Animal Farm Project - Music Video - Week 10

A music video Jacob and I made on the theme of corruption of power to the song of "Climbing Up The Walls" by Radiohead.

(Press the fullscreen in the bottom right corner of the video)

Poetry Out Loud Perfomances - Frederick Douglas - Week 9

Shawntay A. Henry's performance of Frederick Douglass by Robert E. Hayden, was one of my favorite performances, and stood out from all the rest. She spoke with very clear articulation, and her powerful pacing emphasized the dramatic tone of the poem. Shawntay's hand gestures helped add structure, without being over dramatic. Her body language helped add to her powerful stage presence, which accurately conveyed the poem's sense of dignity.

This poem is about freedom and inequality, and Shawntay expressed this through her strong physical presence. When Shawntay snaps her fingers after speeding up and growing in intensity, she transitions into a more interpretive section of the poem. Her strong articulation and dramatic pauses inbetween words add to the solemn subject of the poem, and keeps the listeners interested.

Mockingbird Motif - Week 8

When I first started working on my honors English summer assignment, I came across a new word; motif. After looking up the word in the dictionary, I got the basic understanding that it was a recurring subject, theme, or idea in a piece of literature. When working on my visual organizer for my second project, I chose motif to be the dominant literary feature. I still wasn't sure of what it was, but I just chose multiple symbols throughout the book and decided that they were the motif. And then we started to read "To Kill A Mockingbird". By first week of reading, I was already noticing the symbols in the book. That's when I finally understood that a motif was a symbol that was being repeatedly used throughout the novel to support other ideas or themes.

The mockingbird motif is used in the novel in many different ways. It is first introduced when Atticus warns Scout when he got a toy gun that it's a sin to kill a mocking, because they are innocent creatures that have done no harm. The motif was more prominently used however in the form of Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Both men were very decent well-meaning people, and for this reason many people, such as Atticus, beleived they should be left alone. Atticus is always trying to teach his kids to have strong morals, and the mockingbird motif further enhances this theme of respect. However, Atticus's idea of equality clashes harshly with the prejudice present in Maycomb, creating another theme of good versus evil. When you think about all the themes and ideas present in the novel, the mockingbird motif is behind almost all of them.

Symbolism - Tom Robinson - Week 7

I chose a picture of a pitbull as a symbol of the character I'm portraying, Tom Robinson. Pitbulls are often stereotyped as very viscous, violent, unloyal, and heartless animals. Many people won't even go outside when they see a pitbull, and will call the pound, even if the dog has done nothing wrong. However, pitbulls are very friendly, loyal dogs, they even are used as service dogs for the blind and mentally disabled. Sure, some pitbulls can be very violent, but so can many other dogs. The prejudices that many pitbulls face are very similar to the stereotype that Tom Robinson is given, because of his race.

Life Lessons - Week 6

For as long as I can remember, I have always procrastinated. At this very moment, I'm writing this blog the day before it's due, I could've finished it earlier today, or even earlier this week, but as I sit here, watching The Office, I remember one of my dad's sayings, "Get it done". I have no idea when my dad started saying this, but whenever I'm taking an unusually long time on an assignment, or putting it off until the next day, a "Get it done", is sure to be heard.

I've heard this saying so many times, it's gotten a little annoying, but overall it has probably drastically improved my work ethic. I've spent many tired evenings huddling over my work trying to concentrate, but as soon as I remember my dad's saying, I'm filled with a new energy, helping me finally complete my assignment. Unfortunately, I think I'll always have a problem with procrastination, but I'll always be able to look back on my dad's saying, and get it done.

My Best Friend - Week 5

I've known him for all my life, and I've been getting to know him for the last 14 years. He always has something to contribute and can make any conversation interesting. He is very involved in drama, and he has starred in many different plays. He also plays the bass in orchestra and in a band. Others are probably first taken back by his outgoing nature, but they'll learn to love him.

My friend's loud funky personality is very refreshing, and he can always bring a little excitement into my day. He is a very musical person, and isn't afraid of screaming out a song that's stuck in his head. The best word from our book to describe him would probably be extrovert, because he's very involved with others, and is very exciting.

Shuck That Corn! - Week 4

I was little, and my sister often took advantage of me by dressing me up in a plethora of costumes, this time, it was a pink tutu. As my sister put on the finishing touches, my mom walked in with an armful of corn, and like an idiot, I decided to help out.

So began my afternoon of child labor. I shucked with a tremendous intensity, my face was stricken with fervor, each fistful of husk that I tore up brought me closer to my goal. The corn was my enemy, and each one I shucked faster than the one before, for I wanted some naptime, and who was the corn to take that away from me!

Then I had finished, I looked down at the bucket of corn, and then back at the table where the demolished husk lay. I stood up triumphantly, corn in hand, and hollered to heavens, somewhere the corn gods were listening, and they were afraid, they were very afraid. I walked inside and gave my mom my three stalks of corn, and fell asleep.


P.S. My soccer team is going to be the ball boys for the Seattly Sounders this Saturday. If you want to watch the game it's on at 7:30PM on channel 5.

The Jungle: Motif - Week 3

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is about Jurgis, a Lithuanian immigrant, trying to support his family in the stockyards of Chicago in the early 1900's. Throughout the book there are many symbols such as the cattle being slaughtered, the housing agent, and the corrupted police force, which all show the terrible living conditions of the working class, and their hopelessness.

The motif effectively propels the plot by constantly creating conflict, and adding to the tense atmosphere. The book was written to suggest that the American government had little power over the meat industry and later it led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act. The powerful symbols were used to really hit home with the reader, and emphasize the urgent need of attention to the average American factory worker.

Outside Reading - Week 2

My outside reading book is The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, and so far it's going pretty well. The plot of the book sounded interesting, but it started out fairly slow, mostly because there was a huge amount of characters that had to be introduced.

At this point, it's pretty obvious that motif is the main literary element. This book was written to reveal to the public the truths about the meat industry, so the author created many different symbols such as the innocence of the pigs that are slaughtered, and the false pretences that the immigrants come under.

The main tone so far has been informative, satirical, and patronizing. The tone doesn't change dramatically throughout the book, as the main family is always facing new obstacles and hardships because of the crushing poverty they are trapped under.

Writing About Reading - Week 1

Reading is not one of my favorite activities, but I don't hate it either. If I didn't have to read books for different assignments, I definitely would not be as motivated to read. I'm not very picky when it comes to my reading environment, I can read almost anywhere, by the television, in the car, and even next to the vacuum cleaner. I've read a lot of books that have a slow start, but usually I have to read them, so I just power through until things hopefully get more exciting. I don't usually read when I don't have to, but sometimes it is nice to just sit down, pick up a book, and just read.