Sunday, August 26, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Debrief of "The Box Man"
An important new insight for me was the mention of the Box Man's bandaged legs. In my first reading, it had irritated me that there seemed to be few negative descriptions of the box man's status. I realize that the author shows how his solitude is preferable to many others, but there are still many perils to being homeless that were not depicted. In the discussion, I also heard many new interesting questions I had not thought to ponder. I had not previously thought of the season as part of the setting; it was intriguing to think about if the absense of a cold winter season was the author's intention. I also had not thought about the changing lengths of paragraphs. I found it interesting that the longer paragraphs could signifiy traveling deeper into solitude.
I wish we had talked about the contrast between the box man and the priviledged men on the subway. I thought the differences between the Daily News, which the box man reads, and the Wall Street Journal would have been a good discussion. To me, the Daily News represents a desire for knowledge of the more general world while Wall Street Journal suggests elites who only think of the street they work on.
I said every response I wanted to say during the discussion, but I wish I had brought up what I mentioned in the previous paragraph.
I wish we had talked about the contrast between the box man and the priviledged men on the subway. I thought the differences between the Daily News, which the box man reads, and the Wall Street Journal would have been a good discussion. To me, the Daily News represents a desire for knowledge of the more general world while Wall Street Journal suggests elites who only think of the street they work on.
I said every response I wanted to say during the discussion, but I wish I had brought up what I mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Long Form: Black Boy
LONG FORM FOR NONFICTION
Title:
Black Boy
Author:
Richard Wright
Subject:
AP English Comp. Summer Assignment
link to Long Form: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1Kf7irDxJIrLW84RFhoUVd0cVU
links to literary criticism:
Turner, Sarah. “Insatiable Hunger: A Literary Analysis of
Richard Wright’s Autobiography, Black Boy.”
2009. web. http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/81/an-insatiable-hunger-a- literary-analysis-of-richard-wrights-autobiography-black-boy
“Black Boy (1945).” January 2000. web. http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/425
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Senior Project
It all started when I ran over our white picket fence with a car.
We all had one week left to decide what our senior project was going to be. I was contemplating my many options as I started to remove the broken fence pieces. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to find something that I was truly interested in.
I was also thinking about the ugly picket fence. I did not even like the fence before I broke it. (While talking about this incident, I want to note that I am not a bad driver! I have never hit anything else except for that fence, and when I hit the fence I was backing out and turning in my parent's very large car which I am not used to driving and it has horrible visibility) Anyways, I looked through the slats of the fence at the overgrown weeds that we call the front yard. I grumbled to myself, saying that a new fence wouldn't even make the yard look much better.
"This fence is going to be a big project," said my dad as he watched me work.
"Maybe it should be my senior project then," I jokingly said to myself. Then I suddenly realized, "I SHOULD REDO THE YARD FOR MY SENIOR PROJECT!"
I have always enjoyed the outdoors and pretty gardens. When I was little, I used to love to help pick out new flowers to put in the garden. I used to occasionally help my mom plant or weed. I always planned on taking over my own section of the garden, but I was always too busy.
Since we began remodeling the basement, both our front and back yards have been ruined by constant construction work. The self-done remodel (my dad is an architect and always insists that we do all the work ourselves) has taken FOREVER. I am convinced that our house will not look finished before I leave for college, and that is only the inside of the house. I can't imagine when my parents will ever fix up the outside, and my dad would never call in a professional landscaper. I am tired of having a house that is constantly unfinished, so I decided to fix this problem and have a fun experience with my senior project.
I decided I would learn about landscaping and redo the front and back yards as my senior project. I am going to write my research paper on something about native plants, and I will use them in my garden. I have been out of town for much of the summer, so I haven't started any physical work. However, I did find much inspiration in my travels. Here is some cool landscaping I have seen:
I'm really excited to get started and especially excited to see the final product!
We all had one week left to decide what our senior project was going to be. I was contemplating my many options as I started to remove the broken fence pieces. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to find something that I was truly interested in.
I was also thinking about the ugly picket fence. I did not even like the fence before I broke it. (While talking about this incident, I want to note that I am not a bad driver! I have never hit anything else except for that fence, and when I hit the fence I was backing out and turning in my parent's very large car which I am not used to driving and it has horrible visibility) Anyways, I looked through the slats of the fence at the overgrown weeds that we call the front yard. I grumbled to myself, saying that a new fence wouldn't even make the yard look much better.
"This fence is going to be a big project," said my dad as he watched me work.
"Maybe it should be my senior project then," I jokingly said to myself. Then I suddenly realized, "I SHOULD REDO THE YARD FOR MY SENIOR PROJECT!"
I have always enjoyed the outdoors and pretty gardens. When I was little, I used to love to help pick out new flowers to put in the garden. I used to occasionally help my mom plant or weed. I always planned on taking over my own section of the garden, but I was always too busy.
Since we began remodeling the basement, both our front and back yards have been ruined by constant construction work. The self-done remodel (my dad is an architect and always insists that we do all the work ourselves) has taken FOREVER. I am convinced that our house will not look finished before I leave for college, and that is only the inside of the house. I can't imagine when my parents will ever fix up the outside, and my dad would never call in a professional landscaper. I am tired of having a house that is constantly unfinished, so I decided to fix this problem and have a fun experience with my senior project.
