I was.....
self conscious and today I am a carefree spirit.
In my first few years of high school I cared a lot about what people thought about me. I made sure to dress nicely and I barely talked in some of my class, because I was afraid of being judged by my peers. I didn't even tell my closest friends of my obsessions with Anime and Korean Pop music, because I was afraid they would judge me so much they would leave me.
However, IB brought a new side of me. I met so many new people and those people were definitely not afraid to be themselves, which inspired me to come out of the closet as a HUGE anime and kpop dork. As well as voicing my own opinions (with a great filter) and just sort of being more open to people in general. Since then i've made a plethora of great friends who have been great influences on me and kept me straight for these past two years.
AC: Okay I wish your work ethic rubbed off on me, but alas it didn't as I am procrastinating right now on this right now. However, I've managed to be influence by your perseverance. Even if you said you didn't like IB theatre, you still managed to do it everyday (very well might I add) and never completely gave up on the class and I really admire that about you. See you at UNC!! Can't wait to visit you at Granville as you help me get into shape!!
Dawson: Oh Dawson Lame. Meeting you faithfully in Ms. Fonke's chemistry class was the highlight of my life, honestly, completely non-sarcastically honestly. Really though, I know I can depend on your for anything. I learned a lot about how to talk in such away that you seem highly intelligent aka how to be respectful even if you disagree with what was said. Thanks for saving me from being rude af sometimes Dawson. I can't wait to spend the next 4 years with you at Chapel Thrill!!!
Nick: Oh Bicholas Nillman you ray of sunshine. I love your curious soul and you saved my butt in WHAP by asking all those questions, because I never read anything in that class. I learned how to have fun but be studious at the same time as well as just not caring what people thought (totally learned that from you).
Abby: ABBY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I CAN'T WAIT TO ROOM WITH YOU THESE NEXT FOUR YEARS. I learned so much about staying true to myself and having fun. I love your spirit and willingness to do whatever and being involved. I really can't wait to room with you! We are going to have to much fun!
Kelsey: Chapstick! You've been my best friend since middle school (even if we did meet in an unconventional way). You would think that that I wouldn't learn anymore, but I did I learned a lot from you. I'm also so happy you stayed by me to keep me in check these past few years. I love you so much and so happy you're in my life.
Amy: you're lame good bye. Okay, but really i love you to death. Even through all of your terrible jokes and puns, god they're so lame I'm actually questioning why we're friends. Okay, but really you've kept me sane and grounded this entire time. Through all my complaining and breakdowns you've been by my side and I'm very thankful for you. I really don't want to leave you, like don't go to state. C'mon you got into UNC you can come here, just come here do it.
Now I really wish I could say that I took meaningful life skills like time management out of these two years, but I really did. I did however learn great people skills and problem solving as well as being cultured and more open minded about ideas. I've learned a lot from IB that I'm sure I will use and cherish in my life from now forward. Thank you to everyone I've encountered (even if you weren't mentioned up top, if I talked about everyone I'd be here for forever) and I'm so happy to be apart of this program especially in the class of 2016. Oh and Lauren Genesky thank you for being a great English teacher. I feel like I learned so much from you (from english to just life) and I very much enjoyed having lunch with you Eric every other day. I'll be sure to come visit ((with Yumi!!))
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
What was Whitman's favorite cereal? O Captain! My Cap'n Crunch!
One initial thing that I noticed is that the notebook is very irregular and wild. The writing is everywhere and messy. It instantly reminded me of a 'fact' that I heard a while back ago about how intelligent people think fast. Therefore their handwriting is messy, because their hands can't keep up with their thoughts. That fact might be a lie, but I think it applies perfectly to Whitman. He was a creative genius. He's such a genius that I can't understand much of what he's written. Aside form that, one thing that I noticed that I thought was significant is how many times Whitman has crossed out his own writing. To me that signifies that he's always looking to improve. Also that Whitman might be a little too judgmental on himself. He never thinks his work is good enough, so he always wants to improve. That's why he consistently goes back and rewords things.
