Reflection

When Ms. Mott said we had to do a blog again for English 1A I was worried because before this class I did not think I could write very well. I soon figured out that it is fun, it is not just something to turn in to get a good grade. Writing is something you feel, and I was able to express myself through pictures and fonts, and colors on the blog. It was a lot of fun for me. I am sad that this class is ending, I found something in myself that I did not know was there. I am confident in my writing and I learaned how to write in different ways this semester. This class and blogging really set me up for other English classes to come and I am really thankful for that. Ms. Mott you have always been a teacher that I mesh well with and you have showed me how to enjoy writing. I wish you taught other English classes! You impacted my life a lot.Thank you!!

Media Post: My Family My Idea

Family is different for everyone. I come from a very closenit family but by the time I became an adult my family dynamics changed. My parents were no longer in the picture but it made my brothers and I that much closer.
We were all really close growing up but once my brothers started having kids we all became even closer.  The babies brought us together even more so than before. My two nieces are the light of my life. They make me happy when I am sad and they make my day when nothing seems to be going right.

My oldest brother RAY sleeping with one of my nieces. We all have one of these pictures and boy are these girls loved.

One of my brothers, MARIO and I with two of our cousins back in the day! We were inseperable! I miss the days that we could just play all day and have no worries about reality and everyday life.

My niece BELLA, she is an angel and the first baby to be born into our family!

This is SELENA the second edition to our family!! She is learning new things everyday and she is so lucky to have such a strong family behind her.

My amazing brothers. They are the only immediate family I have and they support me with everything I do. They are there whenever I need them and I could not ask for a better group of brothers in my life!

My family is not the typical American family, but I do not know what I would do without them. We have gorwn up and started our own lives but no matter how long it takes for us to see eachother sometimes, we still love eachother more and more like brother and sisters do!

Into the Wild- ALASKA

What is Alaska.....?

• *Silent*
• Deserted
• Cold
• Tranquil
• ...Peaceful...
• ^Wild^
• Natural

Alaska is the land of the unknown. It is know for it's rugged beauty, size, and resources. It has a certain mystery to it because the wilderness is so harsh that it takes a certain kind of person to beat the odds of wild vs human. In the book Into the Wild by JonKrakauer, Chris McCandless thought he would be that person to succeed without being defeated in the wild, to an extent he was right but it took a toll on his body after awhile of living in the wilderness and it led to his death. Looks are decieving when it comes to the wilderness and its beauty. It is unpredictable, but so breath taking!

Into The Wild- Why did Chris McCandless go?

In the book Into The Wild by John Krakauer nobody knows for sure why Chris McCandless felt he had to leave to the Alaskan wilderness. Chris seemed like he was trying to escape civilization and all the troubles that come with it.  Chris came from a well off family and was a very bright young man.  Chris had the opportunity to run a very comfortable modern life, but he decided against that. Living his normal life would have been an easy choice for most, but Chris thought differently. Everyday tasks in life was easy for him but not enough to keep him happy. Chris did not see the world in a positive manner, he saw the negative aspects of it and he hated that no one else wanted to change it.
Towards the end of the book it explains how Chris was effected by learning about his dads affair as well as another son from a different women. He was extremely angry at his family and refused to forgive him.  This led Chris to be very unhappy with the world in general.  Chris probably began to blame society at large for his unhapiness. This is why he wanted to leave into the wilderness and escape the world around him.  He was influenced by reading ideas by Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson that encouraged the ideas of living in the wilderness.  He believed that the only way a man can be cured is by returning to nature. Based on Chris' Journal it seems that in the end he did find what he was looking for in the wild, but he wanted to return to civilization, and was blocked by the obstacles of nature so he could not return. 

Class Topic- What is success?

Everyone's idea of success is obviously different. Some people think that graduating college is a success, and others think that being completely rich is a success. I think they are both a success. Many people have a plan for their lives whether it is a three year plan or a five year plan, accomplishing and fulfilling those goals in that plan is also a success. We as humans have a tendency to look at people with money as a very successful person. That may be true but there are many less wealthy people who are also very successful. I think that success is in the eye of the beholder. One success may be nothing to someone else. As long as it is a success to who ever wants it, then they are doing just fine! Success is nothing but a positive thing and anyone who accomplishes what they want goes nowhere but up!

Class Topic- Unplug Yourself Already!

