The Way of the Movie

I wrote this poem for English, but I feel like it’s lacking something.  I would greatly appreciate commentary on it because I can’t figure out what’s wrong.  Maybe it’s just because it’s cheesy…

The people wait in silence,
Looking at a screen that’s black.
     Quietly munching on popcorn,     
And then they hear the crack.
They can tell the film is starting,
As the lights grow dim and dark.
The previews are unfolding,
Showing everything from love to sharks.
And finally, the picture is beginning.
Is it an action or comedy?
Will the actors be good or horrible?
The people wait to see.
They have all heard reviews
From critics, family, and friends.
Maybe even to a point
Some to the point that they can’t wait
To see how it finally ends.
This film happens to be an adventure.
Set far from a big city,
Found in the wilds of the jungle
In the midst of giant trees.
The characters are escaping from a threat that is unknown.
They don’t know if they’ll live or die,
Or ever make it home.
Towards the end, the hero realizes
That the best plan of attack
Is not to keep on running,
But to stop and finally fight back.
After much strife and trauma,
They finally get a way,
And for their great efforts
The main characters are the heroes today.
After the movie is over,
Everyone who leaves is happy.
And tell all of their family and friends
That it is a great movie to see.
Thus is the way of the movie,
The reason people keep going back.
All of the plots and stories,
Of which there is no lack.
People can’t wait for the next, good one
Coming to the theater to play.
So, remember the fun
And take yourself to go see one today!

The Universe

In Science, we have been focusing on the solar system.  I find it highly fascinating.  It’s incomprehensible to think about the universe and all of the amazing things contained in it.  To think that the Earth is the perfect distance from the sun, with just the right amount of oxygen, water, and other materials to sustain life.  Or how it would take 4 light years to get to the closest star, yet they have so many amazing photos of galaxies that are thousands of light years away.  What it makes the decided is how ridiculous the idea of evolution is.  How could you not believe in intelligent design when there are so many things that are so perfect?  Maybe coincidences do happy, but it would be impossible for them to occur that frequently.      

Reaching the End of the Year (a.k.a. Ashley's Venting)

I realize that it getting to the end of the school year.  I know that for some reason people just want to check out when it gets sunny and nice outside.  I admit, I didn’t want Spring Break to end, and that I felt ready to be done with school, but I am now over that.  What I really want is to still be learning something!!!

This is the worst time of the year, in my opinion.  Not only do the students want to be done, the teachers have also given up teaching (sorry, Mr. Thompson.  I’m sure that you’re wonderful and make your students continue to use their brains, but certain other members of the faculty at FFJH are not really trying any more.).  I’m really anxious to be taught something new.  Make me have to think.  Don’t give me anymore mindless worksheets to a) fill up time or b) help me “better understand” something that was so simple that it’s pathetic if you haven’t gotten it by now (now being the sixth worksheet on it).  CHALLENGE ME!  Shouldn’t this be the time that I should have to use my most creative thinking to show that I’ve learned something during the past months?  

Maybe the reason for this is many kids don’t care, at this point.  Perhaps they can’t concentrate and will just waste their time anyways, so a teacher is really being kind by not making them do anything.  Their logic may be: if they pick something up from this video, that’ll be lucky.  I don’t really care if they do, though.  There are still some of us, though, who wish to be doing something productive with our time!!  

Everyone is suffering from this, even our Honors English class. I imagine that if you’re reading this blog, you aren’t one of those people.  There are many, though, who haven’t written a new blog in weeks, some even months!!  Then, if they do actually write a blog, they write one a few words over 500 so it looks like they’re making up for the stuff they haven’t been doing.  Any time I bug someone about this, they always make similar comments.  “I’m just so busy!”, “I keep forgetting.”,  and “Oh yeah!  I must’ve posted it as a draft.” are just a few examples of responses I’ve gotten.  Do they honestly think that I’m falling for these lines?  Then if they aren’t tricking me, do they think Mr. T’s believing them too?  Sorry, I shouldn’t be judgmental because I know people really do have these problems, but I’ve got to finally write this blog because our class is starting to get pathetic.  There are very few that have posted a blog and a discussion board answer every week.  I understand that it’s human nature to forget a few times, but it’s wrong for them to not be doing any work and still be getting the credit.  Some people are very diligent on getting things done on time.  I imagine that at regular school, everyone in this class is excellent.  That’s why they even bothered to sign up for an extra, honors class.  If these students, enrolled in the online course, were giving this same level of performance in a regular class, many of them would be failing.  Then, if they weren’t failing, their grade wouldn’t be up to their usual standard.  There are many people in this class who would die to get a B, yet if this class was formally graded, they might be getting that, if they were lucky.

