Metacognition: Jane Eyre Project

This year, in Academy english, our group conducted an english essay project for the rather lengthy book of Jane Eyre. Our group made rules and guidlines that demanded organization and no procrastination. Despite the rule, I still found the need to procrastinate and do the last minute work, which was not at all appreciated by my group members. I was curious as do why I most of the time find myslef doing work last minute. Perhaps, I am addicted to the stress. But I don't want to be. Life is less enjoyable with the abundance of stress and I have brainstormed some easy things I can change in order to make my life better and more stress-free.

One thing that I should have done that I didn't was plan. Planning, although very simple, is a very easy way to space out the work and avoid stressful last minute frenzies. If you plan, and follow through with the plan, then things will get done on time and life will become a lot less hectic. Planning not only makes your life more organized, but it makes you a more productive student as well. When my work time is planned out, I tend to be more focused and more efficient in my work. I am more focused because I feel I am under a time limit to get each load of work done, so I work very hard to finish the work in the allotted time. By planning, life becomes less stressful and work, more manageable.

The thing I am amazed about myself is my willingness to not plan and instead, procrastinate. This project was example of what I tend to do a lot of the times. The amount of time given to work on a project is irrelevant because I end up doing it at the last minute anyway. The question is, why I do keep doing this? Perhaps I'm addicted to the stress of last minute work. Most likely it is that I never have the desire or necessity to do homework unless it is due tomorrow or the next day. If I try to work on things in advance, it usually ends in failure. I usually spend a lot of time getting very little done because I have no focus or efficiency. However, if the due date is very near, I feel it needed to get it done and I become more focused and diligent. It's a shame that I procrastinate, especially for this book because I might have enjoyed it a lot more, understood it better, found a deeper meaning, and wouldn't have received so much stress.

Overall, if I hope to be more efficient and successful in life, I need to immediately change my habits of procrastination by planning, organizing, and following through.

Metacognition: Jane Eyre readings

For me, reading Jane Eyre was a very difficult process. First of all, I never could find a good time in the day to read it. I always would try to read it earlier in the day, but I found that I was to energetic and not focused enough to read efficiently. Thus, I decided to read in the later hours of the day. However, problems occurred here too as a lot of the times I fall asleep while reading or I would submit to temptation and put the reading off until the morning. Either time of the day I read, I couldn't seem to get the reading done. Another problem I had when trying to read Jane Eyre was picking the right day to read it. The Jane Eyre readings, to me, required a lot of time to read and annotate. Therefore, I had a difficult time being able to read the section all in one day. For the majority of the book, mostly as a result of procrastination, found myself reading the section the day before it was due. In an attempt to change my habits, I tried reading the next section days before it was due. Unfortunately, I found after taking the reading quiz that I had not remembered what I had read because of the elapsed time in between the reading and the quiz. Finding the right day and time to read Jane Eyre, though as simple as it seems, was one of the biggest problems I had. If I could change something about myself, I would make myself read more efficiently and increase my memory.

However, there were a few things that were done well when it came to reading the book. For example, I was impressed with the fact that I was able to hold on to a lot of what I read and was amazed when it came to remembering fine details. I find it very interesting how we can never choose exactly what we remember, we just simply remember. A lot of the time, I found myself recalling insignificant and minute details details while at the same time, not being able to remember a key part of the section. I also was able to read and understand Jane Eyre quicker than I do other books. When it comes to reading, I tend to not read efficiently or have my mind wander. I will be reading a section and find that it is very similar to or reminds me of something else and mind wanders off. Luckily, while reading Jane Eyre I was able to maintain focus on the text and read trough pages in a matter of minutes. If I could apply this level of focus to my other occupations and activities I believe that my life would improve greatly on all levels.

