End Of The Year Reflection

This year has helped me grow as a student quite a bit. When I first started this class my writing skills were like any other average student and now I can take the skills i have learned and apply them in other classes. This class has also taught me many useful things out of school as well.

The argumentative essay was one of the most difficult to write because the structure and style of it was completely different from the previous ones we had learned. If we had spent some more time on this essay I could have mastered it a little better.

The easiest essay we learned about was the synthesis essay. The structure was very familiar and easy to comprehend. We spent so much time on this essay that it helped me analyze articles quickly and write the essay in a short amount of time. Over all i feel like I mastered this essay.

The best book we read this year was The Great Gatsby. The novel is just easy to follow and the plot and concept are very intriguing. It addresses current issues in society even though it was written so long ago and that fascinates me.

The novel I enjoyed the least was In Cold Blood. Although the plot was very interesting it wasn't as easy to follow and i found myself losing interest quickly.

I have enjoyed your class a lot and truly appreciate the things we have discussed. I feel as if I can carry the things we have learned into my everyday life and I will miss your class.

The Things I Carry

      As people we all have baggage whether it is emotional or physical. As you live your life you pick up certain habits or you create goals for yourself.

      The physical item i can't live without would have to be my phone. I have never lost it or left it anywhere! My phone is my way of staying connected with my friends and family even when they aren't near. I love to know that with my phone i can talk to them with such ease. Social media and music are also quite entertaining which also contributes to why I always carry my phone

      My dreams and goals have always been to make sure i go to a good college and study something that i truly enjoy but that will also help me become successful.  This goal of mine really helps me push through when I'm feeling a little lazy. I just have to think back and say one day all of this work will be worth it when I'm finally successful and happy.

      The relationships I have built with my friends and family are also something I carry. Although, I must say my mom is my confidant and best friend. She always manages to give the best advice even if i don't agree right away or even defy her from time to time. She is always there when I need her and I wouldn't be who I am today without her.

      If i had to describe my self in three words i would choose caring,determined and understanding. I like to believe that once we are good friends I will always be there for you, whatever you need I will try to help. Maybe sometimes I care a little too much but this just shapes the person I am. I am determined because i am determined to be the best person I can be, i know in order to do that i have to push myself to achieve my goals. Lastly, I believe I'm understanding because if someone tells me something i try my best to be able to understand where they are coming from. I want to be the person they can rely on and be comfortable enough to turn to in their times of need. 

      Memories are something i will always cherish. If I were to choose one memory that would be cheating myself because i carry millions of memories everyday. They vary from the best times in my life to the hard times. The good memories help me laugh on a rainy day and the memories of the difficult times help me push through and remind myself that I have something to fight for in the end.

The Third Option

    America has been a home for immigrants since the country was first formed. The people living here have always struggled with honoring their past and their identity as an American. Although it is hard to find there is a balance.
 
     My parents come from two completely different backgrounds. My dad is very American and grew up in Florida. While my mom is hispanic and grew up in Bolivia. They both have such different stories to tell about how they grew up. While my dad lived a typical American lifestyle, like going surfing and playing football; my mom grew up in Bolivia and went to a private German school. They have never pushed me into a certain a direction but it was never hard to find a balance between the two.

    When i was younger spanish was my first language and many family members worried but before I even started kindergarden I had already learned english as well. Growing up we always had such different things going on. My mom has a huge family and they're always around and they always brought food that they grew up with, which are some of my favorites. On the other hand my dads family was very small but they had their own traditions as well.

     I've managed to blend the two cultures into a perfect balance by doing what i enjoy while honoring their past. For instance, my moms family always opens gifts for Christmas on Christmas Ever after a huge dinner, while my dads side of the family has always opened gifts on Christmas day after breakfast. So what we have always done is open half of the presents from my mom and dad on Christmas Eve along with my moms family's presents then on Christmas day we open my dads side of the family's presents along with my parents other half. When i was little I didn't get it and just wanted to open all of my presents as soon as possible. Now that i'm older i've grown to love this tradition. In the end its not okay to be Maggie or Dee because you have to find some sort of balance between who you are and enjoying your families traditions.

Haunted Houses

    

    For many years we have made a countless amount of horror stories about haunted houses. Edgar Allan Poe managed to create many stereotypes that are still used today. For instance, In The Fall Of the House of Usher, Poe uses an old deteriorated house, a dark night, limited amount of people, the return of a dead person and an uncertain ending.

