Jack C's English 1 Blog 2016

Kolin's Blog: Anticipating our next book Sutter's Blog: Hit or Miss

2. If you are in a position of power, that certainly does not always make you happy. In fact, sometimes it causes the exact opposite. If you look at a picture of President Obama's hair before and after being the president, you can tell how much stress has been on him. His hair has become very gray. Some of that is standard aging, but much of it is due to the stress of being in power. It is not always happy, even though it may be worth it if you make a positive impact. 5. Women are typically less violent and more compassionate than men. I believe this is because of the process of childbirth and the feelings that they have for life after those experiences. I don't think the same can be said for girls, because they have nor birthed children yet. Men are typically much more cold and easily turn on each other. Generalizations are never the answer, but typically women are kinder. There are always anomalies though.

In English this year, I have had some ups and downs. Overall, I have done well. My favorite piece of writing was my personal narrative. I felt that it was something I really got into and therefore it was very well-written. It was one of those pieces of writing that you keep revising and revising even when it might be perfect. I also felt very good about my research paper. I really put in the time throughout all the steps of my research and paid attention to citations, resulting in a good final draft. The one piece of writing I did not enjoy this year was the literary analysis. I think a lot of the reason for this is because I was sick of Lord of The Flies. I did not want to analyze it anymore. I also did not enjoy this as much because it was close to the end of a semester. I think I was busy with exams and didn't pay as much attention to this. Overall, what I have learned is to pick topics that interest you. That will make your writing much better.

Joe's Blog: Prompt #385: What is the most memorable sporting event you've ever watched or played in? DJ's Blog: 384. Why do I Play Sports?

I have really enjoyed reading Purple Hibiscus so far. I have found it challenging though. It is one of those books wit advanced language and long sections, yet it is interesting. I find that when I stay engaged wit the content of the novel, the reading is much easier. This does not necessarily mean faster. Part of what makes reading easier for me is my mentality while I am doing it. If I want to die while reading and I am reading fast, that is not easy reading. On the other hand, if I am enjoying what I am reading despite reading slowly and annotating, that is easy reading. The challenges I have faced so far mostly are centered around how densely I annotate. If I annotate too densely, then it just takes too long. The problem that I run into when I try to cut back is what I like to call selective annotating. I feel like I am underlining and making notes on some things, but not on others that I should. It makes me feel like I am choosing between lines of equal importance, something I t...

Something that older generations misunderstand about my generation is phone usage. Older people always think that all teenagers do is play on their phones. In reality, that is not true at all. I don't even use my phone that much. In fact, sometimes it seems my Mom and Dad are much more addicted to their phone than I am. The only times I really like to use my phone are when there is nothing else to do. Older people tend to just write off our generation. They have stereotyped us in one way and they can't wrap their minds around anything else. It is sometimes frustrating, yet it is understandable. The media, whether jokingly or seriously, portrays us in a way that justifies the stance of the older people. You watch a show about teenagers and they are all on their phones, texting each other while they are sitting next to one another. Maybe if this false reality wasn't shown, the perception would be different.

Hudson's Blog: Political Post- Joe Biden Jordan's Blog: Immigration Ban Article

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/debating-the-twoparty-sys_b_824973.html The author summarizes a debate in which she and her fellow debaters argued against the 2-party system. Different people argued different things. Some of the major arguments against it were that not everyone is able to have their opinions heard because they don't completely side with one party. Another was that no real major problems can have fully successful solutions because of the system. There was an overall negative response. I agreed with this article. I am very much opposed to the 2-party system. The 2 party-system creates a massive tug-of-war in which democrats and republicans cycle in and out of the white house switching policies back and forth in the favor of their party. I chose this article because I feel strongly about this issue and because it was from a credible source. This article furthered my understanding of what is fundamentally wrong with the 2-party system.

Jack T's Blog: March Madness Sarah's Blog: Free Post-My Room

Sundays are usually considered to be a religious, leisurely day. I remember as a young kid feeling relaxed on Sunday. That has changed with age. Sundays have become homework days, as it is right now. I know Sundays will change in the future. I watch my dad on Sundays. He wakes up early, reads the paper, and kind of has a laid back day. I am excited for when they will be like that again. The way that most of my Sundays go are: wake up late, start doing homework, go practice baseball, do more homework, eat dinner, do more homework. There is one constant theme: homework. You might wonder why I don't do homework on other days too, and I sometimes do homework on Saturdays. There is just something about Sundays now where I expect Sunday homework. I wish it was different.