360 degree thinking: The Palestinian Conflict

When asked to discuss an issue, my mind immediately went back to world issue discussed yesterday through Hands of Peace, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But first, to start out with some history of the conflict. This conflict has been raging ever since Israel's desire to form there own country. In their perspective, they believe that that land was promised to the people Joshua by God. For centuries, Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike lived harmoniously in the Middle East. However, things changed in 1947, when the British, with the support of the United Nations, allocated land, including the city of Jerusalem, to Israel, because of the suffering they endured during the Holocaust. The Arabs did not agree. After their declared independence in 1948, Israel, supported by the United States, has fought its way to maintain a country with Jordanians, Syrians, Egyptians, and especially, the Palestinians. Israel, because they are a democracy and are fighting terrorism, are supported by the U.S. and other democratic states. The conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians continues even to this day as Palestinians and Israelis alike continue to die everyday. The Israeli army continues to bomb innocent civilians, invade Palestine, and force Palestinians to live in small squalid spaces. The Palestinians are pushed too far and begin to resort to terrorism and killing innocent Israelis. This cycle of hate will continue to turn until a ceasefire is met.
I wonder why, if both sides continue to suffer greatly, the war continues. The answer is a multiple of things. The obivious answer is the land. Both the Israelites and the Palestinians desire their own land for their own people. The land also allows each side to establish their own country, and for the Israelis, their own identity. Religion also has its role in the matter. For both sides, the land is signifcant and carries a vast ammount of religious importance. For Israel, it is the "Promised Land", the land that is the center of their faith and it also is the place where their people have lived for generations. For Palestine, the land was the birthplace and deathplace for Jesus, and is also home to alot of Muslim religious structures including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Another reason for the conflict is the animosity that exists between both populations. Today, most Israelis and Palestinians assume that all Palestinians are different from them. All they know the "other side" for is for killing their neighbors and family. Thus, stereotyping and racism is another thing contributing to this conflict's existence. If each side continues to fight and not colloborate, then the hate and conflict will continue, until one side is completely the eliminated, most likely the Palestinians.
Another question I have is which side is right? Is there a possibillity for both sides to live in harmony? Is peace possible? I personally believe that peace is possible but it is not easy to attain. Both sides have to work to agree on a solution. Even after peace is declared, it will take decades for the hate to dissapate. Perhaps in a century, after decades of peace, will both sides be able to see the others as equals and live together. Until then, the massacre of Palestinians citizens and the terrorizing of the Israeli popluation will continue. As for which side is right, I believe that neither side has a superior claim. Both have ancestors that have lived in that land for centuries. Both have legitimite claims to the land. But who's land is it? Personally, I believe that it is both their land and that it either needs to be shared via one united country or the more plausible two country solution. If peace is not met soon, the world might loose one of the most historic populations in the Palestinians.

An Inconvenient Truth: Man exists as a result of evolution

Being a decently devout Christian and an avid biology student, Darwin's theory of evolution has always been a subject of argument and confusion in my mind. Going into my freshman year, I had been raised to believe that God made the world and its inhabitants in seven days, with men being made the last day. However, after reading Ishmael and taking a year of honors biology, I was in for a rude awakening. In Biology and in English, I was introduced to a Darwin's theory of evolution, that used man's knowledge of science to conclude that men, like every other animal before it, evolved from another species. We, I found out, came from monkeys.
This inconvenient discovery was not widely accepted following its debut in 1859 in the book "On the Orgin of Species". After his publishing, Darwin was continuely criticized and mocked. I have to give Charles Darwin some respect, it most of been really hard to publish this book and stand by his findings in such a popular chirstian society. Eventually, his findings have been accepted and are the basis of many more current discoveries.
The reason that this discovery rubs me a wrong way is because it conflicts and doesn't agree with the christian belief of man's creation, a belief that I had since I grew up. However, this isn't the only time that science conflicts with my religious beliefs. It seems that for everything Christianity states as the truth, science has something else to contradict it. Whether it be man's creation, history of Jesus, the Jews history, or even god's existence, science and religion can never agree. This puts me in a great conflict becasue I am never able to choose what side to agree with and decide which side tells the truth. My friends and I had a discussion about this issue one night while we were hanging out in a neighbor's backyard. Being all Christian, we all discussed how much of the Christian religion we believed in and how much we disagreed with and chose to believe science instead. We concluded that the Garden of Eden wasn't true, but Jesus's death and ressurection was true. Ever since that day, I am still confused and don't know what to turn to, science, or god?
Darwin, the creator of "The Theory of Evolution", I found out later was also a strict Christian. I would love to find out how he managed to balance both science and religion, and if he had a way of making their beliefs coexist. It seems as if school doesn't do a good job with balancing religion and science, partially because it is a public institute and has no offialiation with religion. I recently have heard of a school's experiment with teaching both the scientific side and the religious side of an issue. Though I'm guessing this school is a private Christian school, I believe that this is a good approach to teaching a subject. If the subject of man's creation was tought like this, through a religious view, then a scientific one, then a student would have the chioce to believe in the one he wants and wouldn't have to feel forced to agree with science's view on history.

Dialectics: Friendships and Purpose

A question, in one form or another, that seems to be asked by everyone sometime in their live is, "Do I matter?" Many people experiencing life's journey want to find a way to answer "yes" and strive to find purpose or meaning to their life. Some people turn towards religion and try to become closer to god. Those people come to the belief that the physical world and life is a gift from god, and in turn, they must repay him for it by worshipping him. They also believe that they will spend the majority of their existence in heaven (or hell). Thus, they believe that their purpose in live is to thank god and make sure that they arrive at heaven after their death. Others think that one needs to accomplish something profound in their live so that they can be remembered by others. Some, like Marc Gold, live their life to serve and help others. There are a few people that choose to indulge in life's pleasures and accumulate wealth believing that the purpose of life is to live luxuriously. However, for those many that still struggle to find purpose, I suggest that they look to establish more healthy relationships and friendships.