I just want the students to stop and think about how easy this class is.  Stop abusing how this!  All the requirements are to respond to a question and write 500 words (ONLY ONCE A WEEK!!).  Then, there are other occasional assignments, such as study guides, but besides that, it takes very little time.  I think that many more students should be appreciative and do what they are supposed to, so that those of us who have been completing everything won’t feel gypped that you are getting the same credit as us, for half of the work.          

Assigned Reading

    Assigned reading is not intended to torture or be cruel to readers.  This reading has a reason, which is generally to enhance, clarify, or teach concepts that are too complex to be taught in a classroom.  People should stop complaining about required reading and just do it.
     
Starting a new book is often the most difficult part.  The characters may be confusing or the plot may seem too hard to grasp.  These are just a few of the reasons that people get bogged down in the start.  They can’t see past the first, daunting pages, and this leads to frustration.  Once the reader gives up on a book, it is very hard to start reading again.  Thus, the first few pages can be critical, and a slow start may put a stop to any excitement that a reader may have originally had.  If reading continues, though, it becomes easier to understand.  The brain changes and adapts to the different styles of writing, and once this happens, the book often becomes hard to put down.  Once this occurs, reading is no longer a chore, but a fun and exciting pastime.  

Then, once a reader realizes that reading is enjoyable and not a problem, the requirements don’t seem so overwhelming.  No longer does a book assigned in class inflict pain.  It can now be an opportunity to try new things.  That is another perk of reading different things.  The reader experiences books that, at first glance, would be disregarded as uninteresting, but, as they are forced to read it, they learn things that they enjoy and can relate to.   Students can be exposed to a broad variety of books, and this is greatly beneficial.  

When assigned reading is completed early, the concepts learned from the book can aid students in schoolwork.  If students can remember that the book was assigned for a reason, it can help them do better.  Plus, finishing the reading earlier gives people more time to comprehend and understand the book.  If the book is not read until the last moment, many important concepts may be missed.  It is hard to enjoy a book that causes stress and makes a person stay up all night.  Too often, the stress experienced is blamed on the book.  It is not the book, nor the author’s fault.  It is the person who lazily put it off, day after day, until the deadline was upon them.  Then, the book had to be force read, which is never an enjoyable experience.  To avoid all of these problems, a book must simply be started and finished earlier.

Assigned reading is not a horrible experience.  It is a great tool to teach and expose students to new genres of writing.   It also helps students become better readers.  Required reading would not seem such a hard task, if it were begun earlier.  Students often get stuck in the beginning and give up before the book truly has time to develop. If they consistently read, even though it may seem hard, they will eventually be able to better understand and better comprehend the book.  Once this happens, they will also be able to understand concepts that are being taught in the classroom.  As students stop complaining about assigned reading, begin earlier, read more consistently, and finish the books quicker, they will not only avoid a painful experience, but, with this little effort put forth, the student may get a lot out of it.      

Animal Farm Essay

Throughout the book, Animal Farm, a great change occurs in the animal’s leaders, the pigs. In the beginning of the book, Old Major, a pig, began the rebellion. He had the idea of a better society and living conditions for animals. Old Major’s ideas were the basis of the story. As the story progressed, though, his rules and laws began to be broken and warped.

When Major died, Snowball took over and continued his dreams. A rebellion occurred, in which the animals took over Manor Farm, owned by Mr. Jones. Snowball was a key factor in this. He established “commandments” and other guidelines for animalism. For a while, the animals were happy and content. They worked hard, but they were rewarded for their efforts. It was easy for the animals to see that they were moving towards a goal. The first sign of corruption was when the animals realized that the pigs had been keeping all of the apples and milk to themselves. The pigs said that they needed this to keep up their strength. The main propagandist, Squealer, would always change any arguments back to “You don’t want Jones to come back, do you?” Since the animals didn’t want this, the discussion was always ended.

At some point, Napoleon, another pig, takes over. He chases Snowball out and pronounces the death sentence on him and anyone who helps him. Napoleon changes how things had been set up. He becomes more of a figurehead and less of a leader. Napoleon begins to stop working with the others. He also sets up a bodyguard, of dogs, and has other pigs that are his close associates. Napoleon also begins to live in the house. While he is living his the house, he begins to break the fundamental rules of animalism. At night, he has Squealer change the commandments so that they fit with what the pigs are doing. They add things like “No animal may sleep in a bad… with sheets,” or “No animal shall drink alcohol… to excess.” By slowly changing these rules, the pigs become more power hungry, more suspicious, and more like the humans.

Eventually, Napoleon becomes almost like a God to the lesser animals, while the smarter animals begin to realize his corruption. At one point, Napoleon pretends to send their hardest worker, Boxer the horse, to the hospital, when he is actually being sent to a glue factory to be killed. Napoleon also kills animals that he claims were aiding Snowball. As this is happening, Napoleon starts appearing in public less and less. He goes out on very few, special occasion, most of which are just used to show what a great, fearless, hard-working leader he is, while Napoleon is really just staying in the house drinking and behaving like a human.

