Blogging Around

The first post I replied to was Mitchell (Deuce Bigs) Bigelow's post about how the Church is a unifying force. I found it very interesting how he discussed benefits of the church seeing as he is a devout atheist. I commented...

Mitchell,

Very nice post. I found it humorous when you said, "Last year, I managed to destroy his faith" (like it was nothing). It was also funny when u called God "America's favorite diety." Anyway, it was really interesting to hear an atheist person defend Christianity and now I understand why your on the debate team. I agree with your position that the church provides a great sense of belonging for its members. You made a very good case for the positive effects of the church on society. If a population as large as the Chrisitians is/becomes educated and informed and contributes to a greater power, the benefits to the world would be enormous. By ignoring the disputes about God and creating secular arguements, I think you really strengthened the credibility of your post (but you probably already knew that seeing as your a master debater).

I also commented on Jamie's post about the future. She basically discussed her fears and aspirations later in life and I found myself relating very easily to the worries she had. I replied...

Jamie,
I feel the same way as you. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. There's a lot of things that I am interested in but for a number of reasons, I don't think they will be my future career. I agree that I should do something that I'm passionate about. But, I feel like there are a lot of obsticles preventing me from doing them in the future. Some things I'm simply not that good at, others I feel like I'm behind every one whose involed like in Jenna's blog about dancing. This brings me to the point where I ask myself, is good enough just to settle for something that I don't hate. If I can do that, then perhaps perhaps it will provide me with the means ($) to do the things I love later in life. Unfortunately, I can't see the future. So until the future becomes the present, I'm going to take your advice and try my best to enjoy the rest of my childhood by not stressing. Great post, btw.

P.S. I also enjoyed Corey's and Jenna's blog about similar and relating topics.

Metacognition: Poetry

When I heard that we were going to be writing poetry this year I was much more excited to write poetry than in the past. In middle school we wrote a lot of poems. They were usually something that involved two, maybe three drafts of un-thought out words put together that resembled the work of, well, a kid in middle school. However, this year, when Mr. Allen (you? - I still haven't figured that out) introduced us to the assingment, it sounded very serious, professional and it got me excited. My increased interest in hip-hop and all other genres of music was also a major source of my enthusiasm towards poetry this time around.

The discussion of widowed images threw me off a little bit because I couldn't really come up with any good ones at first. Then, I began thinking about ideas that made me wonder and memories or aspirations I had. I was looking around my room when I spotted my old Pinewood Derby cars upon the shelf and I knew that's what I wanted to write about.

The writing process for me was a little difficult at first. I kept trying to make the poem perfect on my first draft. This always seems to happen to me. This time I tried really hard to follow my mom's advice of simply writing and not being critical. It was easier this time because the poem was not even a page long and it did not take too long to finish. The revisions are probably my favorite part. I love tweaking things to make it sound as floetic as possible. There were a few times when it was difficult to change a line or two but the perfectionist in me would not let me give up untill they were as condense as I could imagine at that time. Hopefully there will be at least one more revision, because I've already spotted a few more things to alter.

Best of the Week: Revolutions

Throughout this week and the weeks before it we've been discussing the concept of revolutions in King Lear. I thought that this was a very revolutionary idea (I apologize for that one) and in my opinion, the best of week. After we had pointed this concept out in class, it became very apparent in Shakespeare's writing. Some of the revolutions that take place in the story involve Edgar and Edmund, Lear and Goneril+Regan and Edmund and Gloucester. Also the idea of fate and fortune that appears in King Lear plays its way into the notion of revolutions as well. Throught the book many characters say "fortune turn thy wheel" or some variation on that. Fortune's wheel frequently makes revolutions in King Lear as people's luck often takes drastic turns for the worse or for the better. I think that this is a really interesting concept to add to one's writing and adds depth in a very poetic way. In King Lear, I think that it really helps to reinforce the revolutions involving medieval and renaissance which is one of the major themes of the story.

Connection: Growing Up

While discussing King Lear in class, we noted that a very important theme in the play was incrementalism. Lear's power being taken away, the evil sisters' power growing, Edmund's power increasing and Gloucester's power decreasing among other things. This got me thinking about how incrementalism appears in other places like music with (de)crescendos, and in life. I thought about growing up. I realized that the gradual increase in responsibilities that you take on as you grow older are perfect examples of incrementalism in real life; playing sports/activities, Going to school, doing homework, doing chores, taking care of siblings, succeeding in school, succeeding in activities, maintaining relationships with friends, family, peers, etc. The list goes on.

