Auuchwitz, the Jews were told to run, and take off their clothes, and shave all of their hair, and were told not to sit; and no one ever said anything back. Of course, everyone is going to be frightened half to death but when they all first got there, people were already thinking of revolting just because they had separated the women from the men; I would think that there would be some plan to revolt with all that went on. 

AOW Impressions - march 16 - march 23

// Reflect upon what you learned about the Holocaust from your peers. //

    This week, I think that I learned more about the Holocaust than most of my time of learning about the Holocaust in school. A lot of the topics talked about today varied from survivors to revenge stories. One of the most interesting articles that I heard was from Gustavo; he talked about a survivor of Berlgin-Belsin camp where a man named Martin Greenfield got caught stealing and eating rabbit's food and the mayor's wife caught him and Martin got brutally beat. Years later, after his liberation Martin went to get revenge on the mayor's wife and stole her car and tried to kill her. I think that this was interesting not only because he was a Holocaust survivor, but because he actually tried to get revenge on his captors. This article also helped me learn about the kinds of treatment and strict policies that people in camps had to endure.

    Another really interesting thing that I learned was about a specific survivor named Ava who was captured while reading on a park bench at only eighteen years old and sent to Auschwitz. Both Abdiel and Amelia had this article and both gave some different details about their articles. For example, Abdiel talked more about her life after being liberated like how she had moved to the Soviet Union where Jews were still considered a threat and how hew husband got arrested. I found this really surprising because this was after she had been liberated and her life still revolved around what religion she was. Amelia, on the other hand, talked about how Ava said that she wanted the guards at the camp to "pay the price" for what they had done.

    Overall, it was really amazing learning about all of the survivors and all of the different events that every single one of them experienced.

Berlin Memorial Activity Reflection

// Reflect on the Berlin Memorial Activity we did in class //   

 

   
    Based on the activity that we did in class today,  I learned a lot about the years preceding the Holocaust that I never really learned about in depth before. I had heard about the different legislations passed to take away the basic rights and needs of Jews, but I had never thought of how insane and real the decrees would be. For example, the decree that didn't allow Jews to have pets was completely insignificant to me, like why would Hitler and his regime even care about their pets. I also learned how smart Hitler was, and how he placed the laws during certain times, not too many at some points where there was media attention on Germany, while piling them when Germany was left alone.

    I think that this monument was built not only to remember the people that perished, but to remember what they had to go through. While at the same time, I think it was built to remind people of this tragic event in history, which is the Holocaust, in hopes that it won't repeat itself. Whenever memorials are built, they are to remind the public of something that happened that not only affected a group of people, or even an entire country, but the entire world. I think that the Holocaust completely affected the way the entire world acts now, and I think that this particular memorial was put out in a very public place so that people can read them and share them with others; to try and stop history from repeating itself.

    The activity that we did in class helped to show how the number of laws changed in certain years. For example, in 1934, only one or two people went up, but when it came to 1937-8, almost the entire class got up. I think that this helps to show the slyness of Hitler and his regime during this time, because every law was placed when it was because it was the "perfect time". For example, only one or two decrees were passed in the year 1936 because that was when the Olympic Games were held in Germany and that year Germany was an open book and they couldn't risk getting a bad rep or else Hitler's Final Solution would have never happened. While in 1937, a year after the Olympics, Hitler piled decrees like how Jewish men needed to have the middle name Israel, while Jewish women had to have Sarah as their middle name.

    Personally, I think that I would have the most trouble with the decree passed in 1938 which says that no one could go to school. I'm not a big fan of school now, and I want to leave as soon as possible, but having an education in the 1930s was really huge, and to have a career that actually payed off was granted to those who had an eduction. I also think that in the present day, we spend most of our day and half of our entire lives in school that I don't think I would be sane if I couldn't go to school and actually get a little bit of social interaction.

Comments: Gustavo, Jesus, Elenia

3rd Quarter Reflection

    Out of all of the books that I have read this quarter, I think that Murderous Minds was probably my favorite, because I have always really been into neurology and psychology, so it really opened up the window to learn more about those subjects. Also, it was the first non-fiction book I have read in a really long time, so it felt refreshing. I also learned a lot from the book. For example, in a past blog I had written the most interesting thing that I read was "an estimated 1 out of 100 adults is a psychopath", so now when I walk around in the mall, or if I'm in my car, I just creepily stare at people and wonder whether they are psychopaths. Overall though, I think that Murderous Minds helped to branch out my taste, and teach me a lot more than I would have learned from rereading Looking For Alaska for the fifth time.

