End of the Year Blog Reflection

June 19th, 2015

Dear Ms. Galang and 811,

It's been a hard yet fun year as we near the end of our time at MS 51. There were high points of this year and low points. One thing I will always remember about my 8th grade ELA class is the book clubs at the beginning of the year. We had total freedom on who and what we were to read. My book club read The Great Gatsby and also Carrie. At first, I was hesitant to start reading these books, mainly because I was not very interested in classics and Stephen King. However, after book club I am actually really glad I decided to read them because I was confident that I could understand old classics at first, but by challenging myself, I now know being open to reading all books and pushing yourself to read and analyze challenging texts opens your mind to a whole new level of books. Another thing that I always remember from this year's ELA class is all the synthesis pages that we did. The first few times we did them, they seemed really time-consuming and difficult, but as we did more and more they showed how they help your thinking especially when you work in groups. They force you to organize your thinking and do it in a (somewhat) presentable way. I think these charts really helped me understand on a deeper level events that occurred in books.

My hopes for after graduation, in terms of reading, is to do what I started this year- challenge myself. I feel that after this year, I can break down difficult texts, such as Shakespeare and classics, that I didn't think I would've been able to last year. Another goal for reading is to read nonfiction and historical fiction texts because those two are genres that I have not really been reading and into the past year. I was more focused on classics and it would be a good change to read a greater variety. For writing, my hopes next year is to work on my conclusions and trying to elaborate more than just summarizing my essay. I think connecting my essay to the real world in the conclusion will make my essay a lot more meaningful and personal.

My Summer Bookshelf

• Survival of the Sickest by Sharon Moalem
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Decoded by Jay-Z
• Boy 21 by Michael Quick
• The Sound of the Waves by Yukio Mishima

From, Kaitlyn

Poetry Chapbook

First Poem

Sunflowers Long, stretching petals holding up strong. Few droopy flowers closing from the outside But they're all still flowers Sunflowers Aging through life Turning bright yellow to dark shades of orange and brown Happy at first but getting sorrow Hanging on Slipping out of life

Reflection: To write my poem, I used the Sunflower painting by Vincent Van Gogh to inspire me. I used mainly enjambment line breaks to slow down the beat of the poem and to emphasize parts such as the ending.

Second Poem

Collection of Haikus Still water             mountains in the back Ready for a swim Cable cars in the air             going in the mountains Get me off! Perched on wood             looking in the water Hunting its prey It's bright outside             glistening water The sun's not out Benches waiting to be sat on             trees waiting to be climbed Where is everyone?

Reflection: To write my haikus, I read traditional Japanese haikus and based it off of them. They were mostly about nature, so I looked at pictures of animals and outdoor settings to inspire me. To also emulate a Japanese haiku, I tried making surprise endings such as a question.

Sonnet:

Life of a Lonely Girl She lived a life full of sorrow and pain Running away into a hole of lies They beat her 'til she was buried in shame They took over her life until she died And when she lived she never showed a smile Telling lies to everyone in her way Keeping it to herself was just her style But this made everyone else feel betrayed Depressed, sad, and lonely is all she felt Having no one to talk to made it worse Regretting not asking people for help So she feels like her life was just a curse The lonely girl who told lies is now gone Except her tragic story still lives on

Reflection: To write my sonnet, I analyzed the Shakespearean structured sonnet, “Another Sonnet for Stephan” and used it as a mentor poem. My sonnet follows a traditional Shakespearean sonnet with 10 syllables per line, 14 lines, iambic pentameter, and a rhyme scheme of a,b,a,b,c,d,c,d,e,f,e,f,g,g. I also tried to tell a story throughout the poem.

My Heart Poem

Incident by Countee Cullen Once riding in old Baltimore, Heart-filled, head-filled with glee, I saw a Baltimorean Keep looking straight at me. Now I was eight and very small, And he was no whit bigger, And so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue and called me, “Nigger.” I saw the whole of Baltimore, From May until December; Of all the things that happened there, That’s all that I remember.

My Inspired Poem: Monster Now I was eight and very small And I was going to sleep Just when I was closing my eyes I remember seeing someone peep I called my mom and yelled "There's a monster under my bed!" But my mom just laughed "Silly you there's nothing there," she said One year later, I moved away I got a new bed. But I know I wasn't the only one that lay.