As for the images, I like them. The seem like cartoon images of Whitman, especially the second one. To me, I think it's just Whitman poking fun at himself. The sketches are something fun for his own personal entertainment. The last one definitely intrigues me, because it's so much different than the rest of them. It kind of looks like a skull with a heart shaped body doing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ with his arms. Maybe it's Whitman's way of saying that love and death are intertwined and humanity just has to deal with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Looking through the notes, not only do I feel stupid, but I also feel inattentive. Throughout the book, Whitman writes a large commentary on many things: from religion to Lincoln. I think this reveals that Whitman wants to write a message to the future generations. He wants them to know about the past in a way that history books cannot teach. He wants them to feel the emotions those in the past did and hopefully learn from them.
As for the images, I like them. The seem like cartoon images of Whitman, especially the second one. To me, I think it's just Whitman poking fun at himself. The sketches are something fun for his own personal entertainment. The last one definitely intrigues me, because it's so much different than the rest of them. It kind of looks like a skull with a heart shaped body doing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ with his arms. Maybe it's Whitman's way of saying that love and death are intertwined and humanity just has to deal with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Looking through the notes, not only do I feel stupid, but I also feel inattentive. Throughout the book, Whitman writes a large commentary on many things: from religion to Lincoln. I think this reveals that Whitman wants to write a message to the future generations. He wants them to know about the past in a way that history books cannot teach. He wants them to feel the emotions those in the past did and hopefully learn from them.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Don't Give Up On Your Dreams. Keep Sleeping.
In my opinion, the American Dream is for America to have land from sea to shining sea. Oh wait, no, that's Manifest Destiny. Oops. The American dream probably has something to do with freedom and eagles. America isn't complete without freedom or eagles. If I had to put a definition to the American Dream it would be that any individual has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and move up on the social ladder for the sake of their family through the means of hard work and eagles. (Okay, maybe not eagles).
Excluding the part about eagles, this definition is very solid. It's basically the opportunity to remake yourself into a better self. Like what young little James Gatz does in order to become Jay (the great) Gatsby. He seizes his opportunity to change his life when he made the decision to save Dan Cody from his sinking yacht. James Gatz saw the dream laid out in front of him and had the courage to grab it.
One can't talk about America without talking about wealth and greed, because apparently (according to our neighborhood french person) America and greed go hand in hand. As much as freedom and eagles. My definition of wealth is a large some of something. I personally do not think wealth has to be directly associated to money. One can be wealthy in experiences or wealthy in number two pencils.
Of course, my definition doesn't exactly correlate with that of The Great Gatsby. That type of wealth is more materialistic. The characters in Gatsby are all about money. One of their defining traits are whether or not they had new money, old money, or any money at all. Money defined everything for a person. In my eyes Daisy chose Tom over Gatsby, because his money was more secure than his. How Gatsby got his new money was shifty and could fade any minute, Tom was safe. Aside from Daisy, everyone in the 1920s wanted money. Everyone wanted to have a luxury of being rich and getting whatever whenever. Many people attended Gatsby's parties just for that feeling.
American's attitude towards wealth, speaking strictly about money, is simple. Most people crave it. People want to be wealthy and that might be a generalization, but it's something that I've seen and heard everywhere. Part of the American Dream is to move up the social ladder. People want to be famous and wealthy like celebrities. They crave that high profile, simple, luxurious lifestyle. It's no coincidence that our neighborhood friendly french girl associated America with greed and money on the spot. Everyone wants it.
As for poverty, It's different. A lot of people care that there's a lot of poverty in America. Or at least they put up a front that they do. Poverty is something that people will acknowledge and say that something should be done about it, but most of the time nobody would do anything about it. In The Great Gatsby Tom was fully aware that Myrtle, his mistress, was poor. She lived in the valley of ashes. However, Tom never did anything to help her. It's sort of like, if it doesn't directly affect the individual, what does it matter to them?
My view on wealth, speaking about money, is simple. I want it. As shallow as that sounds it's true. I want to marry rich and live a luxurious life without having to raise a finger. Okay, I was just kidding (sort of). I want to be wealthy, and that's partly because I've been conditioned to crave it. Once I was 7 years old my mama told me (go make some friends or you'll be lonely) that she wants me to be rich. She wants me to make decisions that will lead me with a large sum of money and a good lifestyle when I'm older. I grew up with that lesson and It's engraved within my mind. That's why choosing a career path is such the struggle. I want to be something that I know will make me wealthy and my parents happy, but at the same time I want to be something that will make me happy.