This year I have learned that I am a lot better of a learner when I take thorough notes. It really nails the information into my brain. It helps me remember the things that I learn better. Something that also helps when I am taking notes is if I have a visual there also. I have a pretty good photographic memory, and this helps tremendously. This next quarter, I will make sure to keep taking thorough notes. I will also try to pay good attention to power point presentations in class, because that is where the visuals are. I will make sure to have my notes organized in a way that when I go back to read them to study, they will be most helpful. I think i have done pretty well in English this year, and I will continue to do so. I will try to mostly keep my habits the same.

Sutter's Blog: Free Post Poem Gautam's Blog: Free Post

If you look at just about any measure of quality of life in the United States, Louisiana is the last. We have high poverty, bad prisons, lots of corruption, a failing public school system, etc, but there is one thing we don't lack in: culture. Louisiana is known for its cajun food. Gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish, boudain, and many more delicious foods are what I think of when I think of our culture. Something equally as important to our culture as our food is our mardi gras festivities. Besides Louisiana, there are maybe one or two places in the country that I know get out every year for Mardi Gras. Here at Episcopal we get a whole week! Now that raises the question of why do we get a whole week off for a holiday some consider to be not a very important one? In my opinion, although families may not get together and exchange gifts around a tree or carve a turkey, mardi gras is just as important. It represents who we are as Louisianians. In a time where we are in such a statewide strug...

Song: Wagon Wheel Artist: Darius Rucker Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dariusrucker/wagonwheel.html In Wagon Wheel, the author of the song uses similes throughout the chorus to emphasize the motion of "rocking" that he is describing: So rock me momma like a wagon wheel Rock me momma any way you feel Hey momma rock me Rock me momma like the wind and the rain Rock me momma like a south bound train In this passage you can see those similes that he uses, comparing two unlike things using "like". This really helps him get his point across, and it is repeated every time the chorus is sung. This song is also a narrative. The author uses a narrative, to provide the image in those listening's minds that he is traveling down the coast. He describes the places that he goes and the journey he takes to his destination. This is an extremely important feature of this song. I believe that this provides much of the visual and non-visual imagery that is seen ...

Laura's Blog: Poem Jack T's Blog: Poem

Tick Tock, I sweat like a horse as the clock goes on, The answer should be somewhere in the cavernous pit of my mind. Ha ha ha, I hear the proctors cackle, The realization that my entire life could rest on this one moment hits me like a knife. I take a deep breath close my eyes gather my strength deliver my answer wait hear the response from the judge correct I smile. Simile, Onomotepia, Metaphor, enjambment.

As a citizen of the United States and a proponent  of democracy, a despot  is about the scariest thing I can imagine. I have always believed in government that represents the people. Since the inception  of this great nation that I live in, that is what we have had. I am a  beneficiary  of this process. I strongly dislike the idea of being considered subordinate  to an all powerful ruler. I believe these systems are what lead nations to their demise . These are the types of governments that promote rebellion because of their strict sanctions , but then they quash  these rebellions. I think that all of these rulers should be indicted .

Sutter's Blog: Research Anders' Blog: Reading Response

Two important skills I have learned in the research paper so far are #1: don't fall behind and #2: set yourself up well for the future. Let's start by explaining #1. I almost fell behind because I slightly shifted my topic. I ended up catching up, but I was facing a huge workload. I ended up spending a lot of time one night on it and getting plenty enough done. It came in handy that I caught up, or I might still be behind. Now let's talk about #2. Set yourself up well for the future. What I mean by this is even though notecards may seem easy to do a halfway job on, but don't do that. If you have good notecards, then you will find it easy to make a good outline. Then, if you have a good outline, you will find it easier to have a good rough draft, and so on and so forth. It is nice to be able to copy and paste sections of your outline rather than typing all of your paper too.