Relationships, though as simple as they might seem, offer many benefits in life's journey. First off, relationships help you solve and recover from any hardship's in your life. Whether your relationship is with a friend, a lover, or a family member, having another person you can talk to gives one the feeling that they aren't going through life on their own. If you lack friends and comrades in your life, you begin to feel worthless and alone. This feeling of isolation starts to make you feel like there isn't meaning to your life and that you don't matter. However, if you have companions and acquaintances that you spend a lot of time with, you feel like you matter to them, making your life meaningful. The more friendly you are to others, the more others care about you and the more important to those others you become. Relationships create a strong bond between individuals that make life more enjoyable and create a more meaningful life. In my opinon, life is supposed to be shared with others, the more lasting and postive relationships you create, the more meaningful your's and others' lives are.

Blogging Around: Jordyn and Mackenzie

Here is my response to Mackenzie's Best of Week: Food Crisis:
Mackenzie, this is a big problem indeed. Living in Glenview, we live in our own personal bubble. Very little crime, always an abundance of water and food, great education, great transportation, access to a variety of stores are some of the things that we typically take for granted. Though global issues arise and we discuss them, alot of us never realize the importance of the issue because it never really affects us. The worst part of the food crisis for us is higher food prices. For some unlucky others, it's starvation and death. It is important to attempt to do your part in helping solve these issues. For example, one could not waste water or food, turn of the lights, use their car less, pick up trash, and recycle. It is sad that many of us will not really care to do these simple things until it is too late. When their faucet stops running, or their grocery stores are emptied, that will be the point when they will want to help. I can't say that I'm the "greenist" person, but I will try my best to preserve and protect our earth.

This is the response to Jordyn's imedia: Tik Tok:
First off, I am just as surprised as you that Ke$ha is actually a very smart teenager, because she comes off VERY trashy.
Like you, I also like this song, it is one of my favorites. Thinking about why I enjoy it so much, I have come to the conclusion that I like her singing and the beats that go with it. It's a song that creates energy and liveliness in a room that is almost impossible to resist. I agree, the lyrics to the song are quite trashy, but I think everyone enjoys them because they are simply so rediculous. With lyrics like "Wake up in the morning feelin' like P Diddy" and "Leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack [Daniels]", it's hard not to laugh.
But I definetly agree, Jordan, our culture keeps slowly getting trashier. Today, songs can't be popular in less they discuss sex or drinking,(Bonus points if both are mentioned). If you watch TV today, you'll often hear commercial's about erectile disfunction, enlarged prostates, tampons, push up bras. I can't help but chuckle when I saw an hour paid-advertisement for "Booty Pop", underwear that has padding to make a female's bottom look larger. Some of these things should just not be on television. Many teens today cannot have fun unless they get drunk, high, or do something stupid. Parents are slowly getting less involved in their children's life and decisions, giving their teens the freedom to do something they might regret. I predict that parents will continue to comprimise and allow their kids more unmonitered freedom. Eventually, our culture is going to become more vulgar and trashy to the point where it will be ok to drink and smoke in 5th grade.

Best of the Week: Suicide

Last Friday, our current events group discussed an article about an assisted-suicide program in Switzerland. The program was corporately ran and supplied its customers with fatal drugs in exchange for money. Our group were discussing on whether or not this business should be allowed to continue and if people could be allowed to commit suicide. Many of the group members were troubled by the fact that the business was corporately owned because it means that the owners benefit off of other's depression and death. Others also didn't like the fact that the patients felt that their only choice was to live miserably or commit suicide when really they had different options like seeking counseling or professional help. But to some that are old and truly struggling to live and live painfully, they feel it is best to end their misery.
Suicide, since it has existed, has been frowned upon by all aspects of society and now it is starting to be accepted. Many argued that suicide is a choice, if you are suffering and you no longer have any desire to live, it is your choice to day. Only you have the freedom and the right to make the decision. This seemed to make sense and as our group began to agree when Darrell brought up an excellent point. He said that he didn't agree that it was "our choice" to commit suicide. He believed that just like how one doesn't get to control whether or not you are born, you shouldn't get to control if you die. He made the point that we only have the freedom to choose "what is right". This new point seemed to spark more discussion as I later added in that it is god who control who lives and who dies. God has given us the gift of life and to throw it away by committing suicide is the ultimate sin and an insult to god. Others also brought up the point that even though you make the decision to commit suicide, your decision to kill yourself effects others, such as friends and family members. Therefore, we decided that if one were to kill themselves, they would need others consent to do so.
This discussion has made me question how much freedom one should have in his life. Personally, I believe that no one has the right to end their own or anyone else's life (I guess this makes me anti-abortion). Also, the decisions and choices you make in your life, though you may not think so all of the time, affect the others around you. Focusing on the purpose of life, I believe that the goal of life is to enjoy your life on earth and help others enjoy their own lives, while still allotting time for thanking god. With this purpose of life in mind, suicide is selfish because it destroys your life, makes other peoples' lives less enjoyable, and is a sin. Overall, this "Best of the Week" has provoked many new questions and thoughts in my mind concerning life's purpose and obligations.

360 degrees: Colonialism

In past days in Academy, a theme of both history and English alike has been colonialism. Colonialism, though it may not exist today, had both negative and positive effects that have made the world what it is today. Specifically in Africa, during the 19th and 20th centuries, colonialism existed in a large scale as both the Netherlands and Britain sent men to colonize what they considered the unknown. The Europeans, because of the Natives primitiveness and how different they were from the typical European, were disregarded as "nobody" and pushed out of their land. Was this fair? Is colonialism fair? and is its impact negative or positive?