My view on poverty is just like that of the rest of America. I acknowledge it exists and I feel bad for it. I'm well aware that poverty sucks and it's terrible. However, I wouldn't go out of my way necessarily to stop it. It's not my problem or worth my time right now. I feel like that just made me sound like a terrible person and so selfish, but I have my own problems to worry about. I'll spare money every once in a while, but I've never done anything past that.
Excluding the part about eagles, this definition is very solid. It's basically the opportunity to remake yourself into a better self. Like what young little James Gatz does in order to become Jay (the great) Gatsby. He seizes his opportunity to change his life when he made the decision to save Dan Cody from his sinking yacht. James Gatz saw the dream laid out in front of him and had the courage to grab it.
One can't talk about America without talking about wealth and greed, because apparently (according to our neighborhood french person) America and greed go hand in hand. As much as freedom and eagles. My definition of wealth is a large some of something. I personally do not think wealth has to be directly associated to money. One can be wealthy in experiences or wealthy in number two pencils.
Of course, my definition doesn't exactly correlate with that of The Great Gatsby. That type of wealth is more materialistic. The characters in Gatsby are all about money. One of their defining traits are whether or not they had new money, old money, or any money at all. Money defined everything for a person. In my eyes Daisy chose Tom over Gatsby, because his money was more secure than his. How Gatsby got his new money was shifty and could fade any minute, Tom was safe. Aside from Daisy, everyone in the 1920s wanted money. Everyone wanted to have a luxury of being rich and getting whatever whenever. Many people attended Gatsby's parties just for that feeling.
American's attitude towards wealth, speaking strictly about money, is simple. Most people crave it. People want to be wealthy and that might be a generalization, but it's something that I've seen and heard everywhere. Part of the American Dream is to move up the social ladder. People want to be famous and wealthy like celebrities. They crave that high profile, simple, luxurious lifestyle. It's no coincidence that our neighborhood friendly french girl associated America with greed and money on the spot. Everyone wants it.
As for poverty, It's different. A lot of people care that there's a lot of poverty in America. Or at least they put up a front that they do. Poverty is something that people will acknowledge and say that something should be done about it, but most of the time nobody would do anything about it. In The Great Gatsby Tom was fully aware that Myrtle, his mistress, was poor. She lived in the valley of ashes. However, Tom never did anything to help her. It's sort of like, if it doesn't directly affect the individual, what does it matter to them?
My view on wealth, speaking about money, is simple. I want it. As shallow as that sounds it's true. I want to marry rich and live a luxurious life without having to raise a finger. Okay, I was just kidding (sort of). I want to be wealthy, and that's partly because I've been conditioned to crave it. Once I was 7 years old my mama told me (go make some friends or you'll be lonely) that she wants me to be rich. She wants me to make decisions that will lead me with a large sum of money and a good lifestyle when I'm older. I grew up with that lesson and It's engraved within my mind. That's why choosing a career path is such the struggle. I want to be something that I know will make me wealthy and my parents happy, but at the same time I want to be something that will make me happy.
My view on poverty is just like that of the rest of America. I acknowledge it exists and I feel bad for it. I'm well aware that poverty sucks and it's terrible. However, I wouldn't go out of my way necessarily to stop it. It's not my problem or worth my time right now. I feel like that just made me sound like a terrible person and so selfish, but I have my own problems to worry about. I'll spare money every once in a while, but I've never done anything past that.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Three little French kittens were skating on thin ice... un deux trois - quatre cinq.
Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
#1:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
- Diction: The use of the word 'As' is important. It makes it sound like Gregor noticed his transformation as he woke up rather than after he woke up. The use of the words 'uneasy' and 'transformed' are important too.
- Syntax: The entire phrase is one sentence, it lacks punctuation, which is different than the original.
- Imagery/Details: The word gigantic makes it sound like he's larger than life. However, he's probably just a life size insect. Also the use of the word insect sounds more scientific and
- Structure: The structure is Gregor, waking up, transformed, and insect.
