12th Grade Reflection: Putting It All Together

If you watch a bad experience, when it comes time for yourself to experience that you will most likely make a different choice to avoid the bad experience, and vice versa with good experiences and good decisions. The decisions we make impact our lives in a good or a bad way, depending on the outcome. In the books Great Gatsby, Invisible Man, Che Guevara, and Kite Runner, all the of main characters og through or watch experiences that then influence their decisions which impact their life. Some learn from the experiences while others suffer from them.

Kite Runner Chap. 8-9

Me:
To me this quote feels like advice for something I should aim for which is to be classy. I look at it as a personal goal since in the quote it says "Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he is comfortable with himself." Being comfortable with yourself is a big thing people going to college should focus on because the less you worry about how you feel in your own skin, the more you can focus on things like studying and jobs.

Amir:
To Amir I feel like this quote is a slap in the face. Its like the quote is saying these are all the things you do not have and you proved it by what you did to Hassan and now both Hassan and Ali. By this quote's definition of class, Amir definitely does not have any while Hassan has more than Amir could ever hope for.

4th MP Independent Reading Post #1

I like the main character of my book. He is very dedicated to his culture and his family. He works hard and he works fast. I don't like how the city of Manhattan is changing him. He came over to America innocent and trusting of people. The longer he has been there, the harder the city is making him, the more angry he is getting, but the more educated he can become about cultures other than his own.

Kite Runner Part 1

ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL IS THAT GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING." - Edmund Burke

I agree with this quote based on the reading from the first 7 chapters of Kite Runner. Hassan and Ali are both two very good people, but they are Amir and Baba's servants. They are uneducated are really have no hold of their own in the Afghan world. People who are more wealthy in the book like Amir, Baba and Assef do not necessarily do anything more than Hassan and Ali, but they also aren't as good of people.

'El Che'

Now that you have finished watching 'El Che', on your blog, please post the following:

3 points that you feel are worth mentioning (either for your theme or project)

• first perceived as an amateur anarchist.
• started out after meeting Castro as a convinced Marxist
• started to prefer guerrilla warfare
  

2 points that surprised or shocked you

• taught illiterate soldiers
  
• speaks badly about the SSR and communism. turns to socialism.
  

1 point that you may want to research further

• Che's leaving Cuba
  

Include an image or video & comment on your blog buddy

When you are finished, sit with your final project groups and start to outline your project

What Impact Do I Want to Have on the World Around Me?

In your own words, define & give an example of the following terms:

Idol:

any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion

ex. the bible

Hero:

a man of distinguished courage or ability

ex. Hercules

Icon:

a sign or representation that stands for its object

ex. Jesus

Role Model:

a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others

ex. a parent

These things have many similarities. Being a person's role model usually means that you have one or more of the above traits in some way, shape and/or form. Difference include possibly being an icon but not being a very good role model for children or young adults.

Raft

R- Me
A- Che
F- Tweet
T- Obstacles/ Challenges


Che!

As I've read your retelling of the journey you took with Alberto, I find myself feeling the fear and triumphs you encountered while travelling. So far in your story you've encountered a motorcycle accident, illness of your dog and illness of yourself. From my point of view I feel the illness of yourself must have been the toughest challenge to deal with on your journey. To travel anywhere you would bee good health with you at all time. This good health would be the key to a safe journey because you have a clear head.

On the Road Again.

During the summer after senior year I would take a trip, starting in the United Kingdom, hitting mainly England and parts of Ireland. From there, I would travel over towards places like France, Spain, Germany, down to Italy and finally across the waters to parts of Africa. In Africa I would aim to mainly see Egypt and a few of the surrounding countries. As a form of transportation I would love to take trains up until I had to cross the water to Egypt. Trains would allow for me to enjoy the country side of the different places I'd travel through. For my companion I would choose one of my closest friends that would enjoy the sites and activities with me, who would keep me entertained and would be eager to try new things.

In all of the places we'd go, we would eat in the most enjoyed pubs and restaurants. We'd go to museums and on tours around the cities, and people watch in parks. In each location we'd spend about a week to experience all on our itinerary, and the trip would start right in June for weather reasons, lasting about 7 weeks or so.

TMD Preview

My impression of The Motorcycle Diaries is that it will be a journey of a political activist in Latin America. I think Che will run into some legal issues, along with family problems. To understand the story historically you have to have some information about the economic and political events going on in Latin America during that time period. I've never read a diary or memoir before, but I expect for some things to be confusing at times with following the story line as Che travels from place to place. This will differ from the other two books because this is an actual retelling of Che's life, not just a work of fiction, incorporating things from the author's real life.

Imagine you are walking through a bookstore and are interested in buying a book. What does it take for a book to get your attention? What are some examples of books that caught your attention? Why?

• Unfortunately, for a book to get my attention it must have a cover that pops, comes off as artistic or historic. Books I've read that haven't been recommended to me is Paper Towns, Fingersmith, Harry Potter, Interview with the Vampire, An Abundance of Katherines. I have a huge range of genres of books that I read, and they usually aren't the same as any other book that I read.
  

Semester Reflection

This past marking period I feel like I did really well keeping up with my work and planning ahead. I didn't have any surprises when it came to due dates or requirements for projects, and I feel I had a good work ethic. Something I could have done differently, though, is not let my hard work slip near the end of the marking period. I found it hard to stay at the same pace with the work that I was doing as the marking period came to an end. In this marking period I need to stay with the same momentum and determination as in the second marking period. If I can do that from now until June I feel that I can complete the year as strong as I started.

Prelude to the Epilouge

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat....Because, Mr. Norton, if you don't know where you are, you probably don't know who you are." (Ellison, 577)

This statement made by the Narrator was the moment during reading where I really felt that he had come as close as he could get to self-realization. He started interpreting his grandfather's advice correctly and realized that by moving so much he could never reach that self-realization he was looking for because it was simply trying to catch up to him every time he moved. He had to remember where he came from and its importance to understand his self.
What Ellison has said has also helped me in my quest. Going off to college next year is a time where I could begin to forget where I've come from in relation to where I am, like the Narrator. I have no doubt that I could very well end up like the Narrator, feeling invisible. But knowing I can recognize where I am and whether I want it to influence where I came from makes me feel confident in the upcoming transition.