One thing within Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian that I found interesting was the timeline of the relationship between Rowdy and Junior. They are obviously best friends when the novel begins, but things change when Junior goes to Reardan. They play each other in basketball, which is very interesting. There is also a very rude (in Rowdy's part) email exchange between the two boys. This friendship breaking and becoming enemies makes me sad as a reader. I always get very connected to books I am reading, and it is sad to see best friends break up as friends. I always hope for good things to happen and am very happy when they do. This was one of my least favorite parts of the book, yet it intrigued me.

Danny's Blog: Music Competition Sarah's Blog: Free post- My dogs

Winter in South Louisiana is one of the most interesting seasons I have ever encountered. One day it will be below freezing and then next it will be almost 80 degrees. There is no consistency nor rhyme or reason to it. We have been having a cold spell for the last few days, following one of the hottest winter stretches I can remember. I love the cold winter weather. I love going outside and breathing in cold air and seeing my breath as I exhale. The warm weather during the winter is very depressing in my opinion. It is especially bad when it rains. I much prefer the cold during the winter. It kind of wakes me up to walk outside in the morning. I wish we could just tell all types of weather to stay in their season, then it would be always good cold weather.

This book is a book that I expected to be interesting, and it has been interesting. One thing that I did not expect though was that I would enjoy it. I have found myself willingly reading ahead and almost feel like I'm cheating by calling it homework. This is not the type of book for someone who is easily offended or grossed out. I find this book highly humorous, especially for people who appreciate some dry humor. One thing that I have noticed makes this book interesting is the style. Many pictures are included and the first person point of view really adds some life to the novel. The word choice makes for a book that is easy to understand. Although this book seems to be somewhat lighthearted and silly, it really shows the history of our country in an interesting way.

Saveon's blog: I learned Sutter's Blog: Last Semester

Sarah's Blog: MLK DJ's Blog: Free Post

My research question is:  How did tensions at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 come back and become larger during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States? This is a very important topic in both United States and world history. The Cold War was a major event that took place between the Soviet Union and the United States between the fall of the Grand Alliance and the fall of communism in the USSR. It represented the struggle between capitalism and communism in the world during that time. The Yalta conference was a meeting during the Grand Alliance that was very important in the alliance. It also had a strong impact on the Cold War. Agreements and disagreements at Yalta ended up becoming large issues and struggles between the two nations during the Cold War. The agreement of a new United Nations organization ended up not working out very well. The temporary division and occupation of Germany resulted in the building of the Berlin Wall, which lasted for nearl...

Going into last semester, I  usually didn't have to study much for tests and quizzes. I knew the classes would be harder, but I still did not expect to have to study much. I realized last semester that to be the best student I can possibly be, I needed to start studying. It was not completely foreign, as I studied some before. I just had to study for most things now, even math. In my opinion, studying is just as much about feeling prepared as it is knowing and understanding the content. If you can walk into that room and honestly tell yourself that you can do well, then you will do a lot better than if you walk in saying that you will fail. Test taking is highly mental, and that is why many people struggle. Studying and feeling prepared can make all the difference in the world when those papers are passed around. It is also of course important that you understand the content, but it is very important to be confident before you take a test.

2016 was a tough year. I am not talking from a personal viewpoint, but more from the perspective of the community. It was not so great for anyone in the country, or the world even, but it was especially bad for Baton Rouge. There were things everyone had to deal with such as a tough election in which both candidates were not the exact type of people most Americans would like in office. Baton Rouge had more though. Hardships in Baton Rouge really started somewhere around early July. A black man was shot and killed by a police officer, which raised lots of attention. Many police officers were then killed both in Dallas and Baton Rouge as a response to Alton Sterling's death as well as the death of another black somewhere else. In my opinion, this was somewhat of a wake-up call to the citizens of Baton Rouge. The racial tension that may seem masked sometime was shown highly explicitly in those events. I think Baton Rouge has progressed for the better since. As if those events were...

My research has been going well overall. I chose a topic that gives me a good amount of sources to find and information. There is one key issue that has been bothering me a little bit. I would like to slightly alter my topic, but I am not sure how with all the work I have done. The work that I have done to support my thesis now would become almost like background information. The easiest thing for me so far was to find sources. The hardest thing was evaluating sources on the annotated bibliography. Sometimes sources did not provide an author, which made it very difficult. I have overall not had a horrible experience so far, but not great either. That is something that can be said about most projects though.