Last Reflection

1-What are the three most important things you learned this year?

      Being in Mrs.Larsons class has helped me learn multiple things that have helped me learn and grow. One thing that I learned was better grammar. In 6th grade, my grammar was HORRIBLE and although it's not amazing, it is a lot better. I also learned a lot more about the world and what goes on around the world. And lastly, I learned how to peer review. From helping people with their speeches to helping them write papers, I am now able t assist peers about their work.

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

     One thing that I will remember,  hopefully, for the rest of my life is learning about Sea World and Orca whales. Although a lot of people don't care for the subject, I couldn't believe that Orcas were being treated so horribly. Learning about the history of whales in SeaWorld and how they are affected and how they affected people really drew me into the subject and hope to do something about it in the  future.

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

     The nicest thing that someone in our class did for me this year was when Isabella gave me a witty valentines day card. She ran up to me and just said happy valentines day, gave me a hilarious smile, and then  ran away to give one to Gianna. I remember laughing because she was just so weird and I wasn't expecting the horrible pun that was on the card.

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
     One thing that I think I taught my classmates is the importance of having fun. My friends are always saying that i'm always laughing and smiling and just enjoying myself. A lot of times, my friends may be upset or somber and I feel like when they are with me , they possibly become happier and for a little while, forget what was upsetting them and that they carry that on for the rest of the day.

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

     Like I said before,  the biggest improvement I made was on my grammar. My grammar has improved extensively and if it wasn't for Mrs.Larson class, I would still have the grammar of a 6th grader. One thing that I accomplished this year was getting MVP in intramural volleyball. That was one thing that I was ecstatic about. I love volleyball and getting MVP just boosted my confidence even more.

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

     The most challenging thing this year was, honestly, turning assignments in on time. I have a problem with having procrastination. I always wait to the last minute to do things (like this blog.) However, I have become better in
turning in assignments. I also had a hard time finding time to turn in my assignments. I may have stayed up until 12 and up multiple times but it was worth it so I can turn in my assignments on time.

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

     

     The best piece of writing I did this year was my paper on Orca whales because, like I said, it was a subject that I was passionate about. Although there were flaws in my paper, I think it was my best piece. I put a lot of paper in that paper and enjoyed writing it. Also, I feel like this was my best paper was because I got a lot of peer reviews on my paper so I had the best possible paper.

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

      The best book I read this year was The Girl With No Name. I t was based on a true story and the story itself was outrageous and it was a real page turner for me. With every chapter, I learned a part or a true and scary story of a 6 year old left in a jungle by herself to live with monkeys. My favorite book used to me Th1rteen R3asons why. Both stories are raw and amazing stories that just make you waiting for more. 

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

Some advice for next yeas class is to PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS. A lot of people think that they can waltz through middle school barely paying attention in class and then wonder why they are failing or getting horrible grades. The teachers make a lot of their tests straight from what they teach and worksheets they do. They sometimes just copy and paste worksheets into a packet and call it a test. If you don't do the work, you wont pass. By actually paying attention in class and participating, I can guarantee that if you pay attention or actually do the work, you will get good grade. 

“The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.”

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

1-    Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

2-     Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

“The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.” I feel like through this aphorism, Morrie was trying to say something that most people are scared to admit. Our culture and society make people feel bad about themselves. More and more people are losing their self-confidence. From television commercials to clothing to movies, people are thinking less of themselves and a lot of people don’t notice it. He saying that so many people get stuck into everything thats popular and are all mainstream. They don’t make a change or do anything different. Only the people that are truly strong and know the difference between being yourself and being what other people want you to be are able to get out of the mainstream flow and start making a change. 