I often hear adults say "these are the best times of your life," and this really worries me because it doesn't feel like that one bit. I began to think how overwhelming these resposibilities are and I began to wish that this transition to adulthood went a lot slower. As I continued to think, I started to wish that school was over and that the transition went ten times as fast as it's going now. For me, the shift from child to adult can't go slow enough or fast enough. I guess there's really nothing I can do about this paradoxical situation except try to enjoy it as best I can. That's what I plan on doing.

TED Presentations

In comparison with last year's TED project this year's one was ten times better and I believe that the concept of this project has a lot of potential. Most of the serious issues from last year's presentations were addressed and taken care of. Some of these issues from last year were still problems. Some of these include procrastination, amount of time to work on the project, face-to-face time and technological/presentation issues.

The TED project lasts for over a month. During this time period it is not considered a priority. There are other projects, tests and just plain homework that took up my time for TED. I know that I had begun organizing and formatting our project throughout the month-long period, but I did not add any real content to our presentation until the weekend before the presentations. And I was one of the first to do so. Another issue was the amount of time assigned to work on this project. We were never assigned time to work on the project in social studies class and only once in spanish class. I seroiusly doubt that the other Academy classes were assigned even that much. I think that our face-to-face time with our group members was good, but not as effective as it could have been. In my opinion, I think that it would have been more productive if it occured later during the project. Even though is was supposed to be the half-way mark, no one had started working by that time and some members had yet to watch the video. Lastly, I believe if we took some time out of the day beforehand to rehearse our presentations, technical difficulties and time issues during could have been avoided and the whole ordeal might have run smoother.

Listening to the discussion afterwards, I really liked Leanne's idea of actually discussing, executing and following up on a few of the presenters ideas rather than just presenting them. This also reminded me of the service project were eventually going to do for spanish class. I think that doing something like with the TED videos even further embodies what the Academy is all about.

Captured Thought: Isn't It a Game?

Last weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, Titans runningback Chris Johnson was fined 10,000 dollars for his celebration after a 66-yard touchdown run. After the run, Johnson banged on the bongo drums of the Chiefs' pep band. After being fined Johnson said, "I knew I was going to get a fine, but I am totally upset about how much. I am going to appeal. There's no fun in this league. I was trying to have fun and they want to penalize us for having fun." I could not agree more.

Last year, the National Football League really began to crack down on endzone celebrations by dealing out much larger fines. In an effort to try and put an end to antics from players like Chad Ocho Cinco, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, I think the NFL took a lot of fun out of what I thought was a game. No longer will I see riverdances, proposals to cheerleaders, CPR performed on the football, cell phone calls, commandeering of cameras or autographs after touchdowns. These guys are just trying to have some fun. Whats the big deal? Well, this is what I realized. Football, and all other professional sports for that matter, are not games. They are businesses. And Roger Goodell, commissioner of the No Fun League.....oops!.....I meant National Football League, doesn't allow clever celebrations in the workplace. In my opinion, the business aspect of professional sports takes away from the enjoyment of the game by the players and the fans. Whether that be in the form of trades, team relocations or fines being dished out to guys who are just trying to enjoy themeselves. The situation is unfortunate, but I have faith that Chad Ocho Cinco will find a loophole in the rules somewhere and keep us entertained.

Change of Mind: TED Project

Some bad memories were brought up when I first heard that we were going to be doing the TED project again. My opinion of last year's project was.....poor to say the least. The lack of group cooperation, incentives for effort on the project and overall presentation organization spoiled it for me. That's saying harshly. The TED project was/is a great concept, but last year the execution really stumbled. I was also confused as to why the juniors were excluded from the project last year.

However, this year it seems so far that we are learning from our mistakes. All classes are involved. The incentives/consequences for working or not working are established. Group cooperation seems solid at least for our group. I have heard that some of the members in other groups don't know what there doing though. And, the presentation format is looking great. Last year, one of my biggest annoyances was that our group got cut off at least five minutes early because other groups had gone over their limit. The only thing that worries me this year is the time we are going to have to work on this project. I understand that other teachers are supposed to designate homework time for us to work on it. But, as of now this is not happening. All in all, I'd predict that this year's TED presentations will be 1000% better, even if they're not completely perfect.