Colonialism, through a statistical point of view, had a negative world impact. As a result of the Dutch colonization of Africa, 4-8 million Africans died plus many others were mistreated and lived awful lives. During this time, African families were split up and villages tribes were broken because the Dutch needed labor. Many natives were pushed off of their lands and forced to move. This pushing around of the native people caused natives to clash with one another, resulting in more deaths. Many people lost their lands and homes to the Europeans and some even their life. However, Europeans benefited as they were able to gather the large amount of raw materials and natural resources that the continent contained. In fact, the Dutch and European economy boomed during this time, alot in part to colonization. However, the colonization also created an unequal relationship between Africans and Europeans which in part leads alot to the problem of racism in society.

One could argue that colonization was not completely bad for the Africans at all. The lives before the Europeans came infact were not that much better. Many Africans had been already dying because of lack of food, many diseases, and wars. Africa was alrdeady struggling and had been living dirt poor compared to other countries. The colonization was what they needed as it was an attempt to civiilize the Africans and create a society more like that of the Europeans. The Africans lacked structure in politics and lacked a stable economy and needed the Europeans.
Either way you look at it, colonization was a big part of history that has shaped global society into what it is today.

It Matters: Colonialism

Here's the link: http://www.globalpolitician.com/23759-poverty

In the last weeks, both our english and social studies classes have been centered around the theme of colonialsim. Specifically in english, we have been reading the book "Heart of Darkness" which is essientually about a Dutch ivory supplying company that travels into Africa to exploit it for its resources and labor. The book gives the reader a secondhand experience as to what the colonization of Africa was like. One can look at statistics or read this book, or anything similar, and figure out that Africa suffered greatly during this time. Thousands died and even more were mistreated. Though many british might have benefitted from the colonialization of Africa, Africa suffered as economies and lives were destroyed. But besides being a dark point of history, why does it matter? After all, it is just history, events that have already happenned.
Today, Africa is the most impovershed continent in the world. Many of its inhabitants are dirt poor and many others are dying from famine or diseases. Africa, compared to other continents, lacks infrastrucure in both their politics and economy. Everything, from medicine to trade seems to be a significantly worse in the African countries then in other countries. How did Africa get so far behind the rest of the world? Both the article and I agree that a major reason Africa has fallen so far behind is because of the colonization that took place centuries before. First of all, it depleaded Africa of most of its valuable resources like gold, diamond, and ivory. Also, as the colonies grew in power, they eventually became powerful then the African leaders and ruled over a majority over Africa. When they imposed european rule, they also disrupted the little economic progress Africa was making as they pratically enslaved much of the population. Though the article makes a good point about how Africa grew under European rule, I believe the opposite. I believe that Europeans benefitted but Africa didn't. The article also points out that the wealthiest African countries were the last ones to liberate. But this fact is misleading. Hearing this you might think that colonialization was good for African society when infact it shows the downfall of colonialization. After liberation, alot of countries found themselves unable to continue what the Europeans had set up for them. In other words, colonialization made Africa dependent on Europe and has kept Africa from catching up with the rest of the world.

Metacognition:First Semester

My first thoughts of English first semester began way before the beginning of school. It was during summer and I had just reluctantly chosen to read the assigned "The Blue Sweater". The title itself made me satisfied if I were never to open or read about the book. However, forced to finish it, I read. After the slow start, I began to grow more interested into the book. I found myself silently rooting for her and trying to think of advice I could give her to reach her goals. Every one of her success seemed like one of my own. By the books end, I realized surprisingly how much more I enjoyed it than I thought. The more I learned, the less ignorant I grew. This process and the lesson "Don't judge what you don't understand" was something that would continue to appear throughout my sophomore English semester.
Through English class, I noticed the importance of an open-mind and having the willingness to learn. In English, the only way to truly reach an in depth analysis of literature is to keep your mind open and persevere for the meaning or importance of a page, chapter, quote, poem, short story, or any type of art or literature. When I started The Kite Runner I found it to be interesting and enjoyed reading it. But, after some class discussions and conversations, I realized some important and analytical details that I missed. I thought I knew there was all to know about the chapter, but by listening and learning from the observations and connections from Mr. Allen and others, I was able to get more meaning out of the book and enjoy it a lot more. This was even truer with King Lear. While reading it I that I knew exactly what Shakespeare meant and thought I identified most of the important quotes and lines. But once again, I was amazed when others had noticed much more like the style of writing and the poetic language used, and after hearing their findings, I felt more accomplished and enlightened. By listening, wanting to learn, and accepting others thoughts I was able to learn that both analysis and collaboration were tools that could be used to find deeper meaning in literature and life in general.
Finally, my thoughts on the most recent literature, Sophie's world. Frankly, I wasn't to excited because I didn't know philosophy, the main subject of the book, that well. But in hopes of learning it more and perhaps going to like it I read and annotated carefully. With the help of other classmates and Mr. Allen, I was able to understand pretty well the views of each philosopher and apply their views on life to today's issues. During the unit, both Darrell and I found that we continued to agree with the views of the philosopher that we were reading. I couldn't figure out why that was until I remembered that in English, there are no "right" answers. As long as one can support his views, opinions, and ideas with evidence, logic, or science, one can claim whatever they believe. Besides the similarities between the philosophers, I found that the reason why we were always agreeing with the philosopher we were reading is because they were able to persuade us to agree with their ideas using logic and science. Overall, There are many lessons that I’ve learned and traits I’ve adopted when it comes to the first semester that I hope I continue to keep in mind and use during both English and the real world.

