The Grand Finale, A Goodbye Blog

Well, it's the end. What a good freshman year this has been. I feel that I have learned so much in this 9th grade honors english class and I think that is evident through my 27 blogs. When Mrs. Gilman first mentioned that one of our grades would be to keep a blog I was so excited. I could hardly wait for blogging to begin! I could just keep thinking about how cool would it be to do some of the assignments online. Later in the year after about 4 blogs I was annoyed at the idea that every Friday I had to spend a little time on a blog. Not to mentioned that the blogs were assigned about a week in advance, but my wonderful habit of procrastination usually kept me up to do them right before the little clock on my computer said 12:00. (As the year went on this habit gradually faded away)


It is was really fun to see as I look through all of my past blogs I remember all of the assignments we did this year. I had completely forgotten about reading The Importance of Being Earnest and Poetry Outloud. My favorite blogs to look at are the picture posts where we had to find a picture or movie that related to something else. It's almost as if when you go back and look blog by blog you see the whole year in motion in a short amount of time.


Although I didn't always enjoy doing every blog, I see a big change in my writing level from the beginning of the year until now. I think that I have also improved in being able to think creatively to find a response to a blog assignment and not just giving an obvious answer. One quote that I think sums up my blogging experience is by Lewis Carroll (I also happen to really like this quote because Lewis Carroll was the author of the poem I recited for Poetry Out Loud) Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it." This quote is so true for all of the assignments, blogs, projects, and essays we have been assigned this year. The main idea in everything was always to find the theme and prove a lesson of what you thought was important. In all of our blogs we were supposed to find our own response to the subject which is why this quote works perfectly.  


Over all I really enjoyed my blogging experience and I will miss it next year. :( Having to write weekly in away that all of my peers can see my work, and writing about specific interesting topics helped make the process of writing and coming up with ideas a lot easier which is a huge accomplishment for me. Thank you Mrs. Gilman for making blogging an assignment. It really has made me more confident in writing assignments for my future in high school and for the rest of my education experience. 
Goodbye Molly's Blog :) 

make-up blog: Thoughts on Great Expectations

originally due by April 2
I think that getting through Great Expectations was a big accomplishment for us as a class. Although at times the story seemed as if it was dragging on, I enjoyed the overall plot. Dickens' style of writing was intriguing and his choice of vocabulary was extremely broad which lead to the reading being interesting. My favorite character was most definitely Joe. It seemed that whatever situation he was put in he always had a positive outlook which was refreshing. I will admit that I did use sparknotes to help with the parts I was confused with, but I found that I understood the difficult passages more when I would discuss them with friends.

At first when the book was assigned I set a routine each night to read the day's assignment. This lasted maybe 3-4 days. After that I tried just finding time in-between other homework. This strategy did not last long either because I often would procrastinate and end up reading in the morning while eating breakfast and on the ride to school. As the weeks went on I began to have a pattern of reading the book right after I got home from school and this actually worked! I took the time when I would relax and leisurely eat a snack to read. This helped me in two ways, 1. I was not super tired while reading like I was when I would read right before bed, and 2. I was not rushing through because of procrastination. These two benefits helped me to retain a lot more of the story that I was reading. Dickens' books are not easy reads that you can just pick up and read anywhere because the story is not predictable and the language needs to be deciphered. I am proud of my self for getting through such a challenging book and I think I am a better reader because of it.

Favorite assignment

I came in to high school not knowing really what to expect. But since my first period class of English on the flirt day of school I have done so many awesome papers and projects, but my absolute favorite project in this class has been making really cool movies. The first one was for Pride and Prejudice the next for Animal Farm and the latest one for Great Expectations. Making movies is so fun and by the time we made our last movie it was done fairly quickly vs. the first one that took over 3 days to film and edit. I hope that there will be movie making opportunities next year!

I am very proud of these assignments because I think they showcased our group's creativity, and how well we worked together to create a great project. There was so much planning for each one, and after almost every movie had been made, we re-did it again to make it even better. The final piece for all of the movies looks polished and the work put in is evident. I am so glad that making a movie was an option this year because I had so much fun making them with friends.

Poetry!

Poetry is one of those things that you hear from when you are really little then in school and for the rest of your life. When I was younger I used to think poetry always rhymed. I loved nursery rhymes, my favorites were "Ba Ba Black Sheep" and the "Eency Weency Spider."Thinking back, the reason I loved nursery rhymes so much was probably because you could them, I can memorize the tune and lyrics after only a few times of hearing the song a few times.

When I was in elementary school and middle school there was a "speech meet" where you cold chooses to ether memorize a poem or another famous speech or dialogue. I loved doing this every year, and I think I still remember some of a poem I had in 3rd grade. For memorizing these poems It is easiest for me to just read the poem over and over and over again because eventually it sticks. This was also my strategy to Poetry out loud this year.