Reflection: I tried to use the same structure as Cullen did so I used the same stanza size, perspective, and rhyme scheme. I also used an allusion to the poem by using one of the lines to inspire me and start off my poem. Lastly, I wanted to imitate the central idea that memories from your childhood can stay in your life, so I used the monster part to mimic Cullen.

Reading Response

            A negative experience can be like a permanent nightmare that we never forget. The poem, "Incident" by Countee Cullen shows the experience of a person, in their perspective, being called a racial slur. At a young age, Cullen was called a "nigger" and for the rest of her life she continues to remember when she was called it in Baltimore, although spending months there.   

            The typical 4-line stanza poem actually tells a story and shows Cullen's experience and reflection. For instance, her 1st stanza introduced the scene and starts the poem off with a  very cheerful and gleeful mood. Cullen writes, "Heart-filled, head-filled with glee," to set a joyful tone for the rest of the poem. However, I could also foreshadow that something would happen later on to develop something a little darker, thus the title "Incident". The poem takes a turn and shows the mood of the poem change. The 2nd stanza was mainly about when someone came up to her and used a racial slur to address her. It threw her off guard and changed the mood of the poem to surprising because it was a dreadful experience that came out of nowhere. The 3rd stanza shows the author reflecting on her experience. Cullen writes, "Of all the things that happened there/ That's all that I remember." To show hope that is one event sticks in her mind. The poem develops the central idea of how bad memories are the ones that stick in your head.

            Some people judge you based on your color or other things such as at first glance. However, they don't know anything about your background or life, so they really can't judge. This happened to the narrator in the poem and it shows what a terrifying experience being called at can be. This reminds me of the recent controversy of catcalling. Some believe that they have a fit to say something if a women is showing something because they have the freedom of speech. However, others feel that catcalling is harassment especially because they are offensive and sexual. Many women change their routes, behavior, transportations, and or clothes so they won't have to deal with it. Being called something because of your race can be very uncomfortable just like being catcalled at. Therefore, I think using racial slurs to talk to a stranger on the street is unjust and puts the victim in a very disturbing position.

            Many may argue that they have the freedom of speech in the thirst Amendment in the Constitution. However, people may have the freedom of speech, but they don't have the right to verbally harass someone on the street. Rather than taking advantage of this right and using it in an offensive and or sexual way, people should give each other compliments. People say catcalling is a compliment, but it is used in a very sexual way. To avoid a negative incident like in the poem "Incident" by Countee Cullen, people should give each other positive incidents.

If I Stay Reading Response

Life is all about making choices and its no different for Mia Hall. Mia of If I Stay by Gayle Forman was living a normal teen life- thinking of college, boyfriends, and family, but this all changes when her and her family get into a car accident during a snowstorm. However, before and after the crash Mia’s life is all about making decisions. Her choices, much like the ones people have to make in the world, are essentially the hardest things that she has to overcome in the story.

Most importantly, before the accident, Mia had to decide whether or not she will attend Juilliard in New York. There seems like an obvious answer, to go to Juilliard, but it wouldn’t be so difficult if leaving to New York means leaving her boyfriend, Adam. This is shown when Forman writes, “Professor Christie had taken that to mean a guaranteed acceptance. I wasn’t so sure it was true. And I wasn’t 100 percent sure that I wanted to be true.” (7). This shows Mia’s thoughts on the choice of music or Adam. Mia wants to get in, but a part of her doesn’t want to get in because that means leaving her friends and family behind, especially Adam. This decision is one of the hardest things that Mia has to go through in her life because she feels as if she will never have someone like Adam again, considering she is a awkward, classical girl and Adam is a popular, rock guy. On the other hand, she’s been playing cello since she was a little girl and music is in her blood. Choosing between Adam and her future is one of the hard things in Mia’s life, but it is no longer a priority after her accident.