Blogging Around: iMedia "Disney Princesses Hot Role Models" and Connection "Collaboration in classroom and on the court"

Response to Fatima's post:

Fatima, right back at you, I like your post. Ever since I've watched that video last year, I have been thinking about how, though I never noticed it, Disney was secretly promoting the message of "Thin and big chested = pretty" and "Women need a man to save them from distress". However, like Bill, I don't think that these are the messages that the youth absorb. Personally, I have a lot of Disney movies and loved to watch all of them. When I watched them, I was very entertained and made me happy that there was always a happily ever after. I never, until now, noticed the size of the princess' hips, waist, and chest. All I recognized was that their faces were very pretty.
Also, another thing that I've noticed is that the characters used in disney are all white. Even in Aladdin, with Indian based characters, their skin is abnormally light for Indian skin color. However, I believe Disney has noticed this too and that is why they are making a movie called "The Frog Prince" that's main characters are black.
Fatima, I'm glad you posted about this issue. This is an issue that interests me and reminds me of my childhood. From what I've gotten personally and despite what I see now, the youth doesn't notice these things about the character's body or skin color because of their innocence and lack of knowledge. Great post Fatima

Reponse to Chelsea's post.

Chelsea, I must first start by saying that you are definitely right, teamwork is a concept that is very important in all sports and life in general. However, with your connection of teamwork being in the classroom, you could even go farther and say that one uses teamwork not only in group projects but during the whole school year.
If you think about it, each student in the class room has the common goal of learning the most they can and receiving good grades. In order to maximize your learning experience and accomplish your goals, you need a class that has similar goals and is willing to work together. A class that is interested in learning will learn more because their discussions will be more active, focused, and diverse because of the discussion’s many different participators. A class like that would maximize their learning experience, get better grades as a whole, and enjoy school a lot better than a class that would have only a few participated while some slept and others talked about what they are planning for next weekend.
Teamwork and the aspiration to learn must not only exist in the classroom but outside of it as well. Personally, when there are projects or homework assigned, I call a classmate and verify that due date and my interpretation of the directions. Collaboration between students outside of school is a good thing because it keeps everyone aware of what work they have to do and creates better relationships between classmates. I believe that if a class were able to use teamwork and set up a place where students could check homework and converse regularly, (similar to what we have on Ning) we would obtain better grades and enjoy our school experience much more.
Overall Chelsea, I like the post. Teamwork is not only important in the classroom and on sports teams, but it is important theme in life. The world would truly benefit on so many levels if its citizens would adapt teamwork and make it a priority. Teamwork is the single most important idea, and when performed, it makes the world and life that much better.

imedia: One-armed basketball player earns scholarship

Bing Video: One-armed basketball player earns scholarship

Having to think of a video that interested me and that I could successfully discuss, my mind, naturally, went back a week to the time when I was sitting in a orthodontist office, reading a sports illustrated. Looking through the various articles, one of them caught my eye. "Kevin Laue gets Manhattan scholarship" reading the title nothing didn't seem too special but after reading the article, I realized that he received a division one scholarship with only one arm. Frankly, I think getting a division I scholarship is already hard enough but with one arm? My mind began to wonder, "How could he shoot?", "Doesn't he have a hard time catching passes?". I was amazed that someone with that much of a physical disability was able to preform with elite basketball players. However, many of my questions of "How could he pull this off?" A lot of these questions were answered by something mentioned in the video and in the article, his work ethic. What an athlete may lack in athleticism or skill, can be made up by the willingness to work hard and always give a hundred percent. For Kevin, he knows that if he wants to accomplish his goals that, because of his physical disability, must constantly be outworking his opponents. It is also important to set goals if you're passionate about something. Kevin, as he explained in the video, has set manageable goals for himself that provides motivation for him and that he strives to achieve. Goals are important in general, not only in sports, because they give you something to work for and when achieved, give you a sense of accomplishment like nothing else.
Perhaps this video could answer another question of mine, why are sports important? What is the point of them, do they really matter? These were some questions that were brought up at a friends house by his mother and at the time, my friend's father and I were unable to give a storng answer. This lead me to think, why does it matter if the Bear's are winning or not? What's the significance of the Cubs winning the World Series. Who cares who wins the NBA playoffs? Actually, why do sports matter at all? After viewing this video I realize the answer, it's about recognizing the accomplishments of the players and athletes that put so much of there time and talent to achieve their goals. When watching sports on TV, we have to remember that those athletes are humans just like us, with wants, needs, dreams, and goals. Sports, though just games, are a place were many inspirational stories materialize and where athletes of many years achieve their goals for something they love doing, and it is important that we recognize this.
Reading this story, I was inspired and happy to see that despite a physical disability, this basketball player was able to achieve so much. It reminds me, and hopefully many others, to always try your best, and never quit when you have a dream. It also sends the message that just because you're disadvantaged, maybe severally or not as severally as Kevin, that it can't stop you from reaching your goals.