I decided I would learn about landscaping and redo the front and back yards as my senior project. I am going to write my research paper on something about native plants, and I will use them in my garden. I have been out of town for much of the summer, so I haven't started any physical work. However, I did find much inspiration in my travels. Here is some cool landscaping I have seen:
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Sarah!
Hello, my name is Sarah. I have had an awesome summer because I did all
of my favorite activities, so I am going to describe this summer in order to
describe myself.
About a week after school ended, I was in Germany! I am very glad that I have parents who choose to spend money on plane tickets, to places like Belize and Italy, over random luxuries. I love traveling, and in college I am most excited to take part in study abroad. My favorite German experience was eating giant pretzels in the English Garden in Munich while watching the public viewing of the German national soccer team beating Greece in the Euro Cup quarterfinals. I wish that I was in Europe for every international soccer tournament; I love taking part in cultural experiences like that. We ended the trip in London, which I adored; I have an obsession with vibrant metropolises.
While vacations are fun, I have found that visiting tourist attractions is not as rewarding as volunteering and learning about local life. The day after I returned from London, I joined my youth group (of First Presbyterian Church) for a second mission trip to Los Angeles. I had previously been on unforgettable mission trips to New Orleans and Los Angeles. I have met the most inspirational people at housing sites, mission organizations, and on the streets. This year I had a conversation with a homeless man and he talked about the concert there will be in heaven. He ended up taking our hands and praying for us, my friend ended up crying, and I will never forget it.
I rushed home from Chicago to make it to the last four days of an incredible week called Lark Camp. Soccer and school can be exhausting, so I relax with music. I have taken piano lessons since I was in Kindergarten, and I also try to teach myself guitar and ukulele. I used to play clarinet in band, but now I am in choir. Two favorite parts of my year are what my friends call my hippie camps: Strawberry Music Festival in May and Lark Camp in August. While Strawberry is fun, Lark Camp is perfect. I annually spend my favorite week of the year at Lark Camp in the Mendocino Woodlands with one of my best friends and her mom. We spend the days in classes such as Zimbabwean Marimba, Belly Dancing, and Morris Dancing, spend the nights dancing swing, salsa, Balkan, or contra, and spend the early mornings listening to our friends have spectacular jam sessions until sunrise. Everyone is extremely nice and interesting and talented, and I wish I was there all the time!
This summer was wonderful and exemplified everything I love, and I hope senior year will do the same!
About a week after school ended, I was in Germany! I am very glad that I have parents who choose to spend money on plane tickets, to places like Belize and Italy, over random luxuries. I love traveling, and in college I am most excited to take part in study abroad. My favorite German experience was eating giant pretzels in the English Garden in Munich while watching the public viewing of the German national soccer team beating Greece in the Euro Cup quarterfinals. I wish that I was in Europe for every international soccer tournament; I love taking part in cultural experiences like that. We ended the trip in London, which I adored; I have an obsession with vibrant metropolises.
Here's me and my friend Julia by the extremely beautiful Neuschwanstein castle
While vacations are fun, I have found that visiting tourist attractions is not as rewarding as volunteering and learning about local life. The day after I returned from London, I joined my youth group (of First Presbyterian Church) for a second mission trip to Los Angeles. I had previously been on unforgettable mission trips to New Orleans and Los Angeles. I have met the most inspirational people at housing sites, mission organizations, and on the streets. This year I had a conversation with a homeless man and he talked about the concert there will be in heaven. He ended up taking our hands and praying for us, my friend ended up crying, and I will never forget it.
Here's the group at the Midnight Mission, where we served breakfast one day.
After those two amazing
trips, I spent a small time at home catching up on fitness. Other than school,
soccer is the center of my life. I also play tennis, but that is mostly for
fun, and I don't have much to say about it. I love soccer so much because I am
on an amazing and hardworking club team. A few years ago our team got a
professional coach, and we have worked very hard and have improved at a
fantastic rate. The dedication of my team has paid off; last year, we won the NorCal State Cup! That championship sent us to Chicago for the National Tournament
at the end of July. We weren't very successful in Chicago, but it was a surreal
experience to compete with the top eight performing teams in the country for
this year. I am honored to have such talented teammates, and working with them
has been the most consistent and rewarding activity in my life.I rushed home from Chicago to make it to the last four days of an incredible week called Lark Camp. Soccer and school can be exhausting, so I relax with music. I have taken piano lessons since I was in Kindergarten, and I also try to teach myself guitar and ukulele. I used to play clarinet in band, but now I am in choir. Two favorite parts of my year are what my friends call my hippie camps: Strawberry Music Festival in May and Lark Camp in August. While Strawberry is fun, Lark Camp is perfect. I annually spend my favorite week of the year at Lark Camp in the Mendocino Woodlands with one of my best friends and her mom. We spend the days in classes such as Zimbabwean Marimba, Belly Dancing, and Morris Dancing, spend the nights dancing swing, salsa, Balkan, or contra, and spend the early mornings listening to our friends have spectacular jam sessions until sunrise. Everyone is extremely nice and interesting and talented, and I wish I was there all the time!
This is my fabulous Morris Dancing class, where you dance with sticks.
I came back all musically inspired and am now trying to tackle "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" on piano, and it is a pain because it has six flats, but I'm really exctied for when I conquer it. Anyways, this year of Lark somehow even topped all of the past years, and it was a perfect end to summer.This summer was wonderful and exemplified everything I love, and I hope senior year will do the same!
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