    I think that my biggest improvement in the third quarter has been researching and providing reliable and strong evidence in my pieces. After the argumentative piece, and now with the Holocaust web quest, my skills in researching has improved significantly. For example, I used to use evidence from answers.com or from any website that had an answer that I was looking for; now I try to find more reliable sources like websites that end in .gov, instead of trusting random sites. Going along with researching, I now know what evidence to use and what to throw away. For example, I used to play it safe and add as many quotes of evidence as possible just so I knew that people got the point, but I was so repetitive in my writing that the arguments became really boring. Now, I know that to truly create a strong argument, you have to chose one, or two, to the point, and reliable quotes. This skill has not only helped me in research papers or in argumentative pieces, but it has helped me format all of my other paragraphs, whether that be in a blog or in an AOW. 

    The most challenging part of third quarter was probably the two papers that we had to write, because we haven't had to do that in any of our classes recently,  so it was tough to remember the format and citations. It was also pretty challenging because, personally, I felt like every time I read it, there was something wrong, but I didn't really know how to fix it; whether to change the word choice or to just take out that sentence. Even though, the papers were challenging, they helped me a lot in preparing for high school essays (which I am grateful for). 

    Since the new year, I am really proud that I don't have to stay up until midnight to finish homework since I haven't been procrastinating as much. I think that every year, my new year's resolution is to stop procrastinating and try to finish homework as soon as possible, but I never really accomplish it. Now, I have really been putting in the effort, because the bad habit of not sleeping until midnight or after, was really making me cranky and stuff, so now I have been finishing my homework before 10! I also think that because I am getting rid of procrastinating so much, the quality of my work is more up to par. Since, I'm  not doing homework last minute now, I have more time to actually revise my work and make sure that it is up to par.

Comments: Carlos, Amelia, Abdiel

Bio-Poem for Maria

Maria
Outgoing, Assertive, Loving, Homesick
A character in Judith Ortiz Cofer's story.
Lover of poetry, Puerto Rican culture, family, and the Island from where her memories were made
Who notices the rain patterns during a thunderstorm, the features of other's faces when they are sad, and people growing up.
Who feels melancholy because she misses her mother, amazement at all the new customs in the barrio, and confusion at the way people act.
Who learns to "pay now and fly later", to be cautious with love, and how precious friendships really are.
Who says "My goal is to get into college and move into an apartment above ground where I can see the sky through my windows instead of the legs of people on the sidewalk, although you can tell a lot about people by the shoes they wear."
Who used to think that you only get one home but now knows that home is where the heart is. 
Major character in Call Me Maria. 
A Book that brings families and cultures together, to realize the meaning of comfort and love.

AOW Impressions - 3/6/14

// What did you learn from your classmates this week? //

 
    This week, a lot of the blogs varied in topic and the topics took place in a lot of different places. One of the most interesting things that I learned was from Athziry and she talked about how studies show that social media is actually driving more teens into suicide. She had mentioned that two transgender kids posted their suicide notes on Tumblr and other people felt like their feelings were the same, which consequently, triggered them into committing suicide. I believe that this is important for the world to hear because in schools, we are always taught the bullying and rough lives at home lead to suicide and that parents should watch for those things, but now kids are killing themselves because they see others do it. I believe that this not only shows the power of soil media and the consequences of it, but it also shows the power that teens have. I think that this is an eye-opener to people around the world because anyone from any place can access these suicide letters online.

    Like most weeks, the most common topic was ISIS. Like I mentioned last week, a lot of the articles were different events surrounding ISIS. For example, Abdiel talked about teenage girls who ran away to join ISIS; while Gianna talked about releasing 19, Christian prisoners, and Steven talked about ISIS attacking archeological sites. I think that so many classmates chose ISIS, because it is quite frightening that all of the news on them, is all of the tragic events they are causing and nothing about actions taking place to stop them. The most interesting thing that I learned was from Gianna and the prisoners released by ISIS. Apparently, ISIS released the 19 Christians they had held hostage because "they didn't want to harm their neighbors." Overall, I believe that everyone is becoming better in summarizing their articles while giving out a lot of information.


Comments: Darya and Joey

Call Me Maria - Week of 02/23/15

Pages read: 0 - 48
Prompt: Do you like what you're reading? Why or why not?