- Any other stylist/figurative elements: The "uneasy dreams" foreshadow conflict.
- Diction: The words 'uneasy' and 'changed' are used here. Uneasy implies anxiety, and is more of a mental struggle. Changed is also interesting her. Change is a more toned down version of transform.
- Syntax: This translation also has no punctuation in it.
- Imagery/Details: Using bug as a descriptor is different than insect, because bug has a more negative connotation to it.
- Structure: Gregor, waking up, transformation, bug.
- Any other stylist/figurative elements: This sentence is very short and to the point.
#3:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
- Diction: The use of the word "bug" lets the audience have more freedom with their imagination. Bug can describe a multitude of things.
- Syntax: There is no punctuation used here.
- Imagery/Details: There are more details here than in the others mentioning Gregor's bed and the fact that he was turned into an 'enormous' bug.
- Structure: Gregor, waking up, transformed, bug.
- Any other stylist/figurative elements: This sentence sounds almost fairy tale like, as if a narrator is telling the story of Gregor Samsa and the day he turned into a bug.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
- Diction: the use of the word 'vermin' strays from the original idea of a bug/insect.
- Syntax: There is a lot more punctation used here compared to the others.
- Imagery/Details: 'Monstrous' is a scary adjective. None of the other translations used a word like that when describing what Gregor transformed into.
- Structure: Waking up, dreams, Gregor, Vermin.
- Any other stylist/figurative elements: There is a realization that occurs here that Gregor is now a vermin.
The literary devices are important to conveying a certain meaning to this sentence. Due to their differences in each device each translation conveys a different meaning. Looking at diction alone amongst the 4 translations, how they described the creature Gregor changes to is different per translation. Translation #1 uses the term insect, which is very specific and makes people think of just insects like flies or ants. The word 'bug' is used in translations #2 and #3. Bug is more of a broader term than insect. Bugs open things up to spiders and such. 'Vermin' is used in the last translation, #4. Vermin strays away from the idea of bugs and insects. Vermin is a word used more for rats and mice, which misses the original point of the sentence. That being said, I feel like diction is the most important literary device when it comes to translating meaning. Diction is an important device, because the words are what hit the reader first. Or at least that's what hits me first when I'm reading something. The words used and how they are used.
This exercise definitely bring ups the difficulty of translating texts. This is because every interpreter has a different idea of what the text is supposed to convey and what is important for message to be conveyed. Different translations affect the tone of the sentence, because this is the tone of the translator and not the author. The translator would have a different perception of the text as compared to the author's original intentions.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
IOC Practice
Self Score:
Criterion A: 4
I scored myself a 4, because I did show knowledge that I read the book. I didn't score higher, because I'm not sure if I referenced the text well enough to support my knowledge of the book.
Criterion B: 4
I scored myself a 4, because I show awareness of literary features (comparison and listing), but I feel like it's not as adequate as it could be. I could've done more with the features I chose to analyze.
Criterion C: 3
I scored myself a 3, because the organization is okay. I state my two questions and then look at them one by one. Everything is pretty straightforward. The reason it's not higher is because I feel like my conclusion could have been brought out better.
Criterion D: 3
I scored myself a 3, because the language I used was just bad. I stuttered a lot and said "um" very frequently. I'm pretty sure I mispronounced a lot of things and I'm sorry.
Total: 14
I need help.
My passage:
Criterion A: 4
I scored myself a 4, because I did show knowledge that I read the book. I didn't score higher, because I'm not sure if I referenced the text well enough to support my knowledge of the book.
Criterion B: 4
I scored myself a 4, because I show awareness of literary features (comparison and listing), but I feel like it's not as adequate as it could be. I could've done more with the features I chose to analyze.
Criterion C: 3
I scored myself a 3, because the organization is okay. I state my two questions and then look at them one by one. Everything is pretty straightforward. The reason it's not higher is because I feel like my conclusion could have been brought out better.
Criterion D: 3
I scored myself a 3, because the language I used was just bad. I stuttered a lot and said "um" very frequently. I'm pretty sure I mispronounced a lot of things and I'm sorry.
Total: 14
I need help.