Like how I mentioned before, people are losing their self-confidence to our culture like books, movies, and videos. I feel like one influence of this is the idea of being a “tumblr-girl.” Pretty much, tumblr girls are girls from the ages of around 13 and up who are usually really pretty, photogenic, skinny, and usually have something unique to them. Whether it’s their hair or clothes or eyes. Of Facebook, I always see girls posting pictures of them asking if they could be a “tumblr-girl” and then getting nasty comments about their looks. The worst thing is that the girls then end up believing it and thinking that they are not skinny enough or pretty enough or just useless. However, there are also those girls who comment, "your beautiful", or "Don't listen to them, who cares if your not pencil thin, your still beautiful." Those are the people who don't follow all the people commenting rude and hurtful things. The aphorisms talks about how you have to be strong to not follow the culture and that is exactly what these girls are doing. Saying they are beautiful no matter what instead of following those who want to put people down.

Talking about Death

Prompt:Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book. 

  
    The one tuesday that has the biggest impact on me is the tuesday Morrie and Mitch talk about death and the tuesday they talk about the fear of aging. From a young age, I had always been really scared of dying. The fact that one day I will never walk, talk, think, breathe terrified me. From like the age of 8, I would sometimes cry over the fact of death and the fact that I will never be as young. That one day, I will have a family and not a child anymore. Although I am not excited to grow up, then, I despised it and wanted to be young forever. 

     The Tuesday about Death really impacted my view on death. When Morrie said, " Everyone knows they're going to die but nobody believes it. If we dod, we would do things differently." I took this that people live their lives knowing that they are going to die but they don't think it will really happen because a lot of people waste time doing things that in the long run won't make them believe they had a good life. It made me realize that I spend so much time watching Tv or on the computer when I could be out making memories and having fun.

      The tuesday about the fear of aging also really impacted me because like I said, I used to get really emotional at the fact that I am going to get old and not be able to do so many things. However, after when Morrie said that he is every single age because he was each age once, there is no reason to wish to be young again because we were an still are 5 or 8.

Little Girl Raised By Monkeys?

Prompt: Give a summary of your book and how you feel about it.

  Tell me, have you ever heard of a 4 year old getting abducted from her home. Sadly, that happens in the world. However, have you heard of that little 4 year old getting drugged, put in a van with other kids then being abandoned all alone in the middle of the jungle? Probably not but thats not the whole story. After 3 days of being in the vast jungle, this little 4 year old girl found a pack of monkeys. Now, you wold probably think that this little girl would run away screaming, crying, scared out of her mind. Not, Marina Chapman. Marina (not her real name) just stood there. After a couple minutes, a couple monkeys came over and started playing with her hair, poking her, wondering what she was. After a while, the monkeys got bored and let her be.

     Over the next few months, the monkey befriend her and they start becoming closer. When Marina ate a fruit that was bad for her, she was in complete pains. You would think that the monkeys would ignore her but your wrong. The eldest monkey went up to her and rolled her to a stream. He forced her to drink the water and waited until she finished and felt better then left. From then on, the monkeys actually started treating her as a part of their group. Grooming each other. Playing with each other and treating each other as one.

Marina Chapman now.

     You might be thinking that this is a fiction story but you are in fact, wrong. Marina Chapman was a real little girl who was ripped away from her home. When I first read the summary of the book, I too thought that this was fiction but I then noticed there was pictures of Marina, the places she lived, and her rescuers. I just find it absolutely astonishing that a group of wild monkeys was able to accept a little girl. Did they know she was frightened? Did they think she was too little to cause harm? We will never know. However, we will know that they made her one of their own and that is amazing.

Is Life Really Beautiful?

The way she looks at him !!! <3

Prompt: Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading?  What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces? How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale.

