Nicole's Senior Scrapbook 2008-2012

Senior Scrapbook 2.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33QpRs8ESNk&feature=channel&list=UL

scrapbook progress

So far I have all the pictures for my slideshow and they are in the correct order from freshman year through senior year. I have the music as well but I just decided that I want to add some of the pictures from prom which might mess up the audio timing. I also need to finish doing the transitions from one picture to another. Other than that I'm good. Two weeks will be plenty of time for me to finish.

My Plan

My goal is to create a slideshow with pictures from high school. It's going to act as a senior scrapbook. I need my laptop in order to do this, as well as pictures and music. So far I have picked out a few of the songs I'm using but I still need one or two more. I have picked out all the pictures I'm going to use and I have put them in order using windows live movie maker. Now I just need to clean it up a little and add some affects. I plan on posting the slideshow to my blog as a video and anyone who wants to see it can look. Also I might put it on facebook because I really like how it's turning out.

Update: AP preparation

So I went back and found some of the old essays I had written throughout this year and reviewed them. It was helpful because after looking at a lot of the essay prompts I know it's important to have more literature to choose from. I've also been looking at the literature analysis on my blog and other blogs just reviewing the details of the books.

Macbeth Introduction Paragraph

Shakespeare's Macbeth is driven by the characters and the presence of evil they contain within them. There is no doubt Macbeth was an evil man. However, Shakespeare made him more relatable to the audience by giving him a conscience. Throughout the play we can see Macbeth's indecisiveness, guilt, and ultimately his ambition. Macbeth was an honorable man, but throughout the play we see the effect evil has on him and how that caused his downfall.

AP Study

I was actually given an ap study book to borrow and it's pretty helpful. I showed a few people in class today. It seemed like the test basically. It gave a passage to read then had multiple choice questions to answer and the answers were in the back.

A Reflection on Unstructured Learning

I think the theme of this txt was that you learn by living. Sometimes when we have such a big goal ahead of us.. we get discouraged and can't take the next step forward. We're looking so far into the future, that we can't see what's  right in front of us. Thinking of a name for his costume was holding him back because he couldn't move on to anything else until that was done. When he stopped stressing over a name and just started living his life.. everything fell into place.

I just reread that paragraph I typed and it totally reminded me of the AP exam. This entire year it's seemed so far away and sometimes we get overwhelmed by how much we need to learn and prepare for it. But if we just take one step at a time.. we might surprise ourselves with how much we can accomplish.

AP Practice Test

The practice test I took was the one that had the answer key. I thought it would be more helpful to actually see what the correct answers would have been. The only difficult thing was that my eyes automatically saw which one was circled before I had time to really decide which one I would have picked. Overall the questions seemed pretty general. It was mostly reading comprehension which I'm usually not good at. One thing I did notice was that the answers were simple. I have a bad habit of over analysing everything. I need to understand that the question really might be that easy.

prose/poetry prompts

1977 No prose selection (instead, had the following prompt: A character’s attempt to recapture or reject the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems. Choose a work in which a character views the past with such feelings as reverence, bitterness, or longing. Show with clear evidence how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work.)

-I feel like Macbeth's past actions cause his future ones. He has a conscience and feels bad about killing Duncan which is why he keeps killing more people because he's striving for a punishment or what he feels he deserves. Almost like self destruction.


1970 Meredith’s “Ferdinand and Miranda” from The Ordeal of Richard Feveral: Show how the young woman and the young man in the passage are made to seem naturally suited for one another.

-Macbeth and Lady Macbeth balance each other out. They both go through changes but they are always opposite of each other.

1992 Poem: “The Prelude” (William Wordsworth)

Prompt: Write an essay in which you trace the speaker's changing responses to his experiences and explain how they are conveyed by the poem's diction, imagery, and tone.

-being king, daggar..

 

1993 Poem: “The Centaur” (May Swenson)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you discuss how such elements as language, imagery, structure, and point of view convey meaning in the poem.

 

 

My Plan

I plan on learning all of the lit terms and knowing them completely before the ap test. I also need to review the nine elements of poetry and make sure I remember all of them. I am also going to print out the practice tests posted on the blog so I can quiz myself.

Macbeth Lecture Notes part 2

-Lady Macbeth goes crazy at the end
-represents pure force

-Reinforces message witches gave to Macbeth

-Macbeth = heroic because he's aware of what he did and tried to push through. (strength of character)

-Lady Macbeth acts like nothing's wrong and is too casual

-The force she put on macbeth eventually kills her

-Macbeth wants to kill Banquo- doesn't tell wife..               (Before Banquet)

-Macbeth and Lady Macbeth = Living in 2 different worlds

-Peace of mind =if dead.. not tormented

-Macbeth's mind isn't at ease... psychological
-still has sense of right and wrong

(Kills Banquo's family)

-Act 3 scene 3 "come seeing night..."
-Let me be free so it doesn't bother me anymore (no more human feeling)

-"things bad begun.. make strong the acts of will."
-strength to go on?

-Murdering hisway to peace of mind
-Loss of physical relationships
-Lost great bond linking him to other human beings

(Act 5 scene 3)
-creates a life with no human desire in it

-"she should have died hereafter.."       Macbeth's refusal to take the life he created

-on the outside he looks like h has it all.. on the inside didn't care about anything

Witches

-Witches = fate (driving Macbeth the whole time)
-Shakespeare intends for us to never forget that evil intent

-Did Macbeth have a choice with what he did.. or was it the prophecy (thought) that tempted Macbeth beyond his ability to control himself.

-Witches prophetic powers are important

-Looking for things that will help interpret situation differently

-witches exist to tempt and torment people..
-Promises come true but not in the way he planned
(Allusion to The Monkey's Paw)

-Banquo =alternative. (honor's more important)

-Macbeth's desires = imagination + Lady Macbeth

-Witches represent the story macbeth wants to believe

-Shakespeare doesn't give answers to witches (almost like someones dark thinking)

-One evil man doesn't signify all evil

-Witches show up every once in a while

-Social/political implications of women?

(Positive value in macbeth = witches)
-Witches are excluded in society (women)
-Women + witches + supernatural = power.

Beware of the Sophomores!!!

Macbeth Lecture Notes

-Macbeth is fairly simple
(rise and fall of a man)

Act 3 He's already king... no where to go but down

-Hamlet talks to us and we see him transparently
-Macbeth doesnt connnect to audience (no real humor)

Scene with Porter.. humor?

-Not a plot driven paly.. it's a character play
-Macbeth is a tragic character because he was highly successful and honorable
(all this had promise and potential)
-By the end of the play he is isolated and caused his own downfall in a sense.

-Loss came about from his own free decisions
-Architect of his own destruction
-His death was his consequence (suicide) caused his own death

-Why isn't Macbeth happy with what he has.. needs more
(ambitious)

*Act 1 scene 7 lines 21-28 (motivation)
-Macbeth is motivated because he's in the middle of something he doesn't understand.

-"what beast was this..."
macbeth had talked to his wife about killing before

-We all have an idea of what's right and wrong

-In killing Duncan, Macbeth will be breaking everything that holds the community together.

-Lady Macbeth wants to keep the vision of king in his mind

-Lady Macbeth = (pure) evil
-"Blind Ambition"

-She characterizes right and wrong as unmanly

-Macbeth sees the daggar but can't grasp it.
-How can Macbeth actually kill Duncan when he's so torn apart about it.

-When Duncan wakes up and sees Macbeth with the daggars.. he feels he has no choice.. he has to kill him now

*He put himself in the situations where these actions are necessary
-Macbeth tricks himself into killing

Macbeth As King

-Setting himself up for failure

-Tragic Character as a villian=give him a conscience

-Macbeth suffers a lot throughout the play (self destructive)

-Lady Macbeth lacks his willpower, lack of resolve.. can't take inner torment... and she kills herself.
(sleepwalking)

-lack of inner will/ can't seperate herself from what went on.

-Lady Macbeth = destruction.

Macbeth Quiz

1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by

A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald.

2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

B. the Thane of Cawdor

3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)

"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)

"A future father of kings." (III)

A. I and II

4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to

C. the predictions made to Banquo and to himself.

5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to

A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor.

6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of

C. personification.

7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being

B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."

8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?

A. I and III

9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he

B. is concerned over the succession to the throne

10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would

A. get the chamberlains drunk.

11. Trace Macbeth's transformation from a good man to an evil man.

In the beginning Macbeth and Banquo kill Macdonwald who was an evil man. Macbeth was noble but became obsessed with power and the throne and eventually killed people for it.

12. What motivates Macbeth to take the evil path he chooses?

I feel like the witches motivate Macbeth's evil path because they are the ones who gave him the idea to be king.. which started it all.

13. What influence do the witches have on Macbeth?

The witches definately have a negative influence on Macbeth. They tell him his future or his fate.

14. Contrast Macbeth's response to the witches' predictions with Banquo's.

Macbeth was tempted by the prophecies where Banquo was more cautious and warned about the witches false agendas.

15. Describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Trace how it changes over the course of the play.

In the beginning Lady Macbeth seemed to almost bully Macbeth into doing things such as killing the king. By the end however, Macbeth is obsessed with becoming king.. where lady Macbeth has become consumed with guilt. They almost switch roles in a sense.

1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the

B. dagger.

2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that

B. he looked like her father

3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

C. provide comic relief.

4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.

5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that

A. Banquo had thwarted their careers.

6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo

7. The Witches threw into the cauldron

"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)

"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)

"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)

A. I and II

8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were

An armed head. (I)

A child with a crown. (II)

A bloody child (III)

C. I, II, and III

9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he

B. suspects a trick.

10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when

B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance

11. What is the significance of the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I, i, 10)?

It is basically trying to say that fair and foul can be different in different prespectives. Like a foul for one can be fair for the other. especially in the wars lost for one would give victory to others. It also connects to theme of appearnce vs reality as what seems to be fair can be foul. It is a paradox that signifies that there is no significance of good and bad things as their role can be reversed. It also develops the wicked and evil character of the witches

12. How does Macbeth function as a morality play?

It teaches a moral lesson and shows that by the end justice is served when macbeth dies and Malcom can be king.

13. How does Shakespeare use the technique of dramatic irony in Macbeth?

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the characters. One example of this is when the audience knows that the witches have bad intentions but Macbeth doesn't know that.

?14. How does Lady Macbeth overcome her husband's resistance to the idea of killing King Duncan?

Macbeth eventually gives in and kills Duncan giving Lady Macbeth what she wants.

 

15. Contrast Macduff's response to the news of his wife's and children's deaths with Macbeth's response to being told Lady Macbeth is dead

 Macbeth was sad.. but still very focused on becoming king and he seemed to get over it faster. Macduff was outraged and filled with anger. He was determined to seek revenge which is what motivated him.

Macbeth Notes

Witches = foreshadowing (prophecy)

-theme- we see the hatred of women

-Shakespeare had to be careful because he was writing a play and the current king james I had relations to some characters in real life.
-Many underlying things

-Sailors wife= foreshadows lady macbeth

-3 witches told macbeth he would be king.

-Banquo wants to know what about him

-Do the witches have a purpose?

- Banquo = key player, big part of Macbeths rise and fall (after math)

-Angus and Ross inform Macbeth he has the title to be next in line for king

-Previous thane of Cawdor = in line for treason (norway)

Literary elements used that add to theme and tone

-Foreshadowing- 3 witches
-Witches often speak in Rhyme.. which adds to the theme of predestination (prophecy)
"When the hurlyburly's done, when the battle's lost and won."
-Sailors wife Foreshadows lady Macbeth
-Metaphor= (chestnuts in her lap) Stripping away manhood
-Chaiasmus= "Fair is foul and foul is fair..
hover through the fog and filthy air" "By each one her chappy finger laying upon her skinny lips: you should be women."- Imagery
-Paradox- Contradicting statement that portrays some kind of truth
"Fair is foul and foul is fair"

Lady macbeth wants the throne.. but realizes king Duncan is in the way.

In the castle before dinner Macbeth ponders his thoughts of murdering Duncan

When macbeth decides not to kill duncan.. lady m. is outraged and calls him a coward

They come up with a plan to get the guards drunk then sneak in and murder Duncan.. then smear his blood on the sleeping guards to frame them.

Banquo and his son Fleance go to macbeths castle around midnight.. they talk to macbeth about the witches briefly..

B. and F leave.. and then macbeth has a vision of a daggar.. pointing towards duncan

Macbeth kills duncan but lady macbeth has to take the daggars back to the room to frame the guards.. mysterious knocking frightens macbeth.. he goes into his room and washes off the blood.

Macduff and lennox were knocking at the door

Macduff asks to see the king.. so macbeth takes him there and when macduff sees he has been murdered he freaks out and runs out of the room screaming.

Macbeth and lennox run in to look

Malcom and donablain arrive and are told there father was killed

Macbeth says that in the furry of Duncans death he killed the guards(Chamberlains)

Malcom and Donablain feel unsafe and fear they are next

Ross declares that macbeth has been made king

Suspicioun grows about the two princes because they fled the scene

Macbeth fears Banquo will seize the thrown so he hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Feance

Fleance escapes but Macbeth is visited by Banquos ghost durring a noble dinner and is fearful

Macbeth goes to see the three witches who give him prophecy to fear Macduff

When Macbeth hears that Macduff has fled to england to be with Malcom he orders that Macduff's wife and kids be killed

Macduff is filled with grief and vows revenge.. he joins malcoms army in england and rides to scotland to challenge macbeth's forces

Lady macbeth goes through some sleep walking and eventually kills herself

Macbeth grieves

At first macbeth feels invincible due to the witches prophecy but he is fearful, however, when he learns that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy.

Macbeth keeps fighting until macduff kills and beheads him..

Malcom is now the king of Scotland.. and declares he has good intentions.

Lit Analysis #3 Notes

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

-An African American man lives underground to write his life story

-He believes he is invisible in the social world. Not physicaly but in the sense that no one really sees him for who he is.

-He begins to tell us about his time in the south and how he was humiliated in order to recieve a scholarship to a really good black college.

-At the college he gets a job driving a wealthy white man named Mr. Norton around.

-He takes him to a black bar, then ends up getting kicked out of the school because he showed him a bad version of black life and is apparently blind to racial conflict.

-He is sent to New York to find a job with one of the trustees from the school.

-The son of the trustee helps him get a low paying job at a paint company.

-He got hurt at work and temporarily lost his memory.

-After collapsing on the street.. Mary takes him to her home in Harlem and allows him to stay for free.

-She gives him a sense of his herritage.

-He is offered a job working for the Brotherhood(An organization that works to help oppressed people.)

-He delivers speaches and begins to be a well known person in the multi racial brotherhood.

-After recieving a racist letter from someone in the brotherhood.. problems arise and the narrator is forced to disguise himself in order to avoid being beat up.

-The brotherhood is suspected of selfish intentions and the narrator desides to go against them.

-One night he is called to Harlem and finds a riot where people in the brotherhood wanted to hang him.

-While running from then, and the police, the narrator falls in a manhole where he has stayed ever since.

-He says he is now finally ready to emerge into the world again.

*To me the theme of this book is to stay true to yourself. By following the crowd and trying to fit in and be something you're not.. you become invisible.

-I know a verse that I think really fits the overall theme of this book..

"Don't be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect."

Macbeth Notes

Macbeth is suppose to upset people.. Shows life at most brutal point.

• In a barbaric era, population pressures made war and even the slaughter of one community by another a fact of life.
• "Macbeth" means "Son of Life" -a christian name
• "canmore" means big head/great ruler

Evil/Predestination

-Supernatural forces

*Full of double meanings. "fair is foul and foul is fair"

*Is the message of Macbeth one of despair or hope?
-dog eat dog world... human life itself is meaningless and tiresome.

*Shakespeare wrote Macbeth around 1605-1606.. historical

*Need to understand historical background in order to make connections in the play.

-Macbeth is an openly political play.

-Shakespeare changed history in Macbeth to create suspense and tension.

-If we understand the background we can figure out the motives of the characters.

-Macbeth was a man of penetrating genius, a high spirit, unbounded ambition. -Intelligent and ambitious.

* "Too full o' th' milk of human kindness/to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,/Art not without ambition but without/the illness should attend it."

Top 3 Blogs

http://kerhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
http://kljrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
http://tkrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/


These videos were really well made and had a lot of good information!

The Stranger Albert Camus

Soundtrack- Rootless Tree by Damien Rice

Mind Map!

http://www.mindmeister.com/148637664

Literature Analysis Notes: The Stranger

"Maman died today. Or was it yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got the telegram from the home: 'Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.' That doesn't mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday."

Nonchalant- "The home is two kilometers from the village. I walked them."

Characteristics- (lazy, selfish, doesn't want to be inconvenienced)

- "That's partly why I didn't go there much this past year. And also because it took up my Sunday- not to mention the trouble of getting to the bus, buying tickets, and spending two hours traveling."

-Meursault goes to Marengo (where his mom had lived.)
-The next day before the funeral he meets with the director again.
-He doesn't remember much of the funeral and then goes back to Algiers.

-He goes to the beach and runs into a former co-worker Marie Cardona.
-The two see a movie that evening and she stays the night. When Meursault wakes up though, Marie is gone. He stays in bed until noon, then sits on his balcony until evening just watching the people go by.

-Monday(Next day) He goes back to work and runs into his friend Emmanuel who he had lunch with.

-Going to his appartment that night he runs into an old man named Salamano.
Then he runs into Raymond who he invites in for dinner.
-Raymond is like a pimp. He beat up his gf for cheating on him and then got into a fight with her brother.

-Raymond wants more revenge but needs something to lure her back in.. so Meursault agrees to write a letter to get her back.

-Next Saturday, Marie visits meursault at his place. She asks if he loves her. He says... "It didn't mean anything".. but probably not.

-Then the two hear screaming from Raymonds appartment. The cops take him to the police station because he beat up his mistress. Later, Raymond asks if Meursault will testify on his behaf and he agrees.

-That night, Raymond runs into Salamano(old man), who thinks his dog ran way.

-Marie asks Meursault if he wants to get married... he says they can if she wants to.. so they become engaged.

-Sunday, Raymond, Marie and Meursault go to a beach house, owned by Raymond's friend Masson, for a swim.

-They run into Raymonds mistress's brother (Arab) on the beach.

-They get into a fight and Raymond got stabbed.

-Raymond fixes his wounds then considers shooting the brother but Meursault talks him out of it, and takes the gun.

-Later for no reason.. Meursault returns to the spring and shoots Raymond's mistress's brother!

- He's arrested and thrown in jail.

-His lawyer seems disguisted by his lack of guilt or grief for his mother's death.

-A magistrate comes and says he needs to put his faith in God.

-Meursault refuses and says he doesn't believe.

-Marie visits him and forces a smile. She still says they will get married.

-Meursault's isolation from nature, women, and cigarettes is hard at first but he adjusts and soon doesn't even notice. He manages to keep his mind occupied and sleeps for most of the day.

-On the morning of the trial, Meursault is taken to the courthouse.
The subject shifts from the murder to a discussion of his character and the death of his mother. People from the funeral are called to testify and they all attest to his lack of tears or grief.

-Marie hesitantly testifies and explains that the day after the funeral her and Meursault see a comedy. The following day the prosecuter is outraged by Meursaults lack of morals or feeling, saying that it's a threat to society. He is found guilty. His sentence was beheading.

-When Meursault returns to prison.. he has trouble accepting his fate. He dreams of escaping and filing a legal appeal.

- Against Meursaults whishes a chaplain comes and tries to convince him to not be an athiest and to turn to God, but he refuses. The chaplain can't believe that he doesn't desire faith.

-Meursault gets angry and begins shouting.. saying that he is correct in believing in a purely physical world that is meaningless.

-Once Meursault accepts this and gives up on his hope for the future he feels happy.

"As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world."

Notes: Socratic Seminar

"There's a magic of being together that's different than technology."

-When you play with imagination it helps you grow.

-It's harder to make individual decisions if you're always under rules.

-"Learn from my mistakes" - No i have to learn from my own or I won't have any experiences that help me grow.

-"Wisdom- a practical application of knowledge"

-You have to learn from experience..
-Happy Medium

-Thought process..
-Remix shakespeare to connect to your own life

-What value does knowledge or wisdom have if your not using it.

-What we learn in school needs to be relevent to our own life in order to remember it.

-We are bound for testing

-Monkey can climb a tree, but an elephant can't
(We are all individual and unique and yet testing tries to generalize us and our learning.)
-testing doesn't define who you are

-kids and building blocks... we are still in that creating state..
-Sometimes people look at the things they can't change...

-You have to have the right mindset.. "Don't do what you love, love what you do."


1a. Paragraph #1: How can these concepts enhance your learning as you arrive at a moment when grades no longer matter?
1b. Paragraph #2: How can these concepts enhance your ability to master content for the AP exam and other hurdles you have yet to leap?
1c. How can you use these concepts to collaborate with and inspire others, to improve the information exchange and overall value of your learning network?


1a. I feel like it really does have a lot to do with the mindset of the student. It is really up to them how they want to take in all this information. For a lot of people I know.. it is senior year and they already got into their college and they aren't really that motivated to finish strong. They still are stuck in this mindset that school is just test prep and not life long skills. When they stop thinking of it as points on a score sheet.. and see the bigger picture, I think these concepts will help them.

1b. I was just thinking the other day that there were probably going to be a lot of literary terms on the AP test and it would really benifit me to know them. When we had tests on the lit terms I would make sure to study them but when there was no teacher warning me.. then I lost my incentive, and didn't review. With the AP test fastly approaching.. I see the importance and benefit of knowing them for my own good.. not just for points in a class. I feel like this relates to the world in general. Don't do things just to get them done and then forget, but take the time to find the value in it and then it will seem like it's more worth your time.

1c. Just like in the video we watched, the internet creates a library for the world. After watching that video and talking to people, everyone seemed to come away very inspired. People from all overt the world asking questions and putting online for everyone to see. At first that seemed impossible to them but they did it. I think that's why so many people were inspired, because of how impossible it seemed. So often we forget how fortunate we are to have an opportunity to take an AP class like this. We can use our blogs and online resources to help educate other people who have a real interest in what we are doing.

Socratic Seminar Notes

The internet creates a library for the world.

Q: How do you percieve the world around you?
-Strange and unfamiliar or something you can relate to.

-Does increased personal choice for each individual really lead to more happiness?

*Every effort to change the world... starts with people asking questions.

Q: How do/can we sit together and discuss what's important, and reach a solution.

"where is the vision of today's leaders?" - Joe Walsh

-Is communication becoming modernized?

- The human footprint.

"Come together as one to celebrate our diversity..."

Q: Are brands more powerful than government?

Q: Why are African states less developed?

Q: What does the future you want look like?

Q: "If you had one piece of knowledge to give to the world, what would it be?"

Q: How do we get the world to listen?

-Total destiny might change from the worst to the best...


The Serious Need For Play

-Free play is crucial for developement.

-"Free Play" as opposed to structural activities

-Free Play as a child can help you develope skills for:
-Coping with stress
-Problem solving

"The consequence of a life that is seriously play-deprived is serious stuff"

-why are structured games and free play that different?
A: It challenges the developing brain instead of following predetermined rules.

-Parents should let children be children.

"Curiousity, imagination, and creativity are like muscles: if you don't use them, you lose them."


-How can playing with a question create a learning experience?

"The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robes at the sound of a bell?"

-I think that when you think about or dwell on anything for a period of time, you learn something. sometimes the experience is just as valuable as the result. We learn stuff just by trying.

"There is glory in the attempt."

Remix Analysis

The first poem seems to be about a lady who is always dressed up like she's going to some party or event. The author is trying to make you realize that you don't have to get dressed up all the time. That sometimes less is more and it's better to just relax once in a while and go with the simple/natural look. The author does this through importnant figures of speech, images, and diction.

The second poem is about a guy who is telling all vigin women to go get married asap and take advantage of their youthfulness. What you take away from this peom is that time is ticking and not to be wasteful with your life.

In this third poem, the author is a female and she is telling us how the world is broken and they teed to start alll over. The main message the author wants you to take away is that the world is a broken place and no matter how hard you try.. you can't fix it. People are going to disappoint you, you're going to get hurt, and that's just the way it goes. When it gets to that point is when she is telling you to start all over and create a new beginning.

Remix The Textbook

Still to Be Neat by Ben Jonson

Still to be neat, still to be dressed,
As you were going to a feast;
Still to be powdered, still perfumed:
Lady, it is to be presumed,
Though art's hid causes are not found,
All is not sweet, all is not sound.
Give me a look, give me a face,
That makes simplicity a grace;
Robes loosely flowing, hair as free:
Such sweet neglect more taketh me
Than all the adulteries of art;
They strike mine eyes, but not my heart.


Dramatic Situation- It is talking about a lady who always seems to be dressed up for a party or some big event.
Structure- The author presents the information in a simple way that is easy to follow and understand. (stream of consciousness)
Theme- The main message in this poem is basically natural beauty. Don't feel like you have to get so dressed up all the time. Sometimes less is more and it's better to just relax once in a while.
Grammer and meaning- There is a lot of punctuation used, especially commas and semi collins. The word choice is simple, but direct and to the point.
Important images and figures of speech- the author gives you the image of feast and a lady all dressed up. "hair is free" gives an example of the natural/simple look the author was talking about.
Important single words- Still, Lady, simplicity, heart
Tone- the authors tone is very relatable. He is very kind and encouraging, almost like he is giving women a compliment.
Literary and rhetorical devices- Stream of consiousness, simile
Prosoty(flow)- the poem flows very well. Its as if it's all one thought. The author's explaining what we as women do, and what he would like us to do. The smoothness of the poem helps convey the authors words of encouragement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8xrtl3Yhik&feature=related


To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick

GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying :
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.

Dramatic Situation- The author is speaking to young virgins telling them to not waist time or delay, but to hurry and get married while they are still young and prime.
Structure- The poem is told like a story, almost like advice. It is seperated into four paragraphs to seperate the authors ideas.
Theme- the main message in this is to enjoy and take advantage of your youth. You are not going to be young forever so don't waist your best years. Time is always ticking so use it wisely.
Grammer and meaning- The author uses punctuation such as commas, semi collins, and periods to complete his thought.
Important images and figures of speech- the author makes a lot of references to nature. we are given images of "rosebuds", a flower and the sun.
Important single words- rosebuds, time, dying, sun, youth, marry, prime.
Tone- The authors tone is very mature and wise. Almost as if he is someone who knows best and wants to convince the reader to listen to his advice.
Literary and Rhetorical devices- there were a lot of metaphors used including examples of nature.
Prosoty(flow)- The author put a lot of stress and infasis into this poem. It seemed important for him to convince the reader not to waist time. It flowed really well and the examples helped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAIbCOhZ6x0



New Beginning by Tracy Chapman

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over, make a new beginning
There's too much pain, too much suffering
Let's resolve to start all over make a new beginning
Now don't get me wrong - I love life and living
But when you wake up and look around at everything that's going down -
All wrong
You see we need to change it now, this world with too few happy endings
We can resolve to start all over make a new beginning
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
The world is broken into fragments and pieces
That once were joined together in a unified whole
But now too many stand alone - There's too much separation
We can resolve to come together in the new beginning
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
We can break the cycle - We can break the chain
We can start all over - In the new beginning
We can learn, we can teach
We can share the myths the dream the prayer
The notion that we can do better
Change our lives and paths
Create a new world and
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing
It's time to start all over, make a new beginning
There's too much fighting, too little understanding
It's time to stop and start all over
Make a new beginning
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over
We need to make new symbols
Make new signs
Make a new language
With these we'll define the world
And start all over
Start all over
Start all over
Start all over ...

Dramatic Situation- the author is a female and she's talking about how the world is broken and we need to start over.
Structure- the structure is actually a real song so it has a lot of repititions.
Theme- the main message the author wants you to take away is that the world is a broken place and no matter how hard you try.. you can't fix it. People are going to disappoint you, you're going to get hurt, and that's just the way it goes. When it gets to that point is when she is telling you to start all over and create a new beginning.
Grammer and meaning- since it is a song, there aren't very many punctuations besides commas and hyphens. It helps to seperate the authors thoughts.
Important images and figures of speech- Something broken into fragments and pieces, and "we can break the chain"
Important single words- world, broke start, beginning, love, life, living, wrong, change, and endings.
Tone- the authors attitude is almost confident. she knows what's wrong and is going to tell you how to fix it. It's very hopeful. She is telling you what you can do in order to improve and make a better life.
Literary and rhetorical devices-  it uses figurative language and inflated words.
Prosoty(flow)- the movement is very smooth through the piece. It uses rymes and slant rhymes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkKBYY2ZbGM

Remix the curriculum

AP Exam Lecture Notes

Poetry is music.. know what words mean.

1. What is the dramatic situation- Who is speaker, male/female, young/old, where is the speaker and when, and what are the circumstances.

2. Structure of a poem, what are the parts and how do they relate, coherence, how do parts fit together, punctuation, transition (new idea, theme, break in time), repetition... parallel syntax.

*Dont stop at the end of a line, stop at the end of the punctuation.

-Use rhyming pattern to find technique.

3. what is the theme or central method?

4. Grammer and meaning

5. Important images and figures of speech

6. Important single words

7. Tone - authors attitude towards subject, readers, character (authors voice)

8. Literary and retorical devices- what literary devices does the poem employ?

9. Prostity (flow) The movement through a piece. Rythm, stress, infasis of speach. Number of syllabuls. Structural elements. How does the structure help convey the message?

*Look at contex


Sonnet- A sonnet is a 14 line lyric poem usually about love that employs Iambic pentameter that uses an abab rhyming scheme.

• Sonnet has 10 syllabuls
• Iambic Pentameter (metric foot)
• Iam=2 syllabuls   Pent=5
• Italian or English(elizabthan) sonnet
• A sonnet is 3 quatrains and 1 couplet
• Quatrain=4 lines   Couplet=2 lines

Example:

What is love but a sweet act of kindness
falling to the unknown with only trust
Always feeling safe and never restless
knowing you will be there, faith is a must.
Love's disguises can either soar or sting,
with emotions like a revolving door;
passion consuming entire beings,
But they say love's someting worth fighting for.
The elusive nymph, how it taunts me so;
Bringer of life, Great tormentor of souls;
Heartbreak of mine, will its pain never go?
I cry in pain, the joyous churchbell tolls.
The bittersweet journey that reaps and sows
The outcome of love we might never know.

Remix/Video Notes: Kirby Ferguson

Remix- To combine or edit esisting ideas to create something new.

(Music) - Hip Hop is a remix

-Music, Videos, Photos- anybody can remix anything
"Everything is a remix"

In a remix you can still see the original existing things

-Creativity use to be considered devigne (heightened accomplishment) (Talented/Gifted)

-Metaphor for creativity = lightbulb... just flip a switch.
Usually however, it's not a single moment.

*Three Basic Elements
-Q: How do we create?

• Domain Knowledge- Speak like everybody else. "copying" (mimicking)

ex. Artists do covers of a popular song.

• Transformation- taking existing thing and producing variations. (typewriter = Literary piano)
• Combinations- taking existing things and merging them together

ex. Albert Einstein developed E=MC2 ...but he didn't develope the E, M, Or C.. but he put them toghether in a way that worked.

-Copy, Transform, Combine

-Implications- Original ideas are now considered property.
"cross Aversion"

-Two Distortions:
1. The lone creator
2. Ideas are property/ Can't steal an idea...only copy it.

*Ideas contain other ideas

- I think we are smart enough to realize that people before us have good ideas and we could just find a way to improve on them.

*"By idolizing those whom we honor we do a disservice both to them and to ourselves.. we fail to recognize that we could go and do likewise"

Literature Analysis: To Kill A MockingBird

1. Atticus Finch worked in a courthouse in Maycomb, Alabama durring the great depression. He was a really good lawyer. He had a little girl named Scout who was eight, and a son named Jem who was twelve. They became good friends with a boy named Dill who was a new kid in the neighborhood for the summer. They become obsessed with a creepy house on the corner. Apparently there was a man named Boo Radley who lived there, but he never left his house. They would find gifts in the tree near his house. The kids would act out the story of Boo Radley, but Atticus would tell them to stop. He tried to make them see life through someone else's eyes. Boo's real name is Arthur, and one night when the kids sneak onto his property Boo's brother Nathan shoots at them. While they are sneaking away Jem's pants get ripped but when he comes back later to get them they are all fixed. The kids were convinced it was Boo. Maycomb was a racist community but despite that Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white woman. Because of their father's decision, Jem and Scout get abbuse from other children in school. Calpurnia was the Finches black cook. She took them to her black church and they were welcomed with open arms. When Tom Robinson's trial begins, he was placed in the local jail and outside a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus gets the mob to leave. Later in court, Atticus provides clear evidence that Mayella Ewell was not raped and that her and her father Bob are lying. Atticus says that Mayella came onto Tom and when she was caught by her father she accused him of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus explains that the marks on Mayella's face came from a left handed person. Tom Robinson was right handed so it would have been very difficult. Bob on the other hand was left handed, showing it was him. Despite everything, the all white jury convicts Tom Robinson. Later he tries to escape from jail but is shot to death. Jem's faith in justice is shaken and he's filled with doubt. Bob Ewell is upset despite the verdict and promises revenge on Atticus. One night when Jem and Scout are walking home from a Halloween play, Bob Ewell tries to attack them with a knife. Boo Radley intervenes, saving the childeren but fatally stabbing Bob Ewell in the struggle. Boo takes the kids home to Atticus. To protect Boo, the sheriff insists Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears back into the Radley house. Finally Scout was able to relate to Boo Radley. She felt sympathy and understanding just like Atticus had advised her to do. She decides that her bad experiences with racism and hatred were not going to destroy the faith she had for the good in people.
Scout's realization was exactly what I think the author wanted the reader to come away with. Although there is clearly evil in this world and terrible people, don't let that stop you from being optimistic and finding the good in people.

2. Theme: The theme comes down to a struggle between good and evil. There is good and bad in everyone. Sometimes it's easier to see the bad but don't let that stop you from searching for and believing in the good.

3. The author's tone seemed depressing, and almost defeated. It was set in the Great Depression so I think that tied into the tone. It seemed to represent the attitude of the people at that time. Most families didn't have much and just weren't happy.
ex. "All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess."

ex. "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County."

ex. "A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishing pole behind him."

4. *Symbol- "Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird."

*Foreshadowing- There were many clues that Boo Radley was going to end up saving the kids. He would put presents in the whole in the tree by his house, he fixed Jem's pants when they got ripped on the fence, and he put a blanket over Scout when she was watching the fire.
"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough."

*Irony- It was ironic that Jem and Scout were scared of Boo Radley practically the entire book, but in the end he's the one who saved them.

*Tone- "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

*Imagery- "His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me."

*Characterization- "All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess."

Poem Interpretations

1. Dramatic situation- It doesn't clearly say weather the speaker is young or old, but by the way the poem was flowing and messages portrayed I think they are young. They are sitting on steps looking across at the lake and thinking about life. Thinking about the good times but also thinking about how fast everything could be gone.

2. Structure- This poem makes me think of stream of consciousness. It's very reflective but then grows into the person realizing what they need to do based on the conclusion they just reached.

3. Theme- I definitely think the theme is no regrets. Basically to live like there's no tomorrow. Don't take life for granted because you never know what could happen. I think the idea of love and not forgetting to show people you love them before it's too late is also a big part of this poem.-" Today may be the last day I'm able to hold you tight." The idea of loss makes you realize what you still have. -you never know what you have until it's gone...

4. Grammar and meaning-  The author uses a lot of commas and questions to get the point across.

5. Important images and figures of speech- Rhyming, sitting on the steps, the lake.

6. Important single words- life, change, loved, living, tomorrow, regret.

7. Tone- The author seems very concerned. She cares and wants to best for the readers.

8. Literary or rhetorical devices- The author does a really good job of painting a picture in the readers mind from the very first line. She does a lot of comparing and contrasting: Life changing compared to a blink, comparing the young to the old.

9. Prosidy(flow)- There is a lot of rhyme throughout this piece. There's infasis put on the idea that the reader should come away with a different outlook on how they should live their lives. It's basically the one idea of life going by too fast and not having any regrets that flows through the entire poem. By the end the author reaches a sense of acceptance-" I accept my life, for what it's been worth."

 

 

© Amy D. Liskey

Sitting on the steps, looking across the lake,
Wondering why, life at times, can seem great.
But in that second, it took me to just think,
My life could change, faster than a blink.

Is this a reason why we should always cherish?
Not knowing when loved ones may suddenly perish.
Living everyday, like it was our very last,
for our days could be very long or go by very fast

So I'll cherish and take nothing for granted,
not say things that shouldn't be chanted.
If this is the last day I have on this earth,
I accept my life, for what it's been worth.

Tomorrow isn't promised to young or old alike,
Today may be the last day I'm able to hold you tight.
Don't wait for tomorrow, do it all today,
If tomorrow never comes, you'll never regret a day

Source: Like It Is My Very Last, Dream Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/like-it-is-my-very-last#ixzz1kGTfMG8g
Family Friend Poems

Micro-AP part I (Essay)

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• What was easy/expected?
• What was difficult/unexpected?
• What did you learn about the AP questions?
• What did you learn about your own performance under pressure?
• How will this experience influence your preparation for the actual exam?

I already knew that I was going to be writing about the two Dickens novels we have been working on. That was expected and easy in the sense that I didn't have to rack my brain and think of another random novel, I knew it was either going to be about A Tale Of Two Cities or Great Expectiations. 
It was difficult for me trying to think of a character and enough examples so fast. There have been so many characters that we went through these past few days that it was hard to choose from. Also I tried to write on Great Expectations because we went over it so much in class but once we got started I would realize that I didn't know enought to turn itinto a whoeld subject.
I learned that the AP questions are not going to be too bad if I am relaxed and feel prepared.
The time limit wasn't too bad for me. I just tryed to stay relaxed and basically told myself it didn't matter how far I got. I learned that a little pressure isn't bad and I can still perform under it.
I feel like this gave me a really good idea of what the actual exam will be like. This makes me a little more calm. I also realize now that you need to not only understand in depth, all the many characters in a story but also the historical background and the authors life. I'm realizing that so many things in real life tie in and relate to what is going on in the books as well.

A Tale of Two Cities

What is it that made Charles Dickens write the novel you're reading? What in your analysis of literary techniques led you to this conclusion? (Make sure to include textual support illustrating Dickens' use of at least three techniques.)


I'm sure Dickens had many reasons for wanting to write this book. The main one I could think of was that he wanted to show conflict in an extreme scale. Durring the time period he wrote it in, a lot of conflict was going on in history. I think authors often put a lot of themselves into books they write and the characters in them. There were a lot of symbols in A Tale of Two Cities that relate to the fighting and death Dickens had probably lived through. Such as Mr. Lorry's dream and the person writing blood with wine. It's all foreshadowing to the blood bath we suspect is coming up. On the very first page of the book Dickens used anaphora to compare and contrast basically the extremes of light and darkness. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The story as a whole is about politics, war, and human nature. I hear all the time how politics can bring out the worst in someone..(mudslinging). I think this is what Dickens is also trying to show through all these textual clues. What things are like when they are at its best.. and what its like at the worst.

Discussion Notes: A Tale of Two Cities

There was a coach driving Mr. Lorry from London to Dover when a messenger on horseback wants to speak to Lorry. The person gives him a note that we think said Lucie's dad was still alive. Lucie's dad was a prisoner of war and as a result had become a little crazy. While on the coach Mr. Lorry was drifting in and out of a dream that somehow resembled death. When Mr. Lorry arrived at the Royal George hotel, he met Lucie and they went to the wine shop to go get Lucies dad. Because he was a prisoner of war, they had been under the impression that he was dead. When Lucie and Lorry were at the wine shop to find her dad, the wine broke into the street. This showed how poor the people in Paris were, because they all ran out and started drinking it off the ground.  Finally Lorry and Lucie meet her dad and at first he mistakes her for his wife because of her golden hair.

Some of the litereary elements Dicken's used:

Anaphora- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

Tone- Made story more understanding. Serious/somber -Dark ominous tone

Gothic Literature- The entire mood of the story is dark and has to do with fighting and mystery.

Diction- Victorian/English

Allusion- Dickens expects you to know and basically understand the entire French Revolution in order to really grasp what's going on at the time.

Foreshadowing- Mr. Lorry's dream is foreshadowing death.

Suspense- There was suspense in the dream and with Mr. Lorry digging a grave.

Stereotype- When they go into the wine shop they just assume everyone is Revolutionaries.
(Lucie and Lorry)

Protaganists- Mr. Lorry and Lucie

Assumption- They assumed Lucie's dad was dead.

Reading Questions: A Tale of Two Cities

1. Explain what you think this quote means, and why it was significant to the story.

"It was the best of times, It was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."

2. Where does this novel take place?

3. Compare and contrast the difference between England and France at this time.

4. Describe what Lorry looks like as a person.

5. Explain who Lucie Manette is and what she looks like.





A1: This quote hints at the novels central tension between love and family on one side, and depression and hatred on the other. The use of anaphora shows that the idea of good and evil are equally matched in thier struggle.

A2: England and France in 1775

A3: In England the public was worried about religious prophecies, paranormal phenomena, and a colony of British subjects in America has sent to king George. Where in France, there is spending and extreme violence.

A4: Lorry changes to put his suit on and he looked like a well dressed business man when he has it on. Around 60 years of age.

A5: Lucie Manatte is short, slight, pretty figure. Her love is so powerful in can be referred to as the "Golden Thread".

A Tale of Two Cities/Charles Dickens Notes

The very first line of the book read, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I have heard that so much and I never knew where it came from. I can see now how Dickens was the most quoted author in British Literature, next to Shakespeare. I havent really read that much of it yet but if the book goes according to the notes, then Dicken's used conflict to indicate bigger problems or other issues in the world. Dickens was also a shoe polisher. Dickens started writing by simply diving in.. which I like the best because i feel likeyou still be exposed to everything... In just the first few pages of A Tale of Two Cities you can already tell that the tone is very serious. Dickens was not a comedic writer.

Literature Analysis: Of Mice and Men

lit anal of mice and men -

Emotion -

Dickens Book Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Dickens is known for having self descriptive book titles. You can usually assume what the main character or situation is by simply reading the title. When it comes to A Tale of Two Cities you can infer that it will have something to do with...two cities. They just happen to be about London, England and Paris, France. Dickens decided to write a comparative study between the two of these cities involving the French Revolution. He wanted to explore the ways England was very similar, and very different from France. Which means you end up with.. a tale of two cities!

Dream Poem

Live each day to the fullest

© Amy D. Liskey

Sitting on the steps, looking across the lake,
Wondering why, life at times, can seem great.
But in that second, it took me to just think,
My life could change, faster than a blink.

Is this a reason why we should always cherish?
Not knowing when loved ones may suddenly perish.
Living everyday, like it was our very last,
for our days could be very long or go by very fast

So I'll cherish and take nothing for granted,
not say things that shouldn't be chanted.
If this is the last day I have on this earth,
I accept my life, for what it's been worth.

Tomorrow isn't promised to young or old alike,
Today may be the last day I'm able to hold you tight.
Don't wait for tomorrow, do it all today,
If tomorrow never comes, you'll never regret a day

Source: Like It Is My Very Last, Dream Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/like-it-is-my-very-last#ixzz1kGTfMG8g
Family Friend Poems


I really like this poem because I love the message and I feel like I forget this in my own life so much. Life is way too short to be anything but happy and every second you spend stressed or worried is a second that you could have been happy. The whole point is that we dont know how much longer we have or when we will die. Life goes by in the blink of an eye. I never want to look back and regret things I did...or didn't do. It's basically saying to count your blessings and live each day to the fullest... because you never know what tomorrow will bring. :)

Big Question: Abstract

The subject of my research report is emotion. I chose this topic because I wanted a better understanding of why certain people react differently in situations. Why some people never shed a tear and other people I know absolutely love crying. Why some people refuse to cry even at funerals. Does it all have to do with how you were reaised or is it simply your own personality?  This study will provide reasons and a better understanding of different people's emotions. My hope is that this study will help me discover the root of emotion. is it psychological or genetic? I have created a mindmap of my big question which has helped me organize my thoughts. I have also found multiple online sources that I think will be helpful. My plan is to use the information from those online sources, plus info I find in hard cover books and use it to expand my mindmap. I also invited some people to check out my mindmap, so I am hoping that they have some good information or experiences that I can tie in to my report.