My passage:
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
I used to have a FEAR of boats, but that ship has sailed.
Ted Talk
Karen Thompson Walker is a fiction writer. In her TED talk she discusses the thin line between fear and imagination. She speaks of the whaleship essex situation back in 1819. This is to lead into her purpose of her talk, to argue that fear and imagination are connected and we could use that imagination to fuel our stories. Walker elaborates her argument by saying that fear leads to unintentional storytelling. Our fears create scenarios in our heads of how they can play out in our lives. It helps us predict an event that will impact every event after. It's like an everyday clairvoyance that humans have the privledge to be able to experience. Then if one could harness this power and imagination, they could create a wonderful story out of it. Ultimately, Walker wanted to communicate that fear isn't something to be afraid of. It's a stepping stone to a whole new world.
One method that Walker uses to get her point across is pathos. This is arguably Walker's main concept she uses, because fear is an emotion. Walker tugs at the heartstrings when she speaks of her childhood in California. Walker discusses her fears to the audience that she had as a child. For example: Walker feared for earthquakes and what would happen to her family if one would occur.
Another example of pathos in her talk is telling the tale of the whaleship essex. Walker recounts about the sailors who were hit by a sperm whale and stranded thousands of miles away from any piece of land. This story is referenced serval times throughout her talk, always talking about the fears that the sailors had when trying to figure out what to do in order to survive.
Both of these uses of pathos have one purpose. To make the audience feel sympathetic. Walker tells these stories in order to get her audience to experience, or just think about, the fear laced within. She wants them to feel empathetic for the characters she tells about. The purpose of that is so they can experience the fear that Walker keeps mentioning. Walker wants the audience to experience the fear and think about the scenarios they would choose on their own. The purpose of this is, so that they can get a real inside look at her point.
I chose this ted talk, because I was curious as to what fear could teach me. (The talk is entitled: "What fear can teach us"). I was ultimately just curious as to what I could learn storytelling wise what fear could do to help, because fear is typically seen as something that hinders you. One thing that really resonated with me is the fear of the future. That's definitely something I can relate to right now, fearful for all the events coming up in my life (random example: college decisions).
Karen Thompson Walker is a fiction writer. In her TED talk she discusses the thin line between fear and imagination. She speaks of the whaleship essex situation back in 1819. This is to lead into her purpose of her talk, to argue that fear and imagination are connected and we could use that imagination to fuel our stories. Walker elaborates her argument by saying that fear leads to unintentional storytelling. Our fears create scenarios in our heads of how they can play out in our lives. It helps us predict an event that will impact every event after. It's like an everyday clairvoyance that humans have the privledge to be able to experience. Then if one could harness this power and imagination, they could create a wonderful story out of it. Ultimately, Walker wanted to communicate that fear isn't something to be afraid of. It's a stepping stone to a whole new world.
One method that Walker uses to get her point across is pathos. This is arguably Walker's main concept she uses, because fear is an emotion. Walker tugs at the heartstrings when she speaks of her childhood in California. Walker discusses her fears to the audience that she had as a child. For example: Walker feared for earthquakes and what would happen to her family if one would occur.
Another example of pathos in her talk is telling the tale of the whaleship essex. Walker recounts about the sailors who were hit by a sperm whale and stranded thousands of miles away from any piece of land. This story is referenced serval times throughout her talk, always talking about the fears that the sailors had when trying to figure out what to do in order to survive.
Both of these uses of pathos have one purpose. To make the audience feel sympathetic. Walker tells these stories in order to get her audience to experience, or just think about, the fear laced within. She wants them to feel empathetic for the characters she tells about. The purpose of that is so they can experience the fear that Walker keeps mentioning. Walker wants the audience to experience the fear and think about the scenarios they would choose on their own. The purpose of this is, so that they can get a real inside look at her point.
I chose this ted talk, because I was curious as to what fear could teach me. (The talk is entitled: "What fear can teach us"). I was ultimately just curious as to what I could learn storytelling wise what fear could do to help, because fear is typically seen as something that hinders you. One thing that really resonated with me is the fear of the future. That's definitely something I can relate to right now, fearful for all the events coming up in my life (random example: college decisions).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)