    The use of and old deteriorated house is effective in creeping the audience out from the beginning. The idea of an old house that is barely standing creeps people out. When walking into a house and everything is dusty and creaks, it starts to worry you. As soon as the narrator arrived to the house he noticed it was old. He also mentioned that it was the same house the family had always lived in, which  creates a sense of mystery.

    In every horror story they always use the idea of everything happening in the dead of the night. The day time creates a sense of security that the night doesn't create. The night time is uncertain because you can't see everything clearly. Since you can't see anything every little noise makes you jump. When the narrator arrives to the house of Usher it is not completely bright outside. Which makes the audience unsure of what might happen next.

    Poe manages to keep the character list to a minimum. The narrator, Roderick and Madeline. With keeping the list short the  creepy factor is higher. There is no one to help if something were to go wrong which helps keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

    What is a horror story without someone coming back from the dead? Even though Roderick knew Madeline wasn't dead he decided to bury her anyways. Which just leaves the audience wondering what is actually going on in that house. The idea of the dead coming back to haunt us has always scared us and makes the story stronger.

     The uncertain ending always makes the audience think a little. Did it really happen? Is the narrator the crazy one? With the house falling to pieces leaves no evidence of the event happening. It could have just been the narrators nightmare. Leaving the audience to decipher the ending helps build the suspense and creepiness of the story.

     Although if I were to write a horror story i would decide to help the reader understand more by explaining some background information. Although it takes away some of the mystery it would help the reader understand the story a little better. Also I would explain the deaths better. Did Roderick want to kill Madeline or was it an honest mistake? How did Roderick die? Although mystery is good the audience does enjoy an explanation.

American Paranoia

  Americans have been obssesed with the dark forces for a long time now. They have created many stories, movies and T.V. shows.

   There are many short stories including ideas of the super natural. For instance, there is a genre of short stories called occult detectives. Instead of it being a traditional detective story it has cases involving ghosts and curses. Usually the detectives consider themselves psychic or they have some kind of power. The idea of ghosts facinate and entertain Americans. We love to hear stories about how ghosts are caught or discovered, it's American entertainment at its finest.

    Many movies are based on the idea of ghosts. For example, the Paranormal Activity movies, all include ghosts taking over the homes of common American families. They have made 5 of these movies now. If they weren't popular there wouldnt be so many of them. American's loved to be scared as long as it isn't happening to themselves.

    American T.V. shows have been based on the idea of supernatural forces for a while now. Such as, The Walking Dead uses the idea of zombies taking over the world and leaving a small group of people fending for themselves. They have to be able to survive and defeat zombies daily. The show's high ratings prove how popular the idea of zombies are.

    Supernatural forces have taken over American entertainment. Americans all love a good story with supernatural forces. They love the thrill and the idea of dark forces taking over or lurking in the shadows.

Classic Anti-Hero

            Through out history society has been introduced to many anti-hero's. Which causes us to actually think about the character. Is the character a bad person or are they still a hero? I have chosen to compare Ichabod Crane and Nancy Botwin, from the show Weed's.
             Both Ichabod and Nancy are very misleading to the rest of the town they live in. Ichabod is misleading the rest of the town and Katrina herself. He makes it seem he truly does care for Katrina but in the end he is only after her inheritance. Nancy also misleads her town and family, for quite a while. She seems to be a normal soccer mom but in her free time, or when no one is watching, she is selling marijuana to some people in order to make money. They both successfully mislead many people in their stories.

            Ichabod and Nancy are also greedy.  Instead of just dealing with their poverty like many other people do, they both try to find a way to make more. Ichabod lies and deceives Katrina just to be able to be wealthy and live a luxurious life. Nancy also lies to her family to be able to keep her luxurious home in a small suburb, instead of finding a normal job and settling for less. 

           Finally, they are both very lazy.  They both decide to find an easier way to make money. Ichabod believes if he marries Katrina he will be able to live the kind of life he dreams of. Although it would make him wealthy quickly, its the easy way out. He could find a way to make money another way. Nancy decides to sell marijuana in order to make money quicker. She could easily find a job and work for her money legally but she decides that it would be easier to just sell marijuana. They both decide to be lazy instead of finding decent ways to make money. 

          Anti-Hero's have been around for a long time in literature and have now made appearances in our movies and t.v. show's. They constantly make the audience torn between what to think. The idea of Anti-Hero's have been around for a long time and won't be leaving anytime soon. Not everything is as simple as black and white sometimes you have to compromise for grey.