     After viewing Life Is Beautiful, I noticed there are many connections with this film and other films, poems, and books about the Holocaust. Life Is Beautiful is able to show the reality of the horrible concentration camps without making the whole movie dim and upsetting. The music that they use most of the time is really uplifting an nice and slow. In most movies about the Holocaust, the music is very dark and fast a, frightening. Take The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. The movie itself is dark and sad but the music they use is very dark and mostly low notes making they mood very dark. However, in both films, they show the reality of the "showers." In life Is Beautiful and The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, both times, we see people and kids being tricked into taking a shower when they were really going to their death in the gas chambers. Another way Life Is Beautiful is similar to other works about The Holocaust is the father son bond we see with Guido and Giosuė. In Night by Elie Wiesel, we see the bond Wiesel has with his father. Although in Life Is Beautiful, Guido is looking out for his son in the film and Wiesel is looking out for his father in the book. Either way, we see a strong father son bond that has formed between the sons and fathers. Wiesel and Guido are trying to keep their family member safe and to live as long as possible.  One last difference between Life Is Beautiful and Night is the fact that the women lived. Throughout the movie, Dora survived along with many other women. In most camps,  after arriving, the women would be sent to the furnaces. This was odd for me. Why was this camp different? Did they have too much work? Who knows...

     Like I've said before, most Holocaust movies were completely upsetting, sad, and depressing. However, In Life Is Beautiful, we are able to see a positive and sort of happy humorous mood be created. Throughout the movie, we se Guido try his hardest to show his wife love and his son happiness. A lot of men and women fell into a depression or state of shock but in the film, Guido is able to hold himself quite together. One instance where we see that life really is beautiful is when both Guido and Giosuė went onto the loud speaker of the camp spoke to Dora. The fact that Guido and Giosuė took the risk of being caught and killed to show Dora their love for her is amazing. They just didn't forget her. Didn't let her just drift out of her memory. We see Guidos true love for his wife and how much of his life she takes up. Another instance where we see how life is beautiful is when Guido plays the one Opera song that Dora and him listened together out to the camp. Like the first instance, their was a possibility that he could of been killed on the spot but took the risk to show his wife the love and to reassure his wife that he was still alive. One last instance that I thought strongly showed how life was beautiful was when Guido was still able to stay happy and make his son laugh one last time when he probably knew that he was gonna die. A lot of people would of cried or been completely a mess but he thought of his son first and made sure he had another good memory of his father.

      Comments: Maria, Gianna, Athziry

Night : 2.2.15

Prompt:  How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person? Your goal is to identify at least two major changes, and 'prove' using textual evidence and interpretation, how Eliezer transforms by the end of his memoir. Please use TIQA as your tool for organization.Page: Finished

     Night by Elie Wiesel was an amazing book. It gave us a first hand account of what the Holocaust was and and how if really affected people. In Night, we see Elie Wiesel start changing. Theres a fluctuation in his faith. In the beginning, he was a devout Jew but as we see his story unfold, he starts losing his faith but then we see him start coming back.  Also, we see his compassion towards others change. He was only 15 when he had the mindset of, me over anyone else. However, we also see that change multiple times in the book.

      Another way we see Elie change in the book is his compassion towards others. As a child, most kids feel compassion and don't think twice about being sad if they lose someone. When Wiesel was taken, he thought about his sister and mother. He states in his book "From time to time, in the middle of all that talk, a thought crossed my mind: Where is Mother right now…and Tzipora…" Like any other child, he worries for his family. He missed them. Yet, his time in the camps starts making him hard minded and he starts forgetting about the life he used to have and his family. He states in his book, "I no longer thought of my father, or my mother. From time to time, I would dream. But only about soup, an extra ration of soup." Being in the camps caused him to think of his survival and his survival only. 

     In the beginning of the book, we see Elie as a devout Jew. He's constantly praying and has no doubt that God is real and that he loves everyone. When asked about why he prays he states, "Why did I pray?... Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” Praying, to him, was something routine. He didn't question it. He just did. Just like breathing or thinking, you didn't need a reminder. As we get deeper into the book, we start to see Wiesel question his faith. He doesn't understand why God is willing to let his people be killed as if they were animals. After being in the camps for some time, he states, "Why should  I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?" Elie thinks that there is no reason to love and thank God if all God is doing is sitting around not doing anything. 

"Preparing for The Commissioners Visit" -Helga Weissova

Comments: Isabella, Nadrian, Autumn, Jesus, Abdiel