Connection:King Lear Technicolor Dream Coat

After tirelessly thinking of things to connect, I finally thought of something that I continue learn about on a weekly basis through my family, mass, and through my social studies textbook, Christianity. Searching for a story that I could relate to the situation of Edmund, Edgar, and Gloucester, I came across one of my favorite stories which is also a musical, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In both King Lear and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, there is a situation where sons are competing for their father’s love. In King Lear, Edmund, the illegitimate son, is jealous of Edgar because he is more loved by his father and is going to receive his property. Because of his jealousy, Edmund devises a plan to eradicate Edgar and leave him to be the sole inheritance of his father’s love and fortune. Though there are 11 jealous brothers instead of one, the situation is nearly identical in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Joseph is the favored son that receives more than his share of his father’s affection and gifts. After receiving a wonderful coat, the brothers jealousy reaches an all time high. They decide, like Edmund did, that life would be better for them if he was eliminated and create a plan to oust Joseph from the family. After the brothers deceive their father and sell their brother off as a slave, they begin to receive the attention that they desired.
After Edgar and Joseph leave their families, they are forced to live their lives as a slave and a beggar. In King Lear, Edgar has to live as a beggar because he is wanted by the kingdom for false accusations. Living as a beggar and disguising his identity, Edgar comes it contact with a powerful and troubled king, King Lear. As a beggar, Edgar helps Lear through his troubles and becomes acquainted with the king. Similarly in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Joseph works as a slave for a great yet troubled pharaoh. As a slave, Joseph conducts favors for the pharaoh in the form of interpreting dreams. Pharaoh was grateful for having Joseph that he decided to promote him to governor. Over time, both Joseph and King Lear meet their families by happenstance and are asked a favor from them. With King Lear, Edgar sees Gloucester has lost his eyes and is asked to be his guide to Dover. In Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, the family asks Joseph for grain and food because they are starving. Later both families realize the identities of their brother/son and ask forgiveness from him.
Understanding this connection is important because it helps be realize the relation and pattern of event that have taken place within Edgar’s family. Seeing this connection, one might think that Shakespeare himself was a devout Christian (which I doubt). These stories, characters, and character relations are truly more alike than different. Overall, I believe that these stories have identical characters and follow a pattern of events that make both an interesting literature piece and bible story.

Dialectics: Religion and Hatred

When one thinks of religion, one might think of worship, praise, togetherness, but never of hate. After looking deep into the similarities between these two topics, I have undiscovered that they are more alike than different.
Starting with their origins, religion originated a little after the creation of humans. At that point in time, religion served the purpose of explaining why the world is the way it is and any thing else that they couldn't figure out. Along with the creation of religion and humanity, hate also brewed among the human population as well. Hatred comes in many different forms and many different reasons. Some examples of hate include jealousy, hate of differences, hate of personality, hate of ideas, and hate of image.
Not until the emergence of multiple global religions did hatred and religion begin to combine. For example, with the emergence of Christianity, authorities began to hate the image and ideas of Jesus Christ. People as well began to dislike those who converted and the converted began to resent those who didn’t. Because religion is such an important and strong idea in the life of a human, it brings about strong emotions, such as hate. As time continues, the situation doesn’t change, and though Christianity supports “Love one another”, Christians all over continue to hate and challenge those who refuse to convert.
Like Christianity, Judaism also begins to serve as a reason to hate one another. Since their existence, Jews have received oppression where ever they have lived. Whether they have lived in Russia, Nazi Germany, or Europe they have received hatred and oppression because of their beliefs, image, and most importantly, their differences. In some situations, like during the Middle ages, Jews were expelled and persecuted. The hate and oppression didn’t change until the 19th and 20th centuries, where the intensity of the hate increased. During this time, Jews were being killed by the masses just because of the religion they followed. The long history of oppression has caused the Jews today to strive for a country of their own. Trying to obtain this country has led them into a long-lasting war with Palestine. Jews, today, now hate the other side because of their nationality and what they stand for. Likewise, Palestine and many of the other Middle East countries now hate the Jews for taking their land and oppressing their people. It’s amazing to think that religion, such a wonderful and important thing in most peoples lives, started this world of hate that exists today in the Middle East.
The situation is also identical with the religion of Islam. Islamic people are isolated from non-Islamic people. The distance between them and because their religion labels the people that don't worship Islam as "sinners" causes Muslims to dislike or hate the people that don't worship Islam. Today, Muslims have an enormous amount of hate against the American non-Muslim population and because of their hate, they have started a war against America.
Understanding that hate often comes from religion makes religion seem less productive and peaceful than it is. Religion, though by itself it’s a harmless idea, creates differences of beliefs, views, and customs between people. These differences turn to hate when people judge each other based on their religious views. Overall, recognizing that religion creates differences that lead to hatred between people is important and shows that religion, despite its benefits, might have a negative effect on the Human population.