In the end of the book, Napoleon and the other leaders become completely corrupted. They becomes as close to humans as possible. This is shown through their wearing of clothes. The power completely changed their ideas, and they thought of themselves as superior to other animals. The pigs changed the final commandment to say, “All animals are equal… but some are more equal than others” which shows their feelings towards the others. They had completely lost Major’s plan of an ideal society, in which everyone was happy and prosperous. It shows that the idea of animalism/socialism does not work. The leaders change in the process and that much power is never good. It gave them a feeling of supremacy. This shows how the change in the pigs throughout the book, Animal Farm.

Memoir

It was the happiest day of my life. Since then, I have had similar experiences, but this was the best time because it was my first time. This experience is my first State Science Olympiad competition.

I was incredibly excited and nervous. I had been studying since October to be ready for it. It was my first year being on the team. I realize now that I was incredibly young and naïve. I didn’t know that seventh graders were just supposed to be experiencing this, learning things better so they can excel as eight and ninth graders. I was out to win, and I had done lots of studying to prove it.

My events this year are Forestry, Pentathlon, and Science of Fitness. I like all of it, but as I learn these events, I naturally pick out favorites. The first one is forestry. I don’t really enjoy this one. In it, I learn about trees, and I have to be able to identify sixty different trees and label them according to their scientific Latin names. Practice was also held in the mornings, beginning at six a.m., which isn’t fun to get up for. Pentathlon is an academic obstacle course. I have to answer a question and then do an activity, along with three other teammates. This is okay, but it had nothing on Science of Fitness.

Fitness is, by far, my favorite event. In it, I learn about the body and things that affect it, such as diseases, exercise, and nutrition. For some reason, I love to remember these things and learn about them. As the year progress, I get better and better, to the point that I know more than the varsity team. The only downside was my partner, on this event, is unhelpful. I know that he’s smart, yet he doesn’t show it, and I have to do all of the work. I guess this is really a blessing in disguise because it makes me learn the stuff. For six months, I study Fitness.

Finally, the day of days is upon me. I am competing in these three events, and I’m very nervous and excited. I have never felt stress like this, and my nerves are shaky all day. I begin my events, and they are going well. I feel good about Forestry because it was easier than the stuff that we were learning at practice. Pentathlon is also good, but I feel good and bad about Fitness. I think that I knew most of the material on the test, but the other half of me questions whether it will be enough. Who knows if some other school knew the answer to all of the questions and answers? I realize there is nothing I can now do, and I go and watch others compete in different events. I’m very pleased to see how well everyone is doing. State is much more fun than I expected!

Then, the coaches gather all of us to go to the Awards Ceremony. I am now completely shaking and have a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. It starts slowly. Many prestigious people spoke to us, but I can honestly say that I do not remember any of it. I am too busy worrying about what will happen. As I am reading the program, I see that Science of Fitness has a cash reward for it. This is just another incentive added to my hopes of winning.
Finally, the results of the events begin to be announced alphabetically. My school is doing very well, but I can’t believe how unlucky I am to have all of my events toward the end of the alphabet. I now have to wait and wait. My first event to be read is Forestry. As the names are read off, I hear my name called as third place. I can hardly stand my joy, as I hurry up to the stage to receive my first bronze medal. I go and sit down grinning. My dad leans to my mom, excited for my medal, and says, “There we go. She has a medal.” My mom and I both still hoped, though, that this wouldn’t be my only one. The result of Pentathlon is read off, and I am awarded fourth place, which I don’t get a medal for. I realize that Science of Fitness is just a few away, and I become very stressed. I am so nervous about the results that both my legs and hands are shaking uncontrollably. Then, fourth place is read. I know that unless I completely choked, I will be getting a medal. I am now stiff with anxiety. The varsity team receives silver, and then, after all of this waiting, I hear my name called for first place. I leap into the air and hurry up to go and get my gold medal. I have never felt this happy before. They hand me an envelope as I’m going to sit down, but I hardly notice it in my joy. As I sit, my friend reminds me of it. I fumble with it until I get it open, and then I see my crisp, new $100 bill. This greatly adds to my excitement. After the awards were over, many people congratulate me, and it was a great time.

As a seventh grader, I didn’t realize what a great accomplishment I made. I saw all of it, but I didn’t make connections of how outstanding it was for a Junior Varsity member to have beaten out everyone. I did have incredible feelings, though, because I still remember them acutely. The boundaries set up in past years were silly things, only put there by those who couldn’t overcome them. I worked hard, and it really paid off, not only with a medal and money, but with the great feelings of personal satisfaction and accomplishment.