Another significant rough decision Mia has to make in her life, is to choose if she wants to wake up or die. To stay alive seems like the obvious answer because life is a gift, but waking up would mean waking up hurt and in critical condition. However, waking up also means she gets to see all her friends and family. Her thoughts are shown when Forman writes, “I don’t know exactly what’s happened to me, and for the first time today, I don’t really care. I shouldn’t have to care. I shouldn’t have to work this hard. I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard.” (174-75). This shows Mia thinking about what to do. It is especially hard to choose because she can die quickly with everyone in her life being hurt, but if she lives they’ll be happy and she’ll be hurt since she has to work and recover back into her life. This is really hard for Mia because everyone’s happiness is depending on her. She has the power to make everyone ecstatic or everyone miserable, and having this power can be very stressful. The book is told in Mia’s perspective and shows a choice people in comas may have to make.

Having to make decisions is apart of everyday life. Having to choose between school far away and friends and family is very common in people’s lives. Many times it happens when deciding colleges. For instance, my sister is deciding what college to go to now, but she still has to think about the distance away from home and if she is willing to leave for a better education. However, choosing to stay alive or die is a decision that is not yet proven to happen. People don’t know what happens when people are in comas until they have actually experienced being in a coma. The decision to stay alive may happen in real life but there is no evidence to prove it, so it is possible that it actually occurs in real life.

All in all, the hardest things shown in Mia’s life are making decisions. First, she has to decide whether or not to go to New York and leave her friends and family behind. The obvious hard thing is the car accident, but the car accident shows Mia’s responsibility of deciding if she wants to stay alive or die. Mia overcoming the choice is essentially harder for her than the car accident because her decisions show Mia’s vulnerable side. When she was alive, besides deciding on college, she seems like she’s got everything under control, but when she has to choose between Juilliard or Adam and staying or dying, she shows her weaker side and it is sort of a wake-up call that she can’t always be in control. So, maybe a hard thing in life, can really just be a blessing in disguise.

Picture Book Author's Note First Draft

Natural phenomenons and lands are protected by the National Park Conservation Association. It is important to conserve these phenomenons because they are rare and non man made creations that we don’t find everyday. However, natural resources should also be conserved because some are not renewable and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Resources, such as trees and mines, are taken advantage of everyday because of high demands and greedy people. Because of the high demand, there is very low availability. As a result, many argue these resources should be conserved and be taken care of. 

A book that introduced this topic to me is The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. I remember reading it as a child and thinking it was just a children story about the Onceler who cut down a bunch of truffula trees to make things. However, after reading it once more at an older age, I realized the lorax represented the voice to save these resources because it not only affects the environment from pollution, but also the wildlife that lives off it around it. From the second read, I knew I wanted to write a story that has a similar message to the one in the lorax. I was passionate about the idea of not exploiting natural resources and instead invest money to build conservatories for them.

Conservation of natural resources is also crucial because it affects the wildlife around them, shown a little in The Lorax. For example, driving on these lands “can be a death sentence for a young reptile or amphibian, trapped in an overheated puddle with no food or refuge.” (Byers 1). When this continually happens, it can lead to the extinction of many animals. If people would pay more attention to nature and resources and less time on their phones, there would be less species dying out everyday. If we conserve these lands, there may be more animals in the world and less disruptions in food chains and the ecosystem. In addition, driving near or at natural resources can disturb plants and the environment. For instance, when the US reopened 40,000 acres of land to off road vehicles near the Imperial Sand Dunes. However, Cart writes, “Environmental groups called the plan the largest desert conservation rollback in a decade, limiting protected space for the threatened Peirson's milk vetch…” (1). This shows that species like the endangered milk vetch can die from vehicles accidentally driving over them. These lands should be blocked off so accidents like these don’t happen. If more money is invested on the conservation of these lands, then there would be less threats to rare species of plants and animals.

Nerd Camp Synthesis Page

Who has the POWER in the text?

However in the end, Gabe realizes he can be himself around Zack because Gabe helps Zack when they see a snake and Zack realizes its okay that Gabe seems like a nerd. Because of situations like this, people come to the conclusion that they don't have to be the typical stereotype and others will just have to learn to accept them for the way they are, even if they are different. In the world, this is very common, especially with unacceptance of the idea of being gay, and it is times like this when people realize it is okay to be themselves and hiding their true life will result worse than if they would’ve said it in the beginning because they were leading others on about their fake self.

New Understandings: Expressing oneself in their own way, whether or not it is what everyone else expects, is the only way to get people to truly accept you for you. Living honest is much better than living in fear.