Metacognition: Metromedia Cable Project

When having to think of a project that I had to use metacognitive skills, I thought back to my most recent math project, the Metromedia Cable Project. For this project, we had to solve a difficult math problem and come up with a creative way to present your work and findings on the problem.
Upon getting the project I immediately spoke to the teacher asking what she was looking for in the final product, or in other words, I clarified the directions and tasks of the project. The second metacognitive skill I used was organization, a skill that I often lack. With the help of my tutor, I broke the project into manageable steps that I could tackle on a daily basis. The breaking down of work prevented procrastination and made the project easier to tackle. Next, using the Internet, I searched for multiple sources that answered my questions about the problem and brought new ideas for the finished project. By using the Internet to answer questions, I used my metacognitive skills to comprehend the material. With the ideas that I gathered online and the ideas that materialized in my head, I needed a way to determine which ideas were the most important and therefore I should include and then organize them into the project's format. I found it difficult at first to visually put the ideas together in a flowing cohesive pattern. However, by self-talking and hearing my ideas out loud, the ideas came together metacognitivly. By applying these effective metacognitive skills, I was able to efficiently and successfully complete the assignment.
However, not all my metacognitive skills were put to good use. For example, I cease to review directions or plan out my ideas via outlining before starting. Without a proper plan or revision of the directions, I often find my self deviating from the given instructions and repeating myself. As a result, what I turn in sometimes is not what the teacher is looking for. Even without planning for the Metromedia Cable project, I was luckily able to follow the criteria and receive my desired grade. The metacognitive skill of planning is a skill that I have yet to master. Projects might also be easier to finish if I could isolate myself from other noises or distractions. Even while doing this blog right now, I am in the kitchen hearing my mom watch TV and my brother play guitar. If I could find a quieter work place then perhaps my train of thought would not be disrupted quite as often resulting in better focus on the task that I'm assigned. At the point of time when I am able to create a plan and isolate my work area for every project, will be the time when essays and projects alike will become a much simpler task. By harnessing all of the mentioned metacognitive skills, I will have become a more efficient, organized, smarter, and focused student.

Blogging Around

Alex, I'm glad you commented on the issue of the war in Afghanistan. Looking at what you wrote, it seems you have a similar opinion to that of Mr. William's. I too believe that it is our not our business to be in others affairs. However, I agree with NATO Secretary-General that we need to stay there "as long as it takes to finish our job". Hopefully "Our job" is to rid Afghanistan of the terrorist organizations and set up a working political system, but we don't know. I believe that after gaining control of Afghanistan, to have different results than the Russians and the Taliban, that NATO must follow up and create a working government. Overall, I agree that we must finish what we started but finish it in a way that we don't mess up the end game.

Darrell I cannot help but agree wholeheartedly with you on this issue. The technology today, thought it has its benefits, it really distorting the meaning of "Identity". Like you say Darrell, Facebook and other technologies are creating a virtual world in which you can easily alter your identity to your pleasure. This is a growing problem because identities are so easily created or changed it is hard to truly know who anyone is or what they stand for anymore.
One point that you've made that I've seen made before is the point of how technology is destroying the art of communication. As Mrs. Bergmann, my 6th 7th and 8th drama teacher once said, "With all of this technology, our youth is in jeopardy of losing all arts of communication, like facial expressions, sarcasm, hand gestures, and any other added emotions". I begin to see what she means as now as I am talking to you, Darrell, on a lifeless, emotionless blog post. The way you say things is often more important than what you say. i.e. "Darrell you are so smart" am I being serious or sarcastic right now? Overall, I believe the loss of communication and the too simple way you can end relationships make friends, and define yourself with a couple clicks offsets the benefits of today's technology.

Connection: Stand By Me

I have noticed that this book is really similar to the movie The Kite Runner. The characters have almost identical personalities and are face with very similar problems.

Just Kidding!

After watching the 1986 film Stand by Me over the weekend, I couldn't help but resemble it to Khaled's Hosseni's The Kite Runner. But how could an old American fictional narration and a new popular fictional Afghani memoir be any thing alike? What, if anything, could they share in common?

First off, as one might have noticed, they are both fictional first person stories. Both are told in the same way that allow the author to truly engage the viewer in the story and make the story more meaningful and real to the viewer on a personal level. As a viewer, this perspective of story telling allows the viewer to relate to the main character and go through his problems as if there were his own.

