blog #14

My personal belief is no, personal values and ethics should not be taught in public schools. Now there is some specificity to be applied in this case. I think certain ethics and morals are obvious and should be taught and/or reminded to students in public schools. Such as not talking when the teacher is talking or treat people the way you would want to be treated. However, other things such as person beliefs in morals and ethics should not be taught in schools. These are things that really cannot be taught because they are opinions. Everyone has a different opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinions. If you tried to teach opinions, your setting yourself up for an ugly unwanted debate. Students should be able to learn as they grow and decide for themselves what their morals and ethics are. I think that people should have respect for the beliefs of others because like I said, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Also, a lot of ethics and morals that people posses are religiously related to their beliefs. Trying to teach students morals in public schools could confuse kids. If they are told something at their home or in church then told differently in public school, confusion and anger could occur. That is why it is a safer situation to avoid this subject being taught in public schools.

blog #13

All movies are generally classified into genres. However there is more to a movie than just it's genre. There are many ways to classify a movie. For example, I would say that the Zodiac Killer is a lot like the movie Ace Ventura pet detective. I made this connection because even though Zodiac Killer is a horror film based on actual events and Ace Ventura is a hilarious comedy staring the comedian we all know and love, Jim Carey, the both are about cracking a mystery by following clues and other pieces of evidence to crack the case. Or on the other hand you have Employee of the month and Coach Carter. Both totally different genres of movie that share a common purpose that if you work hard enough towards something then you can achieve it through perseverance and determination. Then you have movies like Gone Baby Gone which opens up the question, is doing the right thing always the right thing to do? I get that purpose from the movie Saving Private Ryan also. Regardless of the genre, movies usually have a point to them and if two movies share a similar purpose then they are considered to be similar movies.

blog #12

Self-Check
1. I feel that I have answered the prompt to the best of my ability.
2. Well, I have a thesis that states that Rodrigues uses contrasts, but I Didn't state why, I stated how.
3. My paragraphs do build on each other and they continue to build up untill I get to my conclusion where I tie it all together.
4. I had two main body paragraphs that suggested how Rodrigues "build the house". They are both two different ideas which include two concrete details.
5. I used a couple of quotes right out of the txt to make my argument more real.

Refelction
1. I think I answered the prompt well considering I only had a limited amount of time.
2. I don't think my intro went too well. My thesis is good but the background to introduce my essay didn't have a strong hook.
3. If given more time my essay would be better structured and well planned out. Because it was first timed essay, I kinda just threw some things together and did my best to make them work well.
4. No. My essay did not come out the way I planned it because I didn't really have time to plan it. there was almost no organisation in my essay.
5. As I was writing I realised how much I agree with Rodrigues about the bold statement of the plastic pink flamingo.
6. I need to take at least five minuets before I start writing to plan out what I intend to write. Just Make a brief and minor outline

blog #11

Culminating Writers Profile

1.When I started this class, I didn't realise there would be as much writing as there is. I was always told by previous english teachers to never use the word I in an essay, however in AP, all or moat essays are personal and therefore require the word I. I am having a hard time transitioning into telling structured personal stories.

2. My strength as a writer has always been creativity. I have always been told that I have a creative mind so when I am writing, I like to take that creative mind of mine and run with it.

3. My weakness is probably commentary. I have never been very good at supporting my statements. I feel that I can strengthen my disability to write strong commentary just by looking at me concrete details and elaborating them, however it is harder to do it than to think of doing it.

Evaluating Your Writing Process

1. If given another chance to edit my essay i would make it more concrete. I would take my topic of bipolar and create a better light to it because after turning in the old one I wasn't to happy with it.

2. The easiest element to improve my essay was the purpose. A peer told me the purpose of my essay wasn't clear so I revised it to make my purpose set in stone.

3. The biggest problem I had when writing the definition essay was an idea. Once I got my idea the hardest part was the structure. when revising the essay the hardest part again was getting the structure just right to satisfy my desired structure.