When I hear the word Poetry, I now no longer think of just rhyming poems. As we are learning in class what are some very different elements t poems I have been realizing how great the poets truly are. I still struggle with finding the meaning behind poems myself, but I am getting better! All in all I am excited to be studying poetry again.

Conflict In Romeo and Juliet

In class we have studied three the primary types of conflict evident in Romeo and Juliet person vs. society, person vs. self, and person vs. person. To me the most intricate conflicts are the interpersonal ones. Juliet experiences this throughout the novel when she is pulled by two things she cares deeply about which are her family and Romeo. The conflict arises when Romeo acts impulsively and kills Juliet's cousin Tybalt. Juliet knows this is wrong but tries forcing herself to look past this incidence because it would be wrong to not approve of her husbands actions, but should she really be turning against her family?! This is a battle constantly at war in her head that is yet to be resolved.

I think that as young people living in the world we live in there are perpetually scenarios that we are torn between. Whether its what our parents want of us vs. what our friends want of us, or finding the balance between homework and fun activities.  The ways people react to making these choices can very from he extremes of shying away and not making a decision to freaking out about each choice they make. Most people however are in the middle of this scale and make decisions with occasionally seeking council.  Personal conflict can be very minor, or can be huge decisions but it is through conflicts that we shape our futures.

Romeo and Juliet Everywhere

I am beginning to see that Romeo and Juliet involves many little plots all wrapped up into one story line. Many of these little plots have become a part of modern plays, movies and music since the original play was written by Shakespeare way back when. These similarities have even made their way to Pixar movies! As I am reading through the novel I think the most important conflict so far has been the controversy between the Montague and Capulet families that is keeping their children from freely loving each other. This is why I think The Movie Wall-E  resembles Romeo and Juliet. The main characters Wall-E and Eve fall for each other but, this romance is cut short because they come from different ways of living. They are so fond of each other they find a way to bend the rules to be together, just like Romeo and Juliet. Both of these couples are willing to leave their "world" for the other person which I think is what made these love story's so captivating.

Romeo and Juliet

I think that the character most like me is probably Romeo. When I have something on the forefront of my mind I can only think about that subject. That being said I often have a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head. It is fun for me to see how his character is developed. His lines often consist of many different thoughts, which is the way that I feel most of the time.  I also have a tendency to be overdramatic in situations that are irrelevant.  

At first glance, reading Romeo and Juliet can seem a very daunting task. Yet, after reading into it a while it becomes easier to understand. The story so far has been exciting as the characters begin to develop their personalities. The family rivalry between the Montegues and the Capulets seems to become more and more of a important role in the plot of the play. I like the fact that we read and discuss the book in class after reading it at home because I am able to pick up on even more details the second time around. I like reading for other characters as well, and I think that I understand what the characters are saying when I have to read for a certain part.

Wrapping up Great Expectations

I felt so accomplished to finish a book as difficult as Great Expectations. This book is chalked full of lessons and good messages that it is hard to pick just one, but the main theme or lesson that I think that this book taught was that money does not buy happiness. I think that this idea is relevant today as well as being true in the past. Pip and Ms. Havisham are not happy although they have plenty to spend. Some of the happiest people in the world have the least amount of stuff. Hearing this message makes a person think why? Why are the rich on average more unhappy than those who have less? My assumption is that because they are used to having so much wealth, they will never be satisfied with the "stuff" they already have. The wealthy people spend more time caring about their stuff rather than the people around them like their family and friends. People can make friendships. I've never heard of any money that have a conversation with you, or look after you, but friends and family can. Relationships with family and friends is the definition of happiness to me; not all of the money in the world could by that.

Picture post

I Think that this picture represents the 2 stages so far in many ways. First, like a butterfly, Pip's life has changes drastically from when he was a boy. Even the way he gets around is different. Although the butterfly and Pip look a lot different on the outside, they are still the same person deep inside. This picture also shows how now Pip is not wanting to look back at his old life, and would rather look at the beautiful future in front of him and the things he now possesses. The Butterfly in on the pretty flower while the caterpillar in on the leaf. Im not positive but I think the caterpillar is even facing the same way as the butterfly, almost envying him. Yet the butterfly pays no attention to what he used to be. I have enjoyed reading past the 2nd stage to see how Pip's character develops further, and I am looking forward to what is to come to see if Pip stays a butterfly forever.

Connections between Aladin and Pip

In the second stage now that Pip has received his expectations, he has become quite accustomed to the wealthy life style. He is spending money very frivolously, and on many eccentric items such as elaborate furniture, or expensive suits. This way of living is much different from the beginning of the story when we meet Pip as a low class, apprentice to a Blacksmith. Recently in the story however, Pip has become unhappy and somewhat uncontent of what he has. It seems as if in life this is true a lot of the time, those who have the least are more content that those who have everything handed to them on a silver platter.