People do not realize the effects it has on us when we are always connected. A couple weekends ago I went out with a few very close friends and by the time we arrived at the restaurant we realized that we all forgot our cell phones. Usually I would choose to run back home and grab it but because I was so tired of being hassled by everyone during the week, it felt great to be disconnected and worry free for one night! It was the first time I had less stress on my shoulders in a long time. I never realized that by being connected all the time makes that much of a difference in my life. When I get home from school or a long day at work I turn off my ringer and relax! 

"Zen" In Class Topic

Zen.....
"The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring with you."-Robert M. Pirsig


Zen is different to everyone.
In class we discussed Zen as being multiple things like happieness, and a sense of feeling calm.
Zen:A school of Mahayana Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion and that is practiced mainly in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Also called Zen Buddhism

Zen is a different meaning for me. My Friends, Family, and Health is calming to me in my life. I get strength from my friends and family, and I am incredibly calm but happy when I know I am healthy. Zen is what makes me happy and strong. I am not a very spiritual person but I do take intuition seriously, and I also believe that everything happens for a reason. 

Movie Review

My all time favorite movie is "I Love You Man" directed by John Hamburg. It is about a guy who just gets engaged, and realizes that he has no friends, and needs someone to pick for his best man.  So Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) begins to go on series of "man dates" in hopes of finding a best friend to pick for his best man. Peter Klaven is just like most other guys, only when it comes to making friends he's always been awkward.  Most of Peter's "man dates" are incredibly weird and random, but at an open house he finds a guy named Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) and they hit it off pretty well..... I am going to leave it at that because this movie does not sound great, but the type of humor is hilarious. It is so accurate to some people in the world that I have met, and every time I watch it I still laugh as hard as I did the first time. It is a bit of dry and awkward humor, and I can always count on this movie to cheer me up if I am having a rough day. Check it out!

Book Review

      In the novel "A Scattered Life" by Karen McQuestion, Skyla Plinka has found the love and stability she always wanted in her reliable husband Thomas. Settling into her new family and roles as wife and mother, life in rural Wisconsin is satisfying, but she can’t seem to overcome the feeling of restlessness that she has. Skyla's only way to unwind and positively get through the day is by her continuing a friendship with her neighbor Roxanne. Roxanne lives a completely opposite with five kids, a life in constant disarray and unconditional love. Just to please Skyla's mother-in-law, Audrey, Skyla takes a part-time job at the local bookstore and slowly begins to rediscover her voice, independence and confidence. Throughout the year in the life of Skyla, Audrey and Roxanne, all three very different women learn what it means to love unconditionally. 

       This story is about basic life situations and the regular people living them day in, day out. A Scattered Life is narrated from three points of view, Skyla's a shy, free-spirited young wife, Audrey is an intrusive mother-in-law and Roxanne is an outspoken mother of five. As you read through this novel it is like being a fly on the wall in the lives of these women. McQuestions writing style is very descriptive, but drawn out. The aggravating part is, the further i read into the novel she would leave me questioning why she is talking about certain topics or I would wonder if anything was ever going to happen in the book rather than reading about the ladies going to the grocery store.  Don't be totally discouraged to read this novel by the drawn out way McQuestion writes though, because, just as the urge to put the book down and put this one back on the shelf she throws you a bone and you have to keep reading.A Scattered Life is a slow read but it is because she is trying to set a foundation for the three main characters, and making the last ten chapters extremely juicy.  For most of the novel the reader needs to push through the boring stuff because once the end is near, things start to happen and by the last chapter the reader may have a different perspective on people.  I loved reading this book. I was able to get away from my life and jump into eventful situations that Skyla, Audrey, and Roxanne were ecperiencing. Instead of watching a chick flick, I read a chick book. If you want to feel emotion during a book, this is a great choice. It is not only a good read but A Scattered Life teaches you how to appreciate everything in your life, and that not everyone can be judged by their first impressions. 

Advertising Analysis Ch. 2

In this Kenneth Cole ad they are selling Kenneth Cole fragrances for men and women. They are trying to sell the fragrance by using a sexual image of a guy and a girl being intimate. This ad doesn't target our social perception of success but it does target the sexual wanting in our society. Everyone wants to be gorgeous and sexual in our society. The ad is targeting young good looking people who want to smell good and capture someones attention. I know this by looking at the main image. If they were trying to target elderly people Kenneth Cole would have not put two young sexy, athletic looking people on the main picture.