Evaluating Your Successes

1. My most successful revision happened in the conclusion. I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to wrap up my essay. It took maybe forty-five minuets along to revise my conclusion.

2. well, I attempted to include imagery and language that would give off a poetic vibe. I was unsuccessful and strove for a more informative lack of advanced language. 

3. I considered the fact that someone in my class would read my essay, however that had little effect. so I broadened my audience to people that could relate to my topic.

Being Honest with Self

1. the most intimidating part of this essay was the prompt itself. When I read the prompt, I thought it was impossible-make the intangible, tangible. I stressed over it a little bit the overcame it because I knew it wasn't worth it to blow this assignment.

2. All of them really. Like I mentioned before, I had never before written an essay that required me to talk about myself or my opinions, so I didn't really know what I was doing. I used all the Essay's we went over in class as inspiration and guidelines for my essay.

3.  I definitely used other students work to help me with mine. for example their essay structures. I didn't know how to structure my essay so I used classmates as examples.

4. I learned from a peer that i included to much information that was not necessary and did not relate to my thesis nor my topic.

5. I feel very accomplished after turning in that essay. I do not see myself as a professional at all but instead, I see myself with a ton of improvement opportunities for this class.

blog #10

Does anybody know what it means to be a "nobody"? If you ask a person that question, then your asking somebody, not nobody. "Nobodiness" is all in your head. Your only a nobody if you allow yourself to become a nobody.

Being a nobody doesn't mean your lonely, depressed, sad, or invisible, it just means your in denial. If you exist you are obviously somebody. This is what I mean when I say it is all in your head. If you believe in yourself then you will have more confidence in yourself but if you don't think your important, then how can anyone else think your important. A "Nobody" is just a figment of your imagination, because if you exist then you're not nobody. No person in life is going to waist their time taking you seriously if you don't take yourself seriously. "Nobodiness" is simply a term referring to those who wish they were nobody.

blog #9

The book Tuesday's with Morrie was a sad, touching story. I loved Morrie's positive and enthusiastic attitude towards his disease, which he displayed throughout the whole story. Even though Morrie was mournful and sad about his future death, he never let it stop him from living. That is one thing that I will take with me from this book. It is ok to be sad that your dying, but if you are too sad about it, then you will never appreciate the life that you lived or see your life through to the end. It is important to live your life all the way until the day you die because you only get one chance at life. This is something that I absolutely agree with Morrie about. However I disagree with Morrie when he says that the meaning of life is to love and cherish others. I personally don't think that the meaning of life is to build relationships and to forgive people and create a bond with people or to love all your family and friends. I agree that these things are big parts of your life, but not the sole meanning. I don't think life has a meaning. We live, we die, that is the natural order of things. I agree that loving others and having some form of social life is very important to a successful life, however it won't kill you to live your life as a recluse either if that is what you want to do. We only have our one life, live it to the fullest, where ever that road may take you. The only key advice I would give to people after reading this book is to make everyday count.

blog #8

The word snatch implies a very negative connotation. To be used in a positive way is a form of English that I personally have never heard. When I think of the word "snatch", I think of someone taking something whether or not it belongs to them. Suzie "snatched" the book away from Bill. Now I don't know if it was Suzie's book or Bill's book, however the verb "snatched" makes Suzie sound guilty regardless because she is the one who "snatched" it. Or Joe "snatched" the puppy away from the killer bulldog. Even though Joe is saving the puppy, the word "snatched" implies a negative action as if he was steeling the puppy. "Snatched" is a word that gives off a vibe of theft or greediness. Such as, I "snatched" what belonged to me in the first place. It may have belonged to him/her, but by using the word "snatched" he/she sounds very eager or impatient when getting his/her things back. <Snatch: to take, get, or secure hastily or suddenly> In no way does this definition imply theft or greed, but the connotation of it does.