    Truthfully, I am disliking the book more than I am enjoying it and a lot of it has to do with word choice. I think that because Mrs. Larson has been repeatedly talking about how important word choice is, I feel like now I have that mentality. Now word choice really affects what I read and whether I want to keep reading or not. In this book, the main character Maria, was born in Puerto Rico and her first language was Spanish. During her years in Puerto Rico, her mother taught her English, so when she moves to New York, she isn't completely lost, but in her letters and poems she writes in "Spanglish", which bothers me A LOT. I think that the Spanglish really bothers me because it just really takes away from the flow of the writing. In a lot of the lines where she adds a Spanish word, she says what it is in English, which to me, makes no sense because it is just adding repetition that makes the prose harder to enjoy.

    In this book, the writings jump all over the place, which again, looses the flow of the text. For example, on page 34 it is a writing piece describing all of the foods that her dad likes to eat, and she never says why its important or who was supposed to read that writing. In the poem after that, it is describing a girl named Whoopee, which at first I though was a dog, but later Maria says that Whoopee talks so then I made the connection that it was a girl. It was still very difficult to make the connection that Whoopee was Maria's friend and not someone she really admired because of the way Maria talked about Whoopee, like "Eyes, black, ebony, three A.M. on a clear night black..". I can see how the author would want to make a variety of writings, but I believe that there should be a connection between all of them and not just random writings that really throw me off.

    Now, I'm not just writing this blog to trash the book, because there are some parts that I have enjoyed from reading this. I really enjoyed how realistic the writing is written (besides the Spanglish) and how it really shows the personality of the character. So far in the book, it is very evident that Maria is extremely family-orientited and she shows this by explaining her worries for her mother and her excitement for her father. My favorite part so far,  is when Maria described her English teacher, Mr. Golden, by saying that his voice is like "chocolate ice cream, like warm honey, like the golden light of the sun at the end of a winter's day." I find this really cute and even laughable because it reminds of every romance movie ever. Again, it also shows Maria's personality and how she focuses on certain aspects of people like their voices.

Comments: Elenia, Steven, Gianna
 

AOW Impressions - 02/20/15

     This week, most of the article were about ISIS and all of the different upheavals they are causing. What I found really interesting about this was that not one article talked about the same situation about ISIS. For example, Diego talked about the cyber side of ISIS and how they are hacking pages and making threats, while Amelia talked about other people's opinions ISIS. She mentioned that many people believed that ISIS's plans will backfire in the future and that they can/will be defeated because 63 countries have agreed to fight ISIS if they have to and finally, mine was about the terror of ISIS spreading to Italy. Personally, I see this as a wake up call, this shows that ISIS is something that not only news reporters around the world are thinking about, but students in our own classroom find it interesting but at the same time, frightening. As we have progressed with the AOWs, ISIS has also progressed and I think that all of the articles about ISIS aren't going to stop. ISIS isn't going to stop. And we need to do something about it.

     I also believe that this week's gallery walk of AOWs went a lot better than last week because there was more variety in the articles. For example, Jenna talked about a boy who was gay and because his dad didn't approve of this, he made his son go through all sorts of dumb treatments that his son ended up in a really bad condition, mostly because of all of the different drugs given to him. But in the end, the son told his boyfriend that he loves him by hanging a banner outside of his hospital room. I think that this had to be one of the most unique articles and personally, I feel like it gives a bittersweet message. I believe that it shows the terrifying techniques that are still used against gays, not only by inconsiderate strangers, but even their family members. But at the same time, this article was posted to expose this father and the practices he uses, and personally, I believe that a lot more attention will be brought up to this man and his son, and it will end up in a happy ending for the son. Overall, I believe that the AOW gallery walk went really well, and everyone got to not only learn about the progress of ISIS, but also got to learn about something new.

Murderous Minds - Week of 02/16/15

Pages read: 0 - 37
Prompt: What have you learned from what you're reading?

    This week I am reading the nonfiction book, Murderous Minds, and it is about neuroscience, and the "criminal mind." This book is really interesting but at the same time very complicated that I had to red whole pages more then three times so I could actually understand the topic. For example, in the first chapter, the author was taking about how mental illnesses play a huge role in psychotics and the reason behind the crimes they commit. He started to talk about different parts of the brain and their roles in mental illnesses. For example, he said "The loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantial nigra affects a neighboring part of the brain called the striatum, whose cells depend on dopamine to function properly." That was just one sentence and I had to read it a few times to understand, but the thing about this book is that everything is intertwined, so if you don't understand the previous sentence or even paragraph, most likely; you won't understand the next few paragraphs to come.