I have always been a huge fan of Disney movies.  Be it a story about princesses, talking animals, or crazy adventures I love them all! Thinking about Great Expectations I believe the message relates to the main character in the story Aladin. Aladin starts off in the beginning of the movie as a "street rat"scouring all over the city for food. A Genie comes along when the magic lamp is rubbed and grants his wishes. One of these is to become a prince to win the heart of the beautiful princess Jasmine. Although he impresses Jasmine with a huge parade (including many elephants!) Aladin is still unhappy and does not feel he has everything he could desire.

I think the Genie of Great expectations is representative of the the mystery donor, and Jasmine is somewhat like Estella. More than that however, I think this movie is similar to the book because both main characters, Aladin and Pip, when they become wealthy, will never be happy with what they have and always will be wanting more.

Second stage

This week began the second stage of the Importance of Being Earnest. Although this section has been very slow, there is a lot of character, and motif building that I think will help increase the plot later in the story. The biggest change in this stage is Pip's move to London. He is now staying with Herbert who he used to know as the pale young gentleman and is learning manners.  Pip is also receiving money from the unknown person. This leads to a big change in Pip, even from when he first entered London till now he has found many uses for his money that can be just given to him with a snap of the fingers. I think Pip is becoming a very annoying character now, and is much more boring to read about.

The move to London I think incorporates many motifs. The most significant being becoming a gentleman, and mystery. Pip's character is changing into a gentleman. This, what was a few years ago to him only fantasy, is now a full blown reality with all the added luxury that he could never dream of. Yet, this leads the reader to really ponder the mystery of "who is actually giving Pip these things?", and "when will they reveal themselves?" I am looking forward to having these questions answered, and for the plot to pick up a bit. :)

Pip!

Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.


Pip is referring to the fact that he has changed his attitude about being an apprentice to Joe. He is realizing that he could be so much more than a blacksmith in town. This decision on this memorable day is the creation of the first link on a long chain of events that leads him to the character he will have later in life. The change in Pip evident when he has his transition of being a young child to now desiring to be a gentleman. This is seen when he was ashamed of Joe at Mrs. Havisham's house, "I am afraid I was ashamed of the dear fellow-I know I was ashamed of him..." These positive changes are decisions all people encounter at this age.


The day I believe that I changed for the better was the day this year when I decided to stand by friends that I thought were making good character decisions. As a teenager now a days there are many obstacles that can put you down a path that could end up being dangerous or harmful to yourself. By choosing not to be involved in the bad stuff and instead making choices that will benefit my later life I am leading to a long chain of good decisions down the road that all started with this first link of choosing a positive group of peers to be around.

Great Expectations Questions

At first the book was hard to understand, yet after getting used to the language and how the characters talk the Great Expectations became very interesting and intriguing. What I am not quite understanding however is at the end of the third chapter (pg. 19) when the 1st convict says "Where is he?...I'll hunt him down like a blood hound." The convict is referencing the man Pip said he had seen in the marshes before giving him the food. Why is this man scared of there being another convict in the swamp? Please help! Thanks!

Group essay

Dear group, 

Reviewing over my body paragraph I realized there were a few changes that needed to be made. First I read through for any grammatical errors and fixed those, but the primary thing I change was adding different synonyms for words I though I was overusing. All of my Concrete details and Commentary remained the same ideas. What I am having the most difficulty with is 1. creating different ways to say "the imaginary person one character created of the other" 2. While introducing each quote, expressing who is saying the quote in  another way than saying "Jack said to Algernon" or "Gwendolen said to Jack" for examples and 3. other synonyms for couple and relationship: I have come up with pair and duo so far. The last thing I am having difficulty starting is the transition sentence from Leah's paragraph to mine. Any main theme I should keep in mind, or anything major I should definitely include when writing this sentence? Thanks in advance for your help!

e

Dishonesty appears in everyday life all the time. Just think about every advertisement that fudges the dependability of their product so that more people will buy from them. Another typical example may be when something happens to you, you leave out just a little bit of the truth or add false information to make your story more interesting. Then there are the times when you are five and decide to give yourself a haircut. When your mom asks what happens you repeatedly say you have no idea even when the scissors were found in the bathroom and your bangs are 2 inches shorter. Dishonesty is most commonly used when there is someone  to please, or someone not to get in trouble from. In The book The Importance of Being Earnest there are many circumstances when dishonesty is used from the characters under these circumstances. The concepts talked about in class all have a way of being linked to the main theme of dishonesty. The epigrams in the book  are all very contradictory to what is being said. They all have a slight bit of untruthfulness woven into what the character is implying. The main social institution shown in the book is marriage. There is so much satire shown trough this topic especially how marriage was like a business deal. Dishonesty was clearly seen when both Jack and Algernon lie to their loved one that their name was Ernest. Yet this point was overlooked because it was wrong to point outs someones faults when you were acting proper. I believe that the pursuit of pleasure is evident when the men or women will go to "great lengths in society" such as becoming baptized to marry the one they love.