Besides the perspective of The Kite Runner and Stand by Me, both have similar characters and the characters have similar roles in the story. Starting with Amir and the other main character Gordie, they both are good writers. Both, in their respective story, love to write and have a specific talent for it. Also, both of the characters have negative and awkward relationships with their fathers. Amir because of Baba's secret, and Gordie because of his brother's death. Both Amir's father and Gordie's father pay little attention to their sons and never acnowledge or show interest in their talent for writing. Though there is no friendly encouraging Uncle to Gordie, there is a Rahim Khan figure who is also is his brother. In the story, supports Gordie's passion for writing by complimenting him and constantly advertising it to his family and friends all the while his father thinks of writing as a waste of time and a silly thing to do. This situation is very comparable to that of Kite runner as both main characters receive a lack of interest in their writing from their father's but encouragement from other family in their writing. Continuing further, we can see that both also have confidence issues. Both when it comes to advertising their writing and standing up to bullies.

Like the main characters, the bullies in the stories are similar. Both Assef and Ace are blond haired blue eyed bullies aided by loyal but not always agreeing cronies (both start with A too :)). Also, each bully has a weapon that they are known for having and puts fear in the main character's eyes and the eyes of others. For Assef, it is the brass knuckles: For Ace, it is the switchblade. Each weapon is distinct to the bully and makes each encounterment with the main character more suspenseful and frightening. Both bullies also are a great source of fear in the main characters' lives and pick on them until they are stood up to by the main characters.
The character similar to Hassan is the character Chris. Chris is the best friend of Gordie and defends him as if he was his brother. He, on numerous occasions, stands up for Gordie when the bully, Ace, picks on him, thus, like Hassan, he receives the punishment for the main character.

One scene in the movie that screams resemblence to that of the book The Kite Runner, is the one of the final scenes of the movie where Ace, like he promised, finds and is ready to hurt Chris and Gordie for getting away earlier from him unharmed. However, for the first time in his life, Gordie stands up for himself and Chris by holding a gun to Ace and telling him to leave. Eventually Ace leaves and Chris and Gordie are safe. I related this scene to the scene in the book where Amir finally stands up against Assef and Assef is threatened to stop when the slingshot is held to his head. However, in this story, the weapon is held not by the main character but instead his loyal friend's son Sohrab.

Overall, these two stories are more alike than they are different. With similar characters, similars scenes, similar character relations and roles, and a similar format and perspective. Though the comparisson to the movie the Kite Runner might be stronger, the comparisson to the book, The Kite Runner, and the movie, Stand by Me, are not too far behind. All in all, The Kite Runner and Stand by Me, despite their different time periods and area the stories take place, are connected, and because of that, help to understand the author's message and emotions.

P.S. Watch the movie and you will see what I mean :)

The Best of the Week: Assef and Why?

Having to think of a time this week when I was truly interested in a conversation in class didn't take me a long time. After all, Friday's conversation of Assef was not that easy to forget. I specifically remember our class talking about how we agreed with Amir that Assef falls into the category of a sociopath. This was about the time Roman argued that Assef was not a sociopath because he was aware of the pain his actions gave others. The more I thought, the more I agreed with Roman.

Sociopathic: Unconcerned about the adverse consequences for others of one's actions.

Frankly, that is not Assef. Assef clearly means to hurt others when he says things. "I'll let you keep [the kite] so it will always remind you of what I'm about to do. "I'll ask the president to do what the king didn't have the quwat to do. To rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, kasseef Hazaras." These quotes from Assef may show hatred and confused views on race and equality but they obviously don't show signs of a sociopath. Hatred, especially, is the emotion that has ruled Assef and has made him into the source of others pain. But how and why did this source of hate come to materialize in Assef's life?

This is where another argument took place about "Nature vs. Nurture". Was it the environment that shaped Assef or was it his DNA that made him what he was? Though genes may help decide who you are, I believe that it is the environment that shapes you. Assef is obviously a bully that knows no limits. Searching for the "Why" we go back to the section of the book when Amir meets Assef with his parents. In the conversation, it's apparent that Assef both physically and emotionally dominates over his parents. This lack of control over Assef allows him to have no limits and gives him the sense of power that he craves. Nature can also explain Assef's particular strong dislike for Hazarans and his affection for Hitler. During Assef's life, Afghanistan is constantly in a state of conflict between the Pashtuns Hazarans and other ethnic groups. The fighting must have had a negative impact in Assef's life causing him to resent Hazarans and wanting to eliminate them from Afghanistan. This is similar to what happens to Baba during the Soviet invasion. When the Russians invade Afghanistan, Baba and Amir are forced to flee and live the next years of their lives in filthy conditions. There, Baba sees children and people he knows raped or dead. After this experience, Baba maintains his hate against all Russians throughout his life, and when he is referred to a partly Russian doctor, he refuses to cooperate. Something similar also happens to Hitler during World War One. During the war, the conditions and the economy in Germany were extremely bad. Many people starved to death. Hitler, however, observed that the Jews in his town were still succeeding during this depression and he hated them for it. You know what happens next. Many times, it is the environment that decides who you become. In Assef's, Baba's, and Hitler's life the environment creates extreme racism. The environment in which you live and the people that surround you are the key contributing factor in what you become.

The Best of the Week: