Reflection

   This year, like every year, went by very quickly and was another step in preparation for college and then the real world. I grew as a student this year in that I learned how to deal with multiple AP courses and how to really manage my time wisely. This course has prepared me for school because I learned better analyzing skills, how to manage time because most of the work was never due the next day, and taught me how to right better. This course prepared me for life because we had to work with new people every 6 weeks (teaching us social skills) and time management because in the workforce deadlines are rarely the next day (teaching us not to procrastinate). The essay for me that was the most difficult to write was the rhetorical analysis because outside of an informative tone or similes, metaphors, personification, and imagery, I know very little about rhetorical devices because they just don't click with me. On the other hand, the essay that was the easiest was the synthesis essay. The synthesis essay was the easiest because the binder project, I feel, really prepared me for the essay and taught me how to synthesize information. The novel I enjoyed the most was "The Things They Carried" because it just such a good read. I don't really enjoy reading, but I can honestly say it was hard to put the book down once I started reading it. "In Cold Blood" was the novel I enjoyed the least because it was such a slow read and was so dense. I would like you to know that you're a great teacher Mr. Thomas and I am glad I got switched into your class when I changed my schedule on the first day of school. Thank you Mr. Thomas for everything and I will never forget #Gookin.

TTC #1

Physical: The one physical item I carry on the daily is my phone. It is special to me because it keeps me connected to the world no matter what (as long as there is signal). I can text or call anyone I need to, if I need to, or can look something up like directions at any point. Without my phone I am cut off from the world. My phone is definitely a necessity for me everyday.

Dreams/Goals: My ultimate goal is to beat my brother at everything. Growing up in his shadow has given me the drive to be more successful than him. Don't get me wrong, I still love him because he is my brother, but I want to bee better than my older brother. It's a simple sibling rivalry really. This goal motivates me to be successful at everything I do. I carry this rivalry with me everyday.

Relationship: The most influential person in my life is my brother. As previously stated, he is the one that drives my goal of success. Even though I want to beat him at everything, I can still ask him about anything and he will give me advice. He has helped me through some tough situations and I know no matter what he will always be there for me. He is the one person I carry with me everyday because of this.

Personality: I do not like describing myself, but since I have to, I would say I am ambitious, determined, and loyal. I am ambitious because I have the internal drive to be successful in life. I live by the motto "go big or go home". I am determined because once I have my mind set on something there is no changing it. And I am loyal because I won't cross anyone I am friends with, unless they cross me. These personality traits will not change and are carried with me everyday.

Memories: Memories, both good and bad, are carried daily. It is the good ones that bring happiness to our lives and it is the bad ones that shape us in order to keep this happiness. One memory in particular was when I lost my dog at the age of four. This showed me at a very early age that everything good comes to an end. That dog was my everything at that time and losing him is still carried with me today. His death also showed me to expect the unexpected since his death was unexpected. This memory is as important to me as he was, and to add to the physical section I carry a picture of him with me everyday in my wallet. This is just one memory that has shaped me and that I carry with me everyday.

#4 This is the hardest blog ever.

   My parents are your ordinary white parents, but no so white they'd be considered rednecks. Yes we own guns, no we don't hunt, yes we fish, no we don't have Duck Dynasty beards, and yes we have a truck (mine), but no we don't blare deep south "hick" music from it or go mudding with it. We are a typical white family and i try to honor that, sometimes, by doing (almost) everything my parents have asked me to do.

   First off, my parents were musically inclined and did band all the way through high school. They wanted me to get into music so I started taking piano lessons in kindergarten. I took lessons all the way up until this year, I had to decide between football and piano and football was the obvious choice. My parents also wanted me to be in band so I joined percussion, but hated it and quit after 8th grade. I tried to honor my parents musical culture but it just wasn't for me.

   In addition, my family likes to stay connected with our extended family as much as possible. I do my best to honor this by giving my grandparents a call ever so often or sending the occasional text to my aunts and uncles to catch up on things. I absolutely love talking with family because I barely get to see them. Family is the key unit in life and without family life is empty. It is these little conversations we have every once in a while that keep us connected until we can see each other during the holidays and it is the moments from the holidays that will be remembered forever. By honoring this for my parents it allows for our families to stay together even though we are so far apart.

   Finally, my family has made a culture of attending the University of Texas in Austin for college. I plan on honoring this by applying there this year. If I don't go to UT I would be the only one to not go there in my family. Everyone, including my brother right now, has gone to UT and I plan on honoring this culture they have created by going there too. I will honor this culture but will create my own identity by finding "who I am" up there.

   Families try to enforce everything on their kids and some may actually stick, like the UT thing and staying connected with family did for me, but some may not fall through the cracks, like the music thing for me. The hard part in life is finding the middle ground of being who your parents want you to be while becoming your own person. My parents are white and we don't have a redneck culture like some may think all white people have. My family doesn't really have any special culture which I think makes us the way we are.
 

Blog #3. Hardest Blog Ever.

   Edgar Allen Poe, the father of all the creepy arts, is a badass because he has an NFL team named after one of his poems (the Baltimore Ravens). Not only is the team named after one of his works but the three mascots are each named after him, one raven is Edgar, another is Allen, and the last one is Poe. This achievement alone makes me idolize him as a writer but because he is the father of all the creepy arts is why I would look at some of his work to get ideas when creating my own scary story.

   Five techniques that Poe used in "Fall of the House of Usher" that I would definitely try to mimic are the use of imagery, personification of the setting, some type of perverse sexual behavior, resurrection, and a vague ending to mess with the reader's imagination.  These five things are what make the story scary/creepy and are definitely what I would take from him and try to use.