Blogging Around: Emily and Albert

Emily's blog discussed how others view the Academy from the outside looking in. It formally, and objectively expanded upon a thought that all of us in the Academy have had at one time or another. My comment on it was....

Emily. Wow, this is an amazing post. You have no idea (well, you probably do) how often I find myself wondering what people think about the Academy and why. I'm not sure where these misconceptions have come from but in my opinion, people should definitely re-evaluate their views. It is really aggravating to hear people's judgements and generalizations of us based off of their ignorance about Academy. I don't liked being labeled and this is often the case with us. Unless someone asks me, I don't mention being in Academy for fear of being stereotyped. Sometimes I get asked incredulously, "you're in Academy?" Like you said, they definitely don't realize the diversity of the kids in Academy. We're not just "Academites." On the plus side, I think our experiences in the Academy will discourage us from making such judgements in the future after being subjected to them ourselves. Hopefully the people that are judging us can take a closer look and see us for who we are.

I really like how you objectively observed the issue and left your own opinions out. This really gives your blog the 360 concept and makes it much more unbiased. And thus, more credible. Great job!

Albert's blog discussed how homework should be optional for those who don't need it. He argues that people who already understand the concept of something gain no value from homework and therefore should not be obligated to complete it. I replied....

Albert,
I could not agree with you more on this subject. I think that if your getting an A or a B in a class homework should definitely be opitional (Math class policy). Why waste time when you understand the concept of something. I usually do the homework in my classes and even if it was optional I think I would do it because, like you said, it is good practice. But, when I'm up at 12:00 at night doing busy work (ex. SS explorers map), it's safe to say I'd rather not do it. If this optional homework policy was employed, I could pick and choose which assignments to do. The helpful ones. The amount of time it would save, at least for me, would be amazing. My stress levels would plummet.

All in all, a sweet blog. I thought you did a nice job examining why teachers assign the amount of homework they do. Then, rebuking that with your own arguements. Great Job!

360 Degrees: Hip-Hop

I'm often frustrated with today's misconceptions about hip-hop music that reside in the minds of many people, especially those of the generation ahead of me. The ones I'd like to focus on are the stereotypes that hip-hop is materialistic and degrading, that it takes no skill and that it is not even music.

I'm really curious why, nowadays, people tend to overlook the sex, drugs and money involved with other genres of music. But when these subjects appear in hip-hop music, they are suddenly, corrupting today's youth. Maybe it's just been accepted that the big three simply go along with rock 'n roll and the other popular genres of today. I can think of plenty of songs from my parents' generation that are just as risque if not more, than some of the hip-hop music being played today. Another question I've asked myself about this issue is, "how did this generalization come to be?" I think a large part of the problem is that the songs that are pretty racy are the ones being played on the radio. My guess is that songs that are just as good or better than the dirty or catchy ones are often turned down because they won't generate as much buzz or controversy. This is true for other genres (ex. I Kissed A Girl - Katie Perry) as well, but especially hip-hop. For many hip-hop lovers, this is the root of their frustration with most mainstream music.

Does hip-hop music require skill? I can see some people's point that it does not require the ability to sing. But, some very good hip-hop songs do incorporate singing from the artist themselves or bring in some one else to sing a verse or chorus. I've also read peoples' opinions about how many critics of hip-hop grossly underestimate the amount of skill it takes to be able to write lyrics and deliver them in a way that doesn't sacrifice the meaning of the song. Many "hip-hop heads" believe that lyricists that are unable to do this come off as cheesy and unskilled. Unfortunately for them, some of these artists are among the most played on the radio and MTV. A case in point is Crank Dat - 'Soulja Boy'. Incorporation of metaphors, similes, personification and other figurative language is another trademark of talented lyricists. Rappers like Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Common and Talib Kweli, are able to expertly use figurative language in their songs, while still making them rhyme and without forgoing the meaning of the song. To many listeners including myself, these are the most important things in a song.