    One of the most interesting facts that I have learned form the book so far is that "an estimated 1 out of 100 adults is a psychopath" so if you think about it, you have probably encountered a psychopath and you didn't realize it! But don't get me wrong, psychopaths don't necessarily mean killers. Even though when you hear psychopaths you think of some crazy murderer who chops off people's limbs and feeds them to his pig, "for every psychotic serial killer, there are literally millions of psychopaths who don't kill." Psychotics are people who are out of touch with reality, most likely have a mental illness and most likely have violent impulses. So in reality, you could have met a psychopath but don't think of them as killers, because statistically, it is unlikely that they are killers.

    There is a test called the PCL-R test which basically test psychopathy in people. The test is taken in an interview format and the interviewer takes notes on different factors to see whether the person is a psychopath or not. It is a 20-item test and the interview rates the factors on a scale from 0 - 2; 0 meaning that there is no sign of it at all, 1 being that there are hints of it and 2 as being very present. One of the factors is manipulative behavior. So if someone was interviewing you for this and you showed no sign of manipulation then you would get a 0 for that factor, but if you showed a plethora of signs of lack of remorse or guilt, you would get a 2. In the end the score is tallied up and out of the maximum of 40 points, if you have 30, you are labeled as a psychopath in the US. The interview can take, the minimum of 2 hours, up to four hours to get all of the evidence needed to write down the points.

Comments: Leanna, Marisa, and Gustavo

Booktalk for Perks of Being a Wallflower

Written Transcript:

    The book I chose to talk about today is the Perks of Being A Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky. The genre of this book is young-adult fiction. This book is formatted in a way that there are no chapters, but there are different letters. The entire book is letters written to someone who is never really revealed throughout the book. The letters are written by Charlie, a fourteen year-old boy who is about to enter high school in Pittsburgh, PA,  in the year 1991. Charlie is depressed and he is a very shy person who has absolutely no friends because his only friend in middle school passed away. Throughout the book, Charlie becomes friends with two seniors; Sam and Patrick, who are siblings. Charlie gets into a conflict with his girlfriend and his best friend Sam, and basically the only friends that he had gained, he loses and he gets pretty bad. He starts to have hallucinations of his aunt that passed away and he ends up in a mental hospital.

 The book follows the life of Charlie as he goes through living the life of a teenager who makes mistakes but creates memories along the way. I think that out of the many themes in this book, the one that sticks most with me is friendship. I think that friendship is what helped Charlie through his depression and friendship helped him grow up. 

    I really liked this book because it was so well-written that you can't help but relate to a lot of the things that happen to the characters. I also really enjoyed this book because every event in the book was so interesting and either really cute and funny or really sad and sob-worthy. The event that I remember the most is when Charlie, Sam, and Patrick drove through a tunnel, blasting "The Beatles" because it was a turning point for Charlie, it was when he realized that he and a lot of very simple things that he should be smiling about. I would recommend this book to everyone who is in middle school because this book really is an eye-opener and it is a very sentimental book. 

Comments: Sheyanne, Gline, and Mia

AOW Impressions

// Take a moment to reflect upon your impressions of what you have learned from the array of articles in at least two well written paragraphs, using evidence from your graphic organizer //

    I think that the activity that we did on Friday really showed me what kinds of issues actually interest us and how serious they are. For example, there were 5 people out of the 13 people I talked to were about climate changes and the effects of it. I believe that one part of the interest of these articles is that in 8A science, we are learning about climate change, but I also believe that we are noticing much of the changes today. What really interested me was Autumn's article about coral bleaching. Autumn mention that coral reefs are dying because the water is getting to hot and I know that the only way large bodies of water will have a temperature rise is because of climate change. She mentioned that because the coral reefs are dying, many fish have no home. She said something that I feel tied a lot of the class's articles together; "everything is like a huge chain of events", and I believe that this is true because one event occurs and a million other can happen because of one. 

    This activity also helped me learn about countries that I had never heard of and personally would have never cared to look up articles about them. Gabe's article really interested me because it was a country named Yemen, which after I looked up found out that it is an Arab country, is in a major water crisis. Not only do they not have sufficient clean water to drink but Gabe mentioned that it is a country that rarely has rain which makes the situation that they are in worse. What was really interesting but that also brought up some questions is that I learned that in Yemen, "about every 9 nine days the government hands out water to 67% of the population"How does the government obtain this water? How do they decide how much to distribute? How do they decide on who to distribute? 