I believe that Oscar Wilde is trying to show how ridiculous upper class society was in this time period. The main way he portrays this is through the satire of marriage and the name "Ernest". The men and women were so polite and had such strict customs that there never was any true feelings involved. Wilde demonstrates through the play how absurd it was that marriage should become a matter between the parents of the daughter and how much money was involved. It never really mattered what the man was like, but how much they were worth. Since there were two scenes of both Algernon and Jack deceiving the girls by saying their name was Ernest, must prove that Wilde is stressing how funny it was that a name could influence the thoughts of the lady. A gentleman could be the most charming person in the world but if something that he had no control of such as who his parents were or where he lived was not perfect than he was considered nothing. I am glad I live in a time when people have feelings and there are not so many rules about what is or isn't "in" in society.

Animal Farm Evaluation

I LOVE doing creative projects so this assignment was a lot of fun for me. I liked seeing the work that my classmates did as well. It's great to see when people really put a great deal of effort into what they are doing. This is true for everything, but is very evident in this assignment who really gave their best effort on the project because it shows.

Ting
Poem: A Greed for Power

This poem talks about the plot of the novel and has added questions of actions the animals could have taken to not lead themselves to destruction in the end. I think this was cleverly written and shows an in depth knowledge of the novel. I could clearly see foreshadowing through out the poem.

Leah
Comic Strip

Leah did a project that I found very creative. On the left of the comic there is a quote that Napoleon says in the book next to a translation of what the pigs actually meant. I can see that she put much thought into her work. I wish that this could happen in real life, some kind of decoder to find out what people really mean when they talk to you.

Reagan
Poem: Tyranny
I find it is amazing how much is said through this poem through so few words. Each stanza gets right to the point about some of the major conflicts in the novel. There is also a cleverly embedded theme of tyranny in the core of each line. I definitely enjoyed reading this.

Mackenzie and Alena
Movie trailer
I thought that this movie trailer was very well done. This group used a mixture of real animals and plastic toys which lead to a comedic view of the animals in the story. This video is very funny and I have laughed every time I watched it. the use screens before every scene describing what the next clip would be about prepared the audience for what was coming.

Donna
Movie
This movie was very cute. I loved the use of stuffed animals in the movie. I think that the music was chosen well because the right tone was set for the different clips that were shown. Adding the song beasts of England also added to the building of the theme for the movie. This group worked very hard to make a movie this well created.

D'Andra
Poem
This poem talks about the plot of the novel though the animals point of view. There is a constant theme of "by himself" which I think symbolizes how the in the end of the novel it seems to be the theme "Every animal for himself."  I think that this poem almost seems like it could be a song.

Chase, Ketl, Sherwin, and Zach
Song
The the somber tone in the novel was translated into this song well. The beginning does not sound like all the voices are completely together and is in a somewhat minor key. This leads to an eerie feeling that can be found in the beginning of the book when the animals are just starting out. I also enjoyed the "remix" of the song that the group created near the end. I think that this group did great job and a good project is evidence of this.

Will and Paul
Comic Strip Timeline
The format of this timeline is done well and shows the plot with  funny pictures of pigs. However I wish there was more explanation for it and that it was a bit longer to show a summary of the whole plot. all of the main points could be seen, but it just needed something more.

Rachel
PowerPoint Game
I thought this game showed a great amount of creativity.  Rachel created a fun game that could be played by people who have read the novel Animal Farm. The questions were not just "yes or no" but actually made the person think in depth to the focus of the book. I wish some tests were created like this!

Britney
Picture
It seems as if this is a picture of a barn and windmill while it's raining.  I can't quite tell what is in the barn.  I wish there was an explanation for this drawing to give the viewers more of an idea of what it is about.

I think some projects were done very well, but I think the trailer my group created measured up to others. We found many literary elements and incorporated all of them into one movie.  I enjoyed making a fun video with friends and I can't wait to do more projects like this in the future.

Animal Farm Project

For our artistic response to animal farm, we made a trailer and mini movie. The video shows foreshadowing and themes through the background music. One song is about power and control, which foreshadows corruption. Irony is present when Napolean accepts an invitation to drink with the farmer breaking not just one, but two of his own laws. We also added in the windmill as a symbol of success in a unique way. We hope this video enhances your perception and knowledge of Animal Farm and that you enjoy the movie!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-ZM9Rkm78