Another popular criticism of hip-hop music I find myself battling is that it is not music. Why? I've heard arguments such as "hip-hop is simply poetry set to a beat." Isn't that true for most genres of music? One of the stronger ones I've heard is "hip-hop is not music because it is not harmonious." Webster's dictionary defines music as "a: the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity b: vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony." Doesn't hip-hop fall under this definition? Nowhere does it say that it is a requirement to have harmony. Even if it did, would not the beat that the artist is rapping over qualify as melodic or harmonious? I think that it does. Good beat-creators (producers), such as Kanye West, use a variety of instruments to create unique sound combinations for their melodic and often very catchy beats. However, many are electronically produced. Does a lack of instruments take away from the musicality of hip-hop? Or is the music simply evolving alongside today's technological developments?

After writing this blog I can see how some of the generalizations have been created. In some cases, they are true. Some are still up for debate. But I think that if people can look beyond them with an open mind, they too will discover a musical genre with many talented artists, meaningful songs and great music.

Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

When I first took a serious look at the essay prompts on our google site, my first thought was to narrow my choices down to around three or four. I looked for one thing first. I wanted to write about something I had already thought about while reading Kite Runner rather than going back through the entire book and searching for answers to questions I had not previously considered. I then made sure I had enough ideas and pieces of evidence to write a complete essay about the topic. Nothing is worse to read than an essay that is mostly filler and not enough insight. That helped me narrow it down to three choices. That was when I conferenced with Mr. Allen/you (?) and decided that my idea about how fiction allows Hossieni to add symbolism to the story was my most original one. After our meeting, I began looking for evidence to support my thesis. So far, I've come up with a few good ones that I believe really show how his use of symbolism really strengthens the story.

One thing that I liked about my thought process while deciding on the focus of this essay was how I developed some of my own criteria for a good essay topic. I also liked how I was able to come up with many good ideas and examine them to determine which one was best using that criteria and with the assistance of Mr. Allen/you (?). I should probably improve on keeping my topic specific because before our meeting, my first thesis was way too broad. Now, I continue searching for evidence and create my evidence plan.

Best of the Week: The Kite Runner (Tea)

In my opinion, the best idea/observation of the week in our English class was when Margot made her comment about Kite Runner on Thurday. In it, she stated that tea was used as a metaphor for the different mentalities of Rahim Khan and Amir. Rahim Khan always takeshis tea black while Amir adds three cubes of sugar to his. The sugar Amir puts in his tea represents his attempts to forget and cover up his past mistakes rather than confronting them. Rahim Khan's tea has no sugar. Throughout the story he has tried to help Amir tackle his problems throughout the story but Amir has always turned away.
But, on page 225, Amir says "...I stooped and tightened it, I wished my life could be fixed as easily. I took a gulp of the blackest tea I'd had in years and tried to think...of the novel that needed finishing." This is right before he decides to go out and find Sohrab, Hassan's son. As he begins his search for redemption, he is getting rid of the "sugar" and facing his bitter past head-on. Finishing the novel of his life.
Margot first told us about this observation after Wednesday's class because she wasn't called on that class. It seemed like a stretch at first but after a little bit I realized that it was a perfect metaphor for the story. I then began to wonder if the author did this on purpose. He must have. I don't think he could have done this by accident which makes me admire him even more. I hope this will be discussed in Artful Sentences because I think it is really cool and I'd like to learn how to include it in my own writing. Good work Margot!

Carry It Forward: The Kite Runner

To most high school students, me included, the idea of "being yourself" and having other people accept you for who you really are, is just that, an idea. With the media and your peers setting the standard for what is socially acceptable, staying true to yourself all of the time is extremely difficult. I empathize with Amir's fear that no one would accept him if they knew what he had done. Although on a different scale, I feel compelled to lie about my true opinions of teachers, music, other kids, etc., if I think that my actual opinions will be disagreed with and/or made fun of.

If I was in Amir's positon, I think I would have told someone without waiting twenty-five years. But who knows? Maybe I wouldn't have. Thinking about this idea of being open and honest, I realize that the friends that I like the best are those who hang out with whomever they want - popular or not. They say the things other people are afraid to say. And more often than not, I find myself agreeing with them. After reading this book and reflecting on this concept, I think that staying true to your beliefs, opinions and ideas is probably one of the most important keys to leading a happy life. I am now going to make a more serious attempt to say and do what I enjoy and not worry what others might think about it.

My Music

Hip Hop Playlist: http://view.playlist.com/12026997515/standalone

Ill get around to making other genres when I have time