   Imagery use is vital to the creepy factor because this is what makes the reader feel like they are actually in the story. Imagery is what messes with the reader's mind because of how real it makes the setting feel. Poe uses imagery in "House of Usher" when he describes the house as its falling to its destruction and makes the reader feel as if they are there with when Madeline rises from the dead and makes Roderick die of fear. Along with imagery is the personification of the setting. Poe personifies the house when it is making all the nosies and is "possessed by the devil" and how the house has "feelings". Imagery and personification of the setting are the two most important factors I would take from Poe.

   Perverse sexual behavior, like incest, in the House of Usher, is a factor that doesn't add to the scare factor but makes the creepy factor go off the charts. Madeline and Roderick were twins but more "more than that". Being more than a sibling to your sibling is just weird and disgusting and defines who Poe is as a writer.  Resurrection adds to both the scare factor and creepy factor. Seeing someone at your doorstep that you just buried would be scary as hell. Roderick was right to be literally scared to death because I would be terrified if that happened and scarred for life because of how creepy that would be. To go along with the creepy factor, the use of a vague ending moves that even farther off the chart. It is unsure who really died and what truly happens at the end of the story. This messes with the reader's mind and imagination which is why I would steal it from him.

   If I had to make a scary story these five techniques would be what I would use for sure. Thanks to Mr. Poe we have the scary stories and movies and a lll different forms of art that follow his original setup.

Blog #2

 

   The people of America are responsible for electing a president, yet once the president has been inaugurated the search for their faults is in full blast. Abraham Lincoln was a president that was assassinated because of the faults people believed he had. Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and since he was the leader he was assassinated because of his "faults" of wanting equality and peace. 

  Abraham Lincoln became president during a time of need in America. The states were divided North and South and had no intentions of changing that and even went to war because of the divisions. Lincoln was responsible for the abolition of slavery and passing the 13th-15th amendments (abolishing slavery, allowing for education of African-Americans, and allowing them to vote). The mere thought of equality was absurd to them and the fact that Lincoln was doing everything he could to obtain equality was the "fault" that got him killed. The search for faults in President Lincoln hurt America because it happened right after he was elected for a second term where he could have done a lot more in obtaining equality between blacks and whites.

 

  Martin Luther King Jr. may not have been a president but he was an American leader. He lead the Civil Rights movement and gave the famous "I have a dream" speech. MLK wanted equality and peace just like Lincoln did and was assassinated for the same reason. Even before his assassination, he was beaten and jailed because of his actions of seeking equality. If the assassination hadn't happened then maybe there would be less issues today within the topic of race. All MLK wanted was equality and in a way he got it because there is no more segregation. If he did not die so early within the movement then maybe there would be less turmoil among the different races. The "fault" that killed MLK was his relentless search for equality. 

  Leaders are the face of whatever it is they are leading. Presidents are the face of America and MLK was the face of the Civil Rights Movement. It is precisely that reason that begins the search for the leader's faults. Not everybody agrees on everything and the difference in opinions is the fire for the "fault search" and the difference in opinions is what got Lincoln and MLK killed. People didn't agree with what they fought for (equality) and killed them because of the progress they had. As long as people disagree there will be a search for the leader's faults in order to stop what they are fighting for.    

Blog #1

Jack Sparrow was the Captain of the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sparrow was an anti-hero because of the wit and negotiations he used in times of need rather than the super powers used by traditional heroes. He runs into a hot blonde during his quest to regain the Black Pearl, but unfortunately for him she is in love with someone else. Bad luck like this is something that Jack Sparrow and Ichabod Crane, the anti-hero from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, have in common.

Ichabod Crane fell head over heels for Katrina Van Tassel, a woman who came from money. Similarly Jack Sparrow fell in love with Elizabeth Swann, the hot blonde as previously stated. Swann was the daughter of Governor Swann, who governs Port Royal. Being the daughter of a governor means that her family has money, which could be one reason why Sparrow was "in love" with her. Being a pirate it is not a shock that Jack Sparrow is only attracted to gold but his "love" is questionable because who wouldn't fall for her?

Jack Sparrow and Ichabod Crane were both gold diggers because they were only attracted to rich women. This quality of being two-faced is a similarity between the two characters and a quality that makes them anti-heroes. 

The pirate mentality that Jack Sparrow has is another similarity he shares with Ichabod Crane. Pirates only care about themselves and will cut ties off with anyone and everyone if it means keeping the treasure they desire. Jack Sparrow wanted the Deadman's Chest to escape from Davy Jones' Locker and did anything to get the chest, even if it meant leaving his friends Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner for 100 years. No matter what, losing friends and all, Jack Sparrow was going to get that chest away from Davy Jones. Similarly, Ichabod Crane imagines leaving all his friends behind if it means receiving his treasure, Katrina. If Katrina ever fell for Ichabod, he would immediately leave every last friend he has just to keep his "treasure".  

Being self-centered is a quality that both of these characters have in common and a quality that makes both of them anti-heroes. 

Jack Sparrow and Ichabod Crane are not traditional heroes because of the lack of being larger than life, having super powers or being extraordinary, or even living by a moral code. They are not role models so they cannot be traditional heroes. Even though they are not traditional heroes they have their positive attributes in that Jack Sparrow is dependable on getting his friends and himself out of sticky situations and Ichabod Crane is an honorable teacher.  These characters may not be conventional heroes but they are not villains either, they are somewhere in between, making them anti-heroes.