Week of 01/26/15: Schooled

// Describe the main characters //

Pages read: 80 - 134

    The novel Schooled is very different from other books that I have read because every chapter is in a different character's point of view which makes the book a better read but it can become confusing at times. That is why I believe that understanding the characters in the book is crucial. Capricorn Anderson, the main character in this novel is in the eighth grade and it is his first year in school. Ever. Cap was homeschooled in a hippie community named Garland with his grandmother and now he is the biggest loser in Claverage Middle School. The other students nominate Cap for Eighth grade president so they could just make him break, but there is a huge twist of events; he actually becomes the most popular and liked kid in school; making the old popular guy mad. Cap has very long, shaggy hair and he wears tie-dyed shirts almost every day to school. He has never seen TV or eaten pizza, so getting to know him and see his transition throughout the book is really cool.

    Zach Powers used to be the most popular boy at Claverage Middle School. He was the one who coordinated all of the pranks, he was on the football team and he had girls practically throwing themselves at him, now, all of that has changed because of Cap. Zach was the one who there spitballs at Cap and he was the one who tripped him in the halls and all Zach wanted to do was to make other people like him so that his eighth grade would be "his year". Now that Cap is the most liked guy in school, he has no where to sit in lunch and is even forced to eat lunch with Hugh Winkleman, the next runner up for loser. In the last chapter that I read, Zach was planning the biggest revenge prank to get back on top and kick Cap out. I think that Zach is one of those tough guys that all he really wants, is to fit in.

    Hugh Winkleman was Cap's only friend when Cap first came to Claverage and Hugh used to be the biggest loser before Cap came. In the beginning of the novel, Hugh was actually glad that Cap was at the school and that Cap was the one being bullied so that Hugh wouldn't have to get tripped. Hugh is actually a very nice person but when it comes to the worst, he only looks out for himself and now that Cap has ditched him, he is teaming up with Zach Powers to get Cap back down. The author hasn't really let out any important details of Hugh that really make him .. him. I predict that in the future, Hugh will go along with Zach's scheme and it will lead to the destruction of Hugh and Cap's friendship.

Comments: Gustavo, Steven, and Nik

Schooled - Week of January 20

// Predict what will happen next //

Pages read: 0 - 79

    After reading the first 12 chapters of the book, I think that there are so many different ways that the book can run now because of how bizarre it has been. In the last chapter that I read, it was in Hugh Winkleman's point of view, and Hugh used to be the biggest loser in the school before Cap Anderson came. The chapter start rout by Hugh saying that he felt really guilty because he feels good that the popular kids in his school have stopped bullying him and have now moved on to spending their time bullying Cap. In the end of that chapter, the bus driver has a heart attack and Cap takes the wheel and drives the bus, with students in it to a hospital, while cops are chasing the bus. From just that, I predict that at first Cap will get into major trouble, not only fro driving when he's a minor but because there was a line of policemen chasing after him. I believe that Cap will spend some time in jail and then the kids will have a completely different perspective on him. I believe that the kids will now praise Cap, because what he did was. in fact, very heroic.

    Since Cap's first day of school, I believe that he has been trying to just fit in and try to understand all of the new concepts that he had never heard of in Garland. For example, Cap had never seen TV, or even heard of it because in his old town, Garland, the electricity was provided through a generator that barely had enough power to illuminate the lights inside the house. I think that he is now getting the hang of everything. I believe that when his grandmother, Rain, gets out of the hospital, he won't want to be homeschooled again, because of all of the new experiences. I predict that Cap will actually have one more friend than Hugh Winkleman because of how much he is actually evolving and starting to fit in.

    One character in the book that I really believe the book will focus on more is Naomi Erlange. Naomi is part of the popular clique in school and she is basically one of the masterminds behind all of the pranks played on Cap. Naomi is now realizing that Cap is a really cool person and she is starting to feel guilty about everything that she has done, but she "can't" stop because all of the pranks that she is pulling, is to impress her crush, Zach. I predict that Naomi will finally stop harassing Cap and stand up for herself and Cap. Naomi comes off as a very intelligent character that just wants to fit in, but I think that maybe Zach will want to pull a prank that crosses the line and Naomi will stop it, even though she likes Zach. I think that in the next few chapters, Cap and Naomi will start to talk more and eventually became really close friends.
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Comments: Forgetting, The Fallen Angel, and Murder