This ad is symbolizing sexuality, lust, and it is very provocative. I think that this ad is trying to say if you wear this fragrance, it will lead to an exhausting sexual encounter and you will be worn out. This ad could be effective to some people that believe everything they see. I do not know of any fragrance that has actually gotten someone into bed but humans take a scent and connect it to memories of loved ones, or just special nights that they have experienced. This ad does show a connection between two people and I think that is very accurate.

I think that ad has pros and cons. Yes it does show a connection between two people and smells do connect people to times in their life that they remember. The ad is very sexual and the people on the ad are gorgeous which also is helpful with selling the product. I would have done a different slogan for the ad though. I do not think that "WEAR ME OUT" is completely effective in pulling in someones attention. I still am having a hard time completely understanding why they chose that catch phrase. Another way of selling this fragrance would be with a celebrity. I have noticed that Kenneth Cole doesn't usually use celebrity types, they use more words and models for their ads. Something different would be good for a change. This ad is very similar to a lot of fragrance ads, especially the ad for Gucci Guilty. They both have beautiful people on the ad having a sexual encounter with another beautiful person, but I did gather from the Kenneth Cole ad is that they were trying to portray more of a athletic couple versus the Gucci ad where they seem very wealthy, prim and proper.



The Giver "5 Looks On a Book"

*****Courage...... Control...... CHANGE.....DifFERent....WANT*****

COURAGE: I chose the word courage because Jonas encounters many things in the book that he stands up to and he goes through obstacles that he is not completely used to but he takes everything in willingly no matter what it is.

Control: Jonas lives in a world of control before he leaves the community. Since he was young, he was told what to do and how to do it so he would not make any mistakes. The people in the community, especially the elders, controlled his life.

CHANGE: Change is also a big thing in Jonas's life because he is actually the one changing in the whole book. Everyone else stays the same but Jonas starts to feel like there is something more for him beyond his community. He begins to see colors, and feel things that no one else had ever felt before in the community.

DifFERent: I chose the word different for The Giver because in the community being different is not okay, but Jonas starts to feel different. Once he can see colors and gets assigned his job, he realizes he is much different than everyone in the community because he has abilities that noone else in the community even knows of.

WANT: I chose want because Jonas wants to feel feelings, and wants his parents to love him. Jonas wanted a lot in the novel and he pushed himself to follow through with it.

The Giver Post 1: Ideal Community

Shelby and I decided that our ideal community would be a sustainable community. We would also raise our own animals for food. Everyone is given 10 acres when they come to our community so they can start easy and just begin to build their farm. We also have free education, and free healthcare, and each family is allowed to have two kids only so we can control the population a little bit. We can also control the wheather so it is much easier to take care of our crops and the condition of our animals so they do not get sick.

My Sentence

I am smart, and determined, nothing can stop me, and I do my best at everything and if I can not get it the first time, I try and try again until I succeed.

Liz Jones Essay - 2nd Assignment

In the essay "What I think About the Fashion World" by Liz Jones, she explains how models, girls, women, and people in general are affected by the images put in magazines. "Never before have we been bombarded with so many images of perfection:.."(46). Liz Jones is absolutely correct. Every magazine cover that is shown has someone who has been airbrushed till ever body part is flawless. I am showing this picture of Kim Kardashian because the picture on the left is not airbrushed and the picture on the right is. Someone as pretty as Kim Kardashian still gets airbrushed. They made her thighs smaller, skin lighter, and even went to the extreme of fixing her hairline. Unfortunately people in the fashion industry do make girls, and guys feel bad about themselves by the people they put in the magazines and it makes me sad because teenagers and people with low selfesteem are so easily persuaded and will do anything to look perfect.

*Image* Assignment 1

                 I have always enjoyed going school but this semester I have had a whole new love for schooling. I am going to be a doctor, and I told myself that I needed to really buckle down this semester if I want to start my long journey to being a doctor. I crave for homework because I feel myself getting smarter. I actually want to read the assignments that are given, and I try to comprehend everything I am given. I feel like I am leading in my classes more with the group work, and I make sure I try to be ahead of the game and think further into the assignments than just read what is on the paper. I feel like when people do not feel smart they do not go after what they want as much. Knowledge is power because as long as